Mission Statement
Protecting the citizens of Oregon tthrough the licensing and regulation of Social Workers.
History of the Oregon Board of Licensed Social Workers
The Oregon State Board of Licensed Social Workers (BLSW) was created in 1979 by legislature and is authorized by ORS 675.510 - 675.600 to regulated social work in Oregon.
The Board is statutorily responsible to protect the citizens of Oregon through the regulation of social workers. This is accomplished by setting policy, establishing standards of practice and ethical conduct, establishing standards for certification, registration and licensure, including renewals, and monitoring continuing education requirements.
The Board is comprised of seven board members, appointed by the Governor, and confirmed by the Senate. Three of the seven members must be Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSWs), one of the seven must be a Clinical Social Work Associate (CSWA), Registered Baccalaureate Social Worker (RBSW), or Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW), and three of the seven members must be members of the public and not be licensed social workers.
Currently, the Board licenses and regulates over 10,000 social workers. The Boards licensure program covers the clinical CSWA certificate and the clinical LCSW license, the non-clinical LMSW license, and the non-clinical RBSW certificate of registration.
The Boards compliance program covers cases alleging the unlicensed practice of clinical social work and violations of the professional standards for social workers. The Board's responsibilities and functions are administered by eight staff and overseen by an Executive Director. For more information about Board staff, please visit our Contact Us page.
Meet the Oregon BLSW Board Members
Licensed Board Members:
Mollie Janssen, LCSW - Board Chair
Location: Washington County
Term Number: Second
Term Dates: 06/30/2023 - 06/30/2027
Eli Kinsley, LCSW
Location: Marion County
Term Number: First
Term Dates: 06/22/2026 - 06/30/2027
My name is Eli Kinsely, and I serve as the Director for Bridgeway Community Health, an Adjunct Instructor in Portland State University's School of Social Work, and the owner of Midewin Counseling and Consulting LLC. I am an enrolled member of the Tohono O'odham Nation and descendent of the Hopi and Turtle Mountain Chippewa/Cree peoples. Having lived and worked in Marion and Polk Counties for many years, I have dedicated my career to improving behavioral health services, strengthening communities, and advancing equitable opportunities for underserved populations, with a focus on Native American populations.
I bring leadership experience in behavioral health, healthcare operations, clinical practice, and higher education. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor III (CADC III), and a Certified Gambling Addiction Counselor II (CGAC II), I have worked to expand access to care, develop innovative programs, strengthen community partnerships, and support workforce development. Through my leadership roles, I have gained experience in strategic planning, organizational management, and fostering collaborations that improved health and well-being.
Community services has remained a guiding principle throughout my life. I currently serve as Board Chair of Transformative Justice Community (TJC) and previously serviced on the Marion County Sheriff's Office Community Advisory Committee. These experiences have reinforced by commitment to collaboration, accountability, and ensuring diverse voices are represented in decision-making. My approach to leadership informed by Indigenous values of respect, responsibility, and service to community.
My hope is to bring thoughtful leadership, community-centered decision-making, and a commitment to equity to the Board. My goal is to strengthen partnerships, encourage meaningful community engagement, and support sustainable solutions that improve outcomes while promoting inclusion, transparency, and long-term success for our community.
Olivia Bormann, CSWA
Location: Multnomah County
Term Number: First
Term Dates: 05/01/2025 - 06/30/2027
Leslie Ford, LCSW
Location: Multnomah County
Term Number: First
Term Dates: 09/21/2026 - 06/30/2030
Public Board Members:
Nicole Pantley - Vice Board Chair
County: Umatilla County
Term Number: First
Term Dates: 07/01/2025 - 06/30/2029
My name is Nicole Pantley, and I am a Regional Operations Manager with Oregon Recovery &Treatment Centers (ORTC). For more than 30 years Oregon has been my home, from Portland and Salem to Pendleton and the rural communities where I've built my life, my career, and my commitment to services. I have a strong understanding of the diverse needs, strengths, and challenges that define our state.
My professional journey reflects the full arc of behavioral health work. I began my journey in frontline and administrative roles, and served as an Operations & Policy Analyst III with the Oregon Health Authority, supporting statewide behavioral health initiatives and regulatory alignment. Today, I support all ORTC clinics across Oregon and Washington, helping teams deliver accountable, compassionate care to diverse communities. These experiences ground my commitment to ethical governance, regulatory clarity, and system level improvement.
My community involvement includes the Behavioral Health Learning Collaborative (BHLC) and several nonprofit boards across Oregon and Washington. My "why" is deeply personal: with over 14 years in recovery, I have been a direct consumer of social work services, and I credit skilled LCSWs with helping me rebuild my life. The words: "social worker," carry weight for me - it represents dignity, safety, and the belief that people can rise when systems rise with them.
This is why I chose to serve on the Oregon Board of Licensed Social Workers: to strengthen transparency, elevate public trust, and help build a behavioral health system worthy of the people it serves.
Troy Costales
County: Marion County
Term Number: First
Term Dates: 11/20/2025 - 06/30/2029
I am new to the profession of social work. I have read the Board of licensed Social Workers' most recent Strategic Plan, met with Executive Director and Board Chair, attended a Board meeting in Newport prior to being appointed, and I am excited to learn from the phenomenal Board members, the agency professionals, licensees, license applicants, program partners, and community members.
I hold a Master of Arts in Public Administration from Portland State University and I was the state of Oregon Transportation Safety Division Administrator and Governor's Highway Safety Representative from 1997 through 2021. In that position I was appointed by three different Governors (Kitzhaber, Kulongoski, Brown). For more than 20 years, multiple legislative committee leaders tagged me as "Mr. Safety," and sought my counsel in informal and formal settings. I am currently retired from state service, but I am frequently called upon to serve as a Subject Matter Expert on transportation and highway safety at the national and state level.
I have served 10 years as a citizen governor-appointee to the Oregon Real Estate Board with two years as the Vice-Chair. I have also served 10 years as a citizen governor-appointee to the Oregon Physical Therapy Licensing Board. I represented Oregon on the national PT Compact Commission and was elected as the inaugural Chair that helped to set the bylaws, operating policies, and financial system for issued Compact privileges. During my time with the traffic safety program, I was responsible for three Governor-appointed committees (Oregon Transportation Safety Committee, Governor's Advisory Committee on Motorcycle Safety, and Governor's Advisory Committee on DUII).
During my off-time, I achieved the rank of third degree blackbelt in Tae Kwan Do, play multiple musical instruments, serve as a leader in my church, participate in Keizer Community Food Bank, helped to build multiple Habitat for Humanity homes, have been married to my wonderful wife Laurie for 41 years, have to adult children (Paul and Elizabeth), and a small menagerie of grand-pets.
The value of volunteers is immense in a citizen governance model that Oregon enjoys. Thank you for the opportunity to participate as a public member the Board. I will serve to the best of my abilities to fulfill the statutory expectations of the Board and in supporting the Board's mission.
Shyra Merila-Simmons
County: Clatsop County
Term Number: First
Term Dates: 07/01/2026 - 06/30/2027