Terri Spahr Nelson is psychotherapist, consultant, educator, and author with more than 30 years of experience working in mental health and behavioral sciences, and specializing in victims of violence and trauma. She is a military veteran, twice awarded the Army Commendation Medal. She is Director of the Bachelor’s of Social Work Program in the Department of Family Studies & Social Work at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.
‘80
Char Doland Parsley, MSSW ’80, has retired from her position as the executive director of Nexus Inland NW, a service center for the deaf and hard of hearing in Spokane, WA. During grad school, Char had to drive 160 miles every day from Lampasas to attend classes at the UT Austin while caring for her four children at home. After receiving her MSSW degree, she worked in Austin and the DC metro area, to eventually move to Spokane, where she remained for the next 15 years and became the first female president of the Washington State Association of the Deaf.
’82
Annie Louise Livingston-Garrett, MSSW ’82, has been active with the National Alliance on Mental Illness in Colorado, doing In Our Own Voice presentations and co-facilitating a Connections peer-support program. She has also been taking creative writing and poetry classes, and has had poems published in the Colorado Mountain College’s literary magazine, Rocky Mountain Reflections. In her free time, Annie reads, snow shoes, bikes, hikes, and occasionally watches UT football games with the Rocky Mountain Texas Exes.
Robin Rosell, MSSW ‘82 serves as the director of social services at People’s Community Clinic (PCC), where she coordinates and implements specialized adolescent health programs. She was recently awarded the Phyllis Richards Austin Icon for Children Award for her outstanding work at PCC.
’83
Nancy Crowther, BSW ’83, has accepted a position as the acting executive director at H.A.N.D. of Central Texas, a non-profit providing exceptional, innovative care and support for those who need assistance with daily living. Crowther is a dedicated volunteer who has diligently advocated for people with disabilities locally and nationally for over 30 years.
’84
Rich Kenney, MSSW ’84, is an assistant professor and the social work program director at Chadron State College in Chadron, Nebraska. He is pleased to announce that the Council on Social Work Education Commission on Accreditation recently voted to reaffirm the Chadron State College Baccalaureate Social Work Program to its full accreditation status for the next eight-year cycle.
’93
Stuti Trehan Patel, BSW ‘93, has been appointed associate district court judge in Fort Bend County, Texas. Her swearing-in took place on July 27, 2015.
’95
Rachel Fusco, MSSW ’95, serves as an associate professor and chair of the direct practice concentration at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Social Work. Fusco’s research focuses on the mental health of children in the child welfare system, and is particularly interested in early childhood and the long-term impact of maltreatment and other risks during this developmental stage.
Herschel Knapp, MSSW ’95, has just finalized his contract with Sage Publications for his fifth textbook Practical Statistics for Nursing Using SPSS (forthcoming, early 2016). Herschel also serves as a part-time instructor for the University of Southern California social work program, and as project manager for a telehealth program at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Los Angeles.
’01
Susan L. Schoppelrey, PhD ’01, has been at Radford University since 2007 and was promoted to associate professor in 2009. Schoppelrey’s research focuses on organizational climate and culture. She recently completed work on a three-year grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to investigate the relationship between organizational culture, ethnic diversity among clients and staff, and client outcomes at rural community mental health agencies in the Midwest.
’03
Orlando F. De Leon, MSSW ’03, is proud to join the integrated behavioral health sciences team at The People’s Clinic in Austin, TX. De Leon continues to operate his own private practice, where he provides in-home individual, family and immigration-related biopsychosocial assessments.
Nancy Francisco Stewart, PhD ’03, has been promoted to the rank of professor at Jacksonville State University in Alabama. She is also enjoying the role of grandmother of two little girls with a third one to be born later in the summer.
Shane Whalley, MSSW ’03, recently began working as the peer support unit manager for Via Hope, an agency working to transform the Texas mental health system into one that fosters resilience, promotes recovery, and is person, youth and family-driven. Whalley has also served as the education coordinator for the Gender and Sexuality Center at UT Austin for the past seven years and has delivered over 100 workshops a year to students, faculty, and staff on LGBT issues, social justice, and sexism.
Bree Borgsteadt, MSW ’04, BSW ’03, currently serves as a counselor at the Local Mental Health Authority and Austin Travis County Integral Care and runs a part-time private psychotherapy practice in Northwest Austin specializing in individual, couples and family therapy. In addition, Borgsteadt recently founded the Austin Women’s Service Club, a service organization that supports non-profit organizations in Austin.
’04
Marisol Daugherty, MSSW ’04, recently accepted a position as a case manager for Catholic Charities of Central Texas. Working with the Best Single Source Plus (BSS+) program, Daugherty empowers clients to become stably housed and self-sufficient through comprehensive case management and advocacy services.
’05
April Ferrino, MSSW ’05, builds on over ten years of experience as a policy analyst in her new position at the Texas Network of Youth Services in Austin, where she writes evaluation reports for grant funded projects, collects and analyzes state-level child welfare data, conducts policy research and analysis, and provides public policy support and subject matter expertise for child welfare issues and initiatives.
’07
Amanda Ryan, MSSW ’07, began working as a social worker at Good Shepherd Medical Center, Longview in February of this year. Ryan comes to the position with seven years of experience at Baylor Scott & White.
’08
Kim Bender, PhD ’08, is an associate professor at the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work. Bender recently received the 2015 University of Denver Distinguished Scholar Award, which recognizes unusually significant and meritorious achievement in professional scholarship.
Meagan Dorsch, MSSW ’08, is a polytrauma social worker at the Department of Veterans Affairs in Salisbury, NC, where she provides mental health and case management services to veterans and families of veterans who have suffered a traumatic brain injury.
Kristina S. Perez, MSSW ’08, has accepted a position as the early childhood intervention team supervisor at Easter Seals Central Texas. Perez comes to the position with several years of experience as the director of the infant development center at the Annunciation Maternity Home in Georgetown, TX.
’09
Amy Chanmugam, PhD ’09, MSSW ’96, recently received The University of Texas at San Antonio President’s Distinguished Achievement Award for Teaching Excellence. Chanmugam is an assistant professor at UTSA College of Public Policy.
Lisa Osborn, MSSW ’09, began working as the advocate supervisor at Child Advocates San Antonio (CASA) in March of this year. Prior to joining CASA in San Antonio, Osborn worked as the senior program coordinator at CASA of Jefferson Parish, LA, where she supervised 27 court-appointed advocates serving area children.
‘10
Stephanie Pulliam Brown, MSSW ’10, has recently accepted a position as program director at Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Middlesex County, NJ. She comes to the position with nearly four years of experience as a senior child advocacy specialist at CASA of Travis County, TX.
Robert McFerren, MSSW ’10, BSW ’09, serves as the clinical program manager at Meridell Achievement Center, a residential treatment center providing psychiatric and neuropsychiatric treatment to children and adolescents.
John Perry, MSSW ’10, has opened a private psychotherapy practice. He specializes in working with individuals, adolescents, and families struggling with substance abuse, sexual identity, depression, anxiety, and histories of physical and emotional abuse. He continues to counsel residents at the Phoenix House in Austin.
’11
Maggie Sizer, MSSW ’11, has recently begun working as a research assistant for ByteCubed, a business management consultant in Washington, DC. Sizer comes to the position with years of administrative support experience at IPT Associates, where she worked in consultation with the US Department of Defense’s Office of Small Business Programs.
’12
Miriam Camero, MSSW ’12, BSW ’11, recently received her JD from the University of Houston Law Center and has accepted an internship with US Customs and Border Patrol in Houston. During her time at UH, Camero served as president of UHLC’s Hispanic Law Students Association and served as a student attorney for UHLC’s Civil Practice Clinic.
Elizabeth J. Harvey, MSSW ’12, opened her own private psychotherapy practice in October of last year. She continues to serve as a social worker at St. David’s and Seton Hospitals in Austin.
Rachel Holden, MSSW ’12, currently serves as a manager and counselor in the co-occurring disorders program at Crosspoint, Inc., a San Antonio residential facility providing a structured environment for individuals referred by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the U.S. Probation Office or U.S. Pretrial Services.
Jorge Antonio Renaud, MSSW ’12, is the newest field organizer working to end mass incarceration at the Center for Community Change. A talented public speaker and activist, Renaud comes to the position with over three years of experience as a policy analyst at the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition.
’13
Jabez Si Yeon Kim, BSW ’13, has accepted a position in the strategic planning department at Korea Food for the Hungry International. He is happily engaged networking with donors, writing grants, and traveling as part of their international networking team.
Jenna Luzzo, MSSW ’14, BSW ’13, began working as a counselor and peer support coordinator at NMD United, a non-profit connecting adults with neuromuscular disabilities.