’78
Mitch Sudolsky, MSSW ’78, has returned to UT Austin as a full-time clinical social work professor after thirteen years of adjunct teaching.
‘86
Therese Harmacek, MSSW ’86, coordinates physical, mental, and social services for elderly and disabled clients in Travis County as a contract case manager for Humana.
‘95
Rachel Fusco, MSSW ’95, is associate professor and chair of the direct practice concentration in the School of Social Work at the University of Pittsburgh. Her research focuses on the mental health of children in the child welfare system. She is particularly interested the long-term impact of maltreatment and other risks during early childhood.
Herschel Knapp, MSSW 95, has been awarded a contract to write his seventh textbook for Sage Publications. Intermediate Statistics Using SPSS will be published in 2017. He is a research analyst for Dignity Health, after nearly ten years as a program director at VA in Los Angeles.
‘96
Patricia Brubaker, MSSW ’96, has been with the Travis County Sheriff’s Department for fifteen years and has been the clinical mental health supervisor for the past thirteen years. Her staff of twelve provide assessment, treatment and support for incarcerated individuals with mental illnesses. She looks forward to retiring in the spring of this year.
Jacqueline Corcoran, PhD ’96, MSSW ’89, is a professor in the School of Social Work at Virginia Commonwealth University and the author of more than a hundred articles and 14 textbooks, including Motivational Interviewing in Social Work (Oxford University Press, 2016). She has also written several novels.
‘97
Lee Gustafson, PhD ’97, MSSW ’92, BSW ’91, is chair of the Social Work Department and director of the MSW program at the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, MN.
‘98
Keith Warren, PhD ’98, MSSW ’94, is an associate professor in the College of Social Work at Ohio State University. His research uses social network analysis to explore the role of mutual aid in substance abuse treatment and mental health.
‘99
Matthew T. Theriot, MSSW ’99, BSW ’97, is the interim vice provost for faculty affairs and associate provost for teaching and learning innovation at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Since arriving at the university in 2003, he served as director of the College of Social Work’s undergraduate program from 2006 to 2013, and then served for three years as director of the doctoral program.
‘01
Danielle Hayes, MSSW ’01, is co-founder of Therapy Austin, a reduced-fee counseling agency that provides high quality mental health services to adult clients with limited resources and full schedules.
Roxanne McKee, MSSW ’01, was sworn in as the mayor of Rollingwood, Texas, in November 2016. She previously served two terms as alderwoman on the Rollingwood City Council.
Susan Schoppelrey, PhD ’01, is the associate director of the School of Social Work at Radford University in Virginia. Her research focuses on organizational climate and culture, particularly as they relate to client outcomes and the implementation of new interventions in agency settings.
Christa Soileau, BSW ’01, recently celebrated two years as a therapist in private practice.
‘02
Theresa Moran, MSSW ’02, BSW ’01, celebrated her fifteenth year with Child Protective Services, where she is a program specialist. She recently completed a guide for the children of incarcerated parents, which will be available through the Texas Inmates Family Association and the Texas Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers.
‘03
Tonya Lippert, MSSW ’03, is one of the authors of Transforming ADHD: Simple, Effective Attention And Action Regulation Skills to Help You Focus and Succeed (New Harbinger Publications, 2017). Lippert, who received her PhD from The University of Texas at Dallas, lives in Portland, Oregon, and works for Kaiser Permanente, where among other duties she leads adult ADHD groups and conducts evaluations of child abuse. She also writes children’s books, a blog mainly about ADHD, and loves to be with her preschool daughter Frances and teenage son Roan (who was born while she was working on her master’s degree).
Teri Schroeder, MSSW ’03, is the co-director and co-owner at Just Mind, in Austin. She was married in 2014 and works with her husband and eighteen other clinicians in her private practice.
Michelle Zadrozny, MSSW ’03, launched a private practice this year through Plumeria Counseling, a co-working office environment for LPCs and LCSWs. She also runs a consulting business designing and implementing employee assistance programs for small businesses and non-profits to increase employee retention and loyalty.
‘05
Alexandra Huffman, MSSW ’05, has been elected regional board member for the Texas Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. She is a clinical social worker at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.
‘06
Tiffany Carpenter, MSSW ’06, is the director of clinical intervention services at Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch near Amarillo. She has a two-year-old son named Everett, and continues to supervise graduate social work interns from The University of Texas at Austin each spring.
Carolyn Haney, MSSW ’06, founded WeViva in 2011 and currently serves as the executive director. WeViva provides affordable and accessible fitness and nutrition classes to people in low-income communities. She has three children and loves living in Austin and practicing social work every day.
Julie Wheeler, MSSW ’06, is the intergovernmental relations specialist for Travis County. She came to the position from the office of Travis County Commissioner Karen Huber, where she served as the constituent relations director.
‘07
Katie Milosovich Bryant, MSSW ’07, welcomed a son, MJ, into her family last year. His older sisters Elliot and Dylan are just as in love. She recently celebrated her tenth year as the school social worker at Westlake High School.
Cara Edmond, MSSW ’07, is a single mother of two and serves as the director of institutional effectiveness and community relationships at the AOMA Graduate School of Integrative Medicine, where she is also an adjunct faculty member. In addition, she performs crisis intervention in the Seton healthcare system. In her free time, she practices yoga, cooks like crazy, and is grateful everyday for her master’s degree.
Vanessa Vorhies Klodnick, MSSW ’07, earned her PhD from the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago. She is a senior researcher at Thresholds in Chicago and a co-investigator with the Transitions Research and Training Center at the University of Massachusetts, where she partners with providers and state systems to develop services for at-risk transition-age youth with serious mental health challenges.
‘09
Christel Gilbreath, MSSW ’09, celebrates her first full year working in private practice after five years of agency work and two years working at a group counseling practice.
Melanie Danielle Mino Heap, MSSW ’09, married Andrew Heap on July 9, 2016 in Naperville, IL. Since completing her degree at UT Austin, she has been working in the medical social work field. In 2016 she accepted a position at AMITA Health Hinsdale Hospital, where she works with families on the Neonatal ICU, Mother/Baby and Pediatric Units.
David Johnson, PhD ’09, is an associate professor in the School of Social Work at Millersville University in Lancaster, PA. The eight edition of his textbook Social Welfare: Politics and Public Policy, co-authored with Diana DiNitto, was published last year.
Noelita Lugo, MSSW ’09, has worked in the Texas Attorney General’s Office since graduation and was promoted to the position of director of family initiatives in 2015. She enjoys leading an interdisciplinary team of curriculum educators, grant administrators and program specialists to enhance core child support services through education, collaboration and innovation.
Lisa Pokorny, MSSW ’09, was recently promoted to survivor outreach services program manager for the Army Community Service division of the Department of the Army in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. In this capacity, Lisa serves approximately 700 surviving family members in Kansas and Missouri.
Susan Woessner, MSSW ’09, is the director of safe sport at USA Swimming, overseeing athlete protection policies, guidelines, educational programs, reporting and adjudication services, and other activities related to USA Swimming’s efforts to foster safe, healthy and positive sport environments. Woessner lives with her husband Ryan Mooney in Denver, where they welcomed their first child, Samantha, in December.
‘10
Katy Marvel, MSSW ’10, is a primary program therapist at Meridell Achievement Center in Liberty Hill, Texas.
Belle Miller, MSSW ’10, celebrates her third year as a social worker with DaVita, a dialysis company. Since graduation, she married, moved to Kyle, and has an 11-year-old stepdaughter.
‘11
Virginia Cruz, MSSW ’11, recently opened a private practice, Career Counseling and Psychotherapy Services, in Austin.
Valeria Buendía, BSW ’11, is a caseworker and event coordinator at Unidad Educativa Monte Tabor-Nazaret in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
Daniela Fragoso, BSW ’11, worked for Child Protective Services in Travis County before pursuing her master of social work from the University of Houston. After graduating she has worked a legislative aid to Senator Rodriguez for the 84th Legislative Session and has now joined the Legislative Budget Board as a policy analyst.
Claire Woll, MSSW ’11, currently works as a pediatric social worker at a level 1 trauma hospital in the Texas Medical Center.
‘12
Jill Apilado, MSSW ’12, has been serving clients in New York City since graduation and currently works as a therapist in the Bronx.
Alexandria Anderson, MSSW ’12, is celebrating her fifth anniversary as a school social worker in Pflugerville ISD.
Sarah Lonsdale Bledsoe, MSSW ’12, has accepted a full time therapy position with the Montrose Center in Houston, where she will provide therapy within the Anti-Violence and Chemical Dependency programs.
Janette Salcedo Cordero, MSSW ’12, has been promoted to the position of program coordinator for Travis County Social Services. She served as a senior counselor for Travis County Juvenile Probation for three years and oversees the counseling program in the detention facility at Gardner Betts. The counseling team provide crisis counseling and follow-up assessments.
‘13
Kathryn Davis, MSSW ’13, recently celebrated three years as a family navigator and behavior therapist at the Tulane Center for Autism and Related Disorders in New Orleans.
Ashley Harmon, MSSW ’13, BSW ’12, recently received her LCSW and works for The University of Texas at Austin Athletics Department as the mental health coordinator for all student athletes.
Linda Rangel, MSSW ’13, recently moved to Miami and started working for the School of Social Work’s Office of the Public Guardian at Barry University.
Codi Tranel, MSSW ’13, co-founded the non-profit Service Learning Exchange, which creates opportunities for youth across America to utilize digital technology to connect to one another and build a larger, more engaged community.
Ari Turrentine, MSSW ’13, is the vice president of operations Next Thing Co., which recently made headlines with their $9 computer.
‘14
Elise Fleming, MSSW ’14, is a seventh-grade science teacher in Houston. She credits her social work education for helping her to build better relationships and become a more effective teacher.
Audrey Rodrigues-Herrmann, MSSSW ’14, provides mental health services to children and families through Foundation Communities, a non-profit known for its community impact.
Rebecca Quasebarth Nelluvelil, MSSW ’14, BSW ’13, and Joji Nelluvelil , BSW ’15, married on October 1st, 2016.
Lynde Ross, MSSW ’14, BSW ’13, is clinical director at the Refuge Center for Counseling in Franklin, Tennessee.
Wendy Whipple, MSSW ’14, BSW ’13, works at Human Resources at the The University of Texas at Austin. She got married in April of 2016.
Sheena Yazdandoost, MSSW ’14, is as a social worker at David’s Medical Center.
‘15
Sok An, PhD ’15, published work from his dissertation in a recent issue of Aging and Mental Health. He focuses on how social capital—a person’s networks across professional and personal contexts—correlates with mental distress such as depression and anxiety, in chronically ill and disabled people. An’s findings underscore the importance of community networks to positive health outcomes for the chronically ill and disabled.
Laurie Cook Heffron, PhD ’15, is an assistant professor in the School of Behavioral and Social Sciences at St. Edward’s University in Austin. Her research explores violence against women and migration.
Denise Martinez-Rivas, MSSW ’15, received her LMSW and currently works as a family advocate at the Center for Child Protection in Austin.
Cindy Mood, MSSW ’15, is the social services director at Walnut Hills Nursing and Rehabilitation in Austin. She also leads a monthly group for facility-involved social workers. She invites alumnae to join or get more information by emailing her at cindy.eschliman@utexas.edu.
Holly Muirhead, MSSW ’15, is a youth engagement specialist for the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, where she aims to bring systematic change through policy development, empowering and mobilizing youth, and developing youth leadership organizations.
Anne Roberts, MSSW ’15, works as a hospice social worker at Providence Health Services in Olympia Washington.
Carey Sebera, MSSW ’15, is the clinical director at Austin Recovery, which provides effective, compassionate drug and alcohol treatment for individuals, families and communities.
Emily Shryock, MSSW ’15, has been the assistant director of Services for Students with Disabilities at The University of Texas at Austin since 2014. She was recently selected as the 2016 Employee of the Year by the Austin Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities.
Jamie M. Zapata, MSSW ’15, works as an investigator for the public defender’s office in capital murder cases, a role she feels is especially well-matched with the skills she has built as a social worker.
‘16
Chelly Calandra, MSSW ‘16, began working as a Child Protection Services legal advocate for the SAFE Alliance in January.
Denice Carpenter, MSSW ’16, is a second grade teacher in Fort Worth.
Erin Childers, BSW ’16, is a street outreach specialist for Lifeworks. She came to the position from American YouthWorks in Austin.
Meghan Graham, MSSW ‘16, BSW ’14, is a senior counselor with the Travis County Sheriff’s Office, where she is responsible for risk assessments and maintaining patient safety.
Katie Herbers, MSSW ’16, accepted a position as conservatorship specialist with Child Protective Services in Austin shortly after graduation.
Rachel Holliman, MSSW ’16, works as a medical social worker in the Seton hospital system.
Shannon Johnson, PhD ’16, her husband Don, and their son Alex are proud to announce the birth of Daniel Barton Campbell-Johnson on November 11, 2016. Daniel weighed 8 lbs. 10 oz. and measured 21” long. Johnson is an assistant professor in the School of Social Work at Catholic University in Washington, D.C.
Angela Mancini, MSSW ’16, began working as an intellectual and disability service coordinator at Austin Travis County Integral Care last fall. She lives in Kyle, TX.
Jasmine Matthews, MSSW ’16, accepted a position as youth services specialist at the SAFE Alliance, where she provides clinical case management to youth in the residential program.
Kathryn Sauer, MSSW ’16, recently completed an externship with the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and joined Mission Capital’s Aligned Impact Team in February.
Meg Scamardo, MSSW ’16, accepted a position as the Central Texas regional adoption caseworker at the Gladney Center for Adoption. The center will celebrate its 130rd anniversary this year, making it one of the nation’s oldest child welfare organizations.
Catarina Silva, BSW ’16, was accepted into The University of Texas School of Social Work’s post-BSW graduate program and is currently earning her master of social work.
In Memoriam
Bettie Joyce Moore Girling, MSSW ‘56, July 20, 2016.
Frances Contreras Barraza, MSSW ‘77, June 8, 2016.
Ava Lynn Hardesty, MSSW ’79, February 7, 2016.
Linda D. Weathersby, BSW ’88, April 21, 2016.
Faculty
Kathleen Lawrence Boas, September 15, 2016.