Meet PLSD Social Worker: Dr. Erica Magier

Unite to Ignite: Celebrating Our Impact

National School Social Work Week Spotlight: Erica Magier, PhD, MSW, LSW

During National School Social Work Week 2026, Pickerington Local Schools continues to celebrate the professionals who help unite systems of support and ignite meaningful impact for students across our district.

For District Social Worker Erica Magier, PhD, MSW, LSW, her “why” begins and ends with students.

“My biggest driving forces for entering school social work are the students and knowing I have the opportunity and privilege to be a trusted adult for some students,” she shares. “No student should have to tackle this world alone.”

Dr. Magier's connection to Pickerington runs deep. She completed both her bachelor’s- and master’s-level field placements in PLSD. As an intern, she collaborated with staff, supported students, and built the professional foundation that would shape her career. When the opportunity arose to return — and to lead the internship program that once helped shape her — she jumped at the chance.

Her role as District Social Worker is uniquely structured around both program leadership and intern supervision, including:

• Coordinating the district-wide substance intervention program

• Supervising the Social Work Intern Program (currently eight interns from four universities: The Ohio State University, Ohio University, Capital University, and Liberty University)

• Supporting the Panorama Success Platform

• Serving as a CPI trainer

The substance intervention program supports students both with and without disciplinary consequences related to substance use, with the goal of guiding them toward positive growth and success. At the same time, Dr. Magier supervises interns placed in buildings across the district, helping them grow professionally while amplifying support for students.

“There’s no typical day,” she says. “Some days I’m working directly with students, supporting interns individually or in groups, and collaborating with school counseling teams and administrators to ensure every student’s support system is aligned.”

Because social workers are not in every building daily, collaboration is essential. Magier works closely with counselors, teachers, and administrators to ensure students’ teams are coordinated and informed.

For Magier, the most rewarding part of her work is being a trusted adult for students and shaping the next generation of school social workers.

“I’m reminded of my ‘why’ in the small moments,” she says. “A student using a coping skill, an intern having a lightbulb moment, or a team finding new resources for a family — the small wins create ripple effects for future positive changes.”

Dr. Magier emphasizes that mental health support is essential, not optional. School social workers are trained mental health professionals who bridge home, school, and community systems to support students and families.

Through leadership, collaboration, and advocacy, she creates ripple effects that strengthen support systems and ignite growth for students, interns, and staff across Pickerington Local Schools.