Boston University School of Social Work Names Joan Kwiatkowski Chair of Dean’s Advisory Board

Monday, December 17, 2018

Boston University’s School of Social Work (BUSSW) recently named Joan Kwiatkowski (SSW’85) to be the first Chair of the Dean’s Advisory Board. Dean Jorge Delva made the appointment, noting Kwiatkowski’s relevant background in social work and experience as an innovator and leader in the health care and social work fields. In August 2017, BUSSW presented Kwiatkowski with the Outstanding Career in Social Work award.

Members of the Dean’s Advisory Board (DAB) advise the Dean and senior administrators of the BUSSW on matters of strategic importance. The DAB is composed of alumni, friends of the School, community leaders, and emeriti faculty and staff. They are chosen for their demonstrated leadership in their field, commitment to BUSSW, and a strong interest in promoting social work education. They possess the resources, knowledge, and contacts the School requires to meet its objectives and support its mission to advance the science and practice of social work in a changing world.

Kwiatkowski is CEO of CareLink, a Providence, Rhode Island-based nonprofit health management services organization comprised of post-acute and community-based health providers. At CareLink, she is responsible for contract negotiations, oversight of the company’s large Group Purchasing program, as well as the organization’s profitable subsidiaries such as Wisdom Tooth Mobile Dentistry and Innovations Rehab.

She is also chief executive officer of the PACE program, a non-profit integrated care model serving adults 55 and older who have chronic health needs and want to live at home. Kwiatkowski developed the first PACE site in Rhode Island and serves as the National PACE Association’s board chair.

In addition to her business roles, Kwiatkowski participates in numerous state and national efforts focused on care integration, chronic disease management, and the development of new business models in health care.  She has taught as an adjunct professor at Tufts Medical School where she was clinical manager for the Behavioral Health Division and Geriatrics at the Family Practice Residency Program affiliated with Northeast Health Systems.

Kwiatkowski holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Boston College and a Masters in Social Work from Boston University. She completed a Certificate in Advanced Graduate Studies in Non-Profit Administration at the Stanford School of Business.