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‘73
Adolfo Reyes, MSSW ‘73, continues to be active in social work by serving clients from hospice and home health agencies in the Rio Grande Valley.
‘74
Ellen Rubenstein Fisher, MSSW ‘74, and her husband Dan recently moved back to Austin to enjoy their retirement.
‘80
Steven Cadwell, MSSW ‘80, is one of three recipients of the 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award from the NorthEast Society for Group Psychotherapy Foundation, Inc. This award recognizes “outstanding contributions to the work of psychotherapy.” Steve is also the creator of “Wild and Precious,” a coming-of-age story that spans from when love dared not speak its name, to gay pride, to the AIDS crisis, to civil rights, freedom to marry and raise children.
Mary Mulvaney, MSSW ‘80, retired from the Steve Hicks School of Social Work this past August. She has loved every minute of her work as clinical professor and looks forward to staying in touch with the school community.
‘87
Samuel McCallum, MSSW ‘87, is a social worker at BirdHouse Services, a grass-roots organization that provides emergency and shelter services in Southern Cooke County, Texas.
‘91
Dorothy Zamora Garza, MSSW ‘91, has accepted a new position with Texas Health and Human Services Commission.
‘93
Karen Umminger, MSSW ‘93, has been practicing psychotherapy and counseling since she graduated in 1993. In 1996, after becoming an LCSW, she completed a three-year training and supervision in the Hakomi Method of Body-Centered Psychotherapy and became a Certified Hakomi Therapist. She has her own practice in Austin: karenummigner.com
‘94
Kate Amerson, MSSW ‘94, BSW ‘81, is leaving Austin ISD after working there for 24 years as a school social worker. She wrote that she had a very rewarding career and she is forever grateful to have been part of the district’s mental health team. She is curious about what is ahead and eager to experience the next stage of her journey.
Laura Acuna Zavalney, BSW ‘94, has a private practice working with adults in Austin. She specializes in obsessive compulsive disorder and hoarding. She received her master of social work from UT Arlington.
‘96
Dorie J. Gilbert, PhD ‘96, MSSW ‘92, has accepted a new position as Dean of Graduate Studies at Prairie View A&M University.
Stephen Jay Riven, MSSW ‘96, is head of school at Peoria Academy in Peoria Heights, Illinois.
‘99
Molly Adams, MSSW ‘99, is an instructional coach and teacher trainer at Ennis ISD in Texas. Although she is not practicing as a social worker, she wrote that social work is part of what she does everyday, and that her social work education has made her an excellent teacher, community worker, and leader.
‘02
Andrea Galieta Skoglund, MSSW ’02, authored “Profession has work to do to improve issues around mental health,” published in the August-September issue of Social Work Advocate (NASW magazine).
‘05
Sarah McElvain, MSSW ‘05, is the doula coordinator for the Pregnancy and Postpartum Health Alliance of Texas. She also works independently, combining her social work skills and certifications as a teacher, doula, women’s health coach, and infant sleep educator, to help parents prepare for and thrive through the addition of a new baby. Find more about her: sarahmcelvain.com
Jennifer Delaine Taylor, MSSW ‘05, is the owner of Bliss Psychotherapy & Consulting in Keller, Texas.
‘06
Cynthia Corral, MSSW ‘06, was selected as a 2019 Science/Healthcare/Technology Trailblazer by the El Paso in Austin Network. As a clinical social worker, Cynthia specializes in treating chronic pain and trauma at the Dell Medical School’s Musculoskeletal Institute. She is also an assistant professor of practice at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work.
Manuel Garcia, MSSW ‘06, BSW ‘05, got his LMSW and is working at Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in El Paso.
‘07
Brenda Bible, MSSW ‘07, is a LCSW providing mental health services with the Cowlitz Indian Tribe Health Clinic in Longview, Washington. The clinic provides a holistic approach to health care that promotes disease prevention, treatment, and education.
‘08
Carly Bassett, MSSW ‘08, was featured on a Hogg Foundation podcast episode about mental health and older adults. Carly is a counselor at Family Eldercare and a GRACE program field instructor. Listen to the podcast: http://tiny.cc/carlybassett.
Elizabeth Johnston (Thibodeaux), MSSW ‘08, is a medical social worker at the Lafayette VA Outpatient Clinic in Lafayette, Louisiana. She also provides psychotherapy part-time with Kairos Counseling. Elizabeht has been clinically licensed for five years.
‘09
Liz Ann Brown, MSSW ‘09, is the director of University Access Programs at Abilene Christian University.
Roxane Cantu, MSSW ‘09, BSW 07, is a physical education teacher and sports performance coach with the San Antonio Independent School District.
‘10
Charnese Yvette Evans, MSSW ‘10, is director of special initiatives at Jonathan’s Place, an organization that provides a safe place, loving homes and promising futures for abused and neglected children, teens, and young adults in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Will Francis, MSSW ‘10, is the new executive director for the National Association of Social Workers, Texas chapter. He previously served as the chapter’s government relations director, and has a background in early childhood, child welfare, and education.
Rene Gaitan, MSSW ‘10, worked at LifeWorks where he began as a bilingual counselor and rose to become division director. He is now a clinical assistant professor at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work.
Kristin Goodwin Strength, MSSW ‘10, is a social work counselor with MD Anderson Cancer Center.
‘11
Courtney Barnard, MSSW ‘11, received her LMSW-AP and is director of child wellness for the Center of Children’s Health, Cook Children’s Health Care System. She oversees community-based coalitions and direct-service programming to promote the health of children in North Texas. She is also a doctoral candidate at Northeastern University.
Nicole Dempsey (Botero), MSSW ‘11, is a suicide-prevention coordinator for the Department of Veteran Affairs in Bainbridge, Georgia.
‘12
Elizabeth Bowen, BSW ‘12, is a clinical social worker at Legacy Community Health in Houston.
Barry Hamilton, MSSW ‘12, is chief operations officer at Down Home Ranch, a non-profit in Elgin, Texas, that offers social, educational, residential and vocational opportunities to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
‘14
Kyle Fitzpatrick, MSSW ‘14, is a project coordinator at the California chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Kyle is working hard to expand trauma-informed mental health programming for infants and young children in San Diego.
Keith Montgomery, MSSW ‘14, is celebrating one year in solo practice at Lifewave Counseling. Keith is a LCSW seeing individual adult clients for mental health wellness and treating substance use disorders.
‘15
Jennifer Marie Heggland, MSSW 15, is the associate director of prevention programming at Drug Prevention Resources in Dallas, Texas.
Ann Muthoni Roberts, MSSW ‘15, BSW ‘13, is a social worker at St. Peter Hospital in Olympia, Washington.
Emily Shryock, MSSW ‘15, has been appointed to serve a four-year term as a commissioner on the Austin Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities. Emily is excited to share that she has a new service dog named Maple.
‘16
Liana Petruzzi, MSSW ‘16, has joined the doctoral program at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work after working at Seton for two years. Her research focuses on health disparities in access to care and health outcomes for underserved communities. She is also interested in evidence-based, culturally competent social work interventions in hospital settings and the relationship between healthcare policy and healthcare services.
Damaris Paulina Rodriguez, MSSW ‘16, is a therapist in the Intensive Outpatient Program at Dell Children’s Hospital’s mental health unit. She will be spearheading the new Healing Trauma IOP group, a program serving young women who have experienced sexual trauma and offering trauma-informed somatic experience. Damaris is excited to use her skills in Dialectic Behavior Therapy and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to help develop this novel program.
Anna Wasim, MSSW ‘16, got her LMSW and has joined the Texas Institute for Child & Family Wellbeing as a senior research program coordinator working on the Texas Permanency Outcomes Project. Anna is also a member of the Social Work Alumni Network Board.
Erin Kathleen Ebert, MSSW ‘16, left position at Eating Recovery Center after two and a half years and started a private practice.
‘17
Sarahi Rojo, BSW ‘17, is a paralegal with RAICES, a Texas nonprofit agency that promotes justice by providing free and low-cost legal services to underserved immigrant children, families, and refugees.
‘18
Hannah Milne, BSW ‘18, was selected as a “Top 100 Healthcare Leader” at the 2019 International Forum on Advancement in Healthcare Conference. Hannah is the executive director of Keystone APG, an alternative peer group for adolescents and their families recovering from the harm of drug and alcohol addiction in Austin.
‘19
Sarah Champ, MSSW ‘19, is a mitigation specialist with CCRC-South in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Jaque Chan, BSW ‘19 is the Housing Program manager for the Chinese Community Center in Houston. She works with clients on personal finance skills and home-ownership education via individual counseling and case management. She also runs community workshops on a variety of topics. Jacque also passed her licensing exam this summer and is excited to be officially a LBSW.
Audrey Spanko, MSSW ‘19, has worked for several nonprofit organizations, in healthcare and for the Department of Family and Protective Services. Audrey will be running for Texas Senate, District 1 and seeking election in 2020.
Manshaya Thapa, BSW ‘19, is a qualified mental health professional at Integral Care and the Casey Life Skills Administrator at LifeWorks. She recently began the post-BSW MSSW program at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work.
Kylie Youmans, MSSW ’19, accepted a position with UT Athletics Sports Medicine.
Madison Swenson, MSSW ‘19, has accepted a position with CASA of Travis County.