 Ronald G. Lewis

Dr. Ronald G. Lewis (born 1941) was the first American Indian to receive a Ph.D. in the field of social work (which he received from the University of Denver) in 1974, was declared a NASW Social Work Pioneer, and has become known as the “Father of American Indian Social Work.”

In addition, he was the first American Indian tenured in the University of Wisconsin system, first American Indian Full Professor in the field of Social Work, and first American Indian to hold the position of "Dean" in Canada.Born in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, Dr. Lewis had his first academic appointment in 1975 at the University of Oklahoma's School of Social Work.