SOCIAL WORK - Key Persons
Alice Kennedy, MSW, is the Assistant Director for the County of San Diego, Health and Human Services Agency, Child Welfare Services (CWS). Ms. Kennedy has over 25 years of experience in the field of social work and graduated from San Diego State University. She holds a Master Degree in Social Work with an emphasis in Administration. Ms. Kennedy's breadth of experience includes operational leadership of more than six countywide program areas within Child Welfare; including the County of San Diego Adoption Program, Foster Home Licensing and the Child Abuse Hotline. Formerly, Ms. Kennedy held roles as the Child Welfare Services Ombudsman, Civil Rights Liaison and Department of Justice Grievance Hearing Officer. She also previously served as Secretary of the San Diego Child Abuse Coordinating Council Child Fatality Review Team. Since 2008, Ms. Kennedy has worked as a trainer for the Public Child Welfare Training Academy (PCWTA) and in 2015 she began consulting and training for Southern Area Consortium of Human Services (SACHS) Leaders in Action.
Job Titles:
- Lecturer, Title IV - E Program Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Director of Field Education
Amanda Lee, LCSW, attended the University of California, San Diego for her B.S. in General Biology and obtained her MSW at the University of California, Berkeley with a concentration in Gerontology. Ms. Lee was inspired early on to pursue a career in social work based on her volunteer and work experience at skilled nursing and memory care facilities. She has had the opportunity to practice social work in a variety of settings, such as, adult outpatient and inpatient mental health, home-based intensive treatment and PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly).
Ms. Lee also practiced social work abroad in New Zealand for the Waitemata District Health Board for several years where she took part in developing a sub-acute treatment and rehabilitation team serving older adults with mental illness. Ms. Lee has held a variety of direct practice roles, affording her knowledge of the practice of case management/case brokerage, psychotherapy approaches and coordination with other care providers.
During her time of employment with the Union of Pan Asian Communities (UPAC), Ms. Lee oversaw several County-contracted programs, including an outpatient behavioral health clinic serving adults with severe and persistent mental illness, as well as supported employment and geriatric specialty programs. Ms. Lee is passionate about health care integration, and values a whole-person approach to wellness and recovery. As a result, she initiated a Blue Shield Shared Treatment Pilot through Health Quality Partners and coordinated care with a local FQHC, La Maestra Community Health Center. She has extensive experience working with cultural minorities, such as API immigrants and refugees and individuals who identify as LGBT. She believes that the social work profession is endless in its flexibility and reach and is looking forward to her new role as the Director of Field Education at San Diego State University's School of Social Work in which she will strive to support the development of future social work professionals.
Annie J. Keeney, Ph.D. (Colorado State University 2017) is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at San Diego State University, and she serves as an evaluator for the NIOSH-funded High Plains Intermountain Center for Agricultural Health and Safety. Her areas of interests include social and service delivery policy for children, youth, and families living in rural communities, and depression, stress, and suicide risk factors for those working in agricultural production. She is the evaluator for a San Diego County Child Welfare Services pilot program targeted at improving academic success for foster youth. Dr. Keeney earned her MSW in 2010 from Eastern Washington University with concentrations in public administration and school social work. She holds her Pupil Personnel Services Credential (PPSC) in school social work for the state of California.
Carlos McCray is a passionate Social Worker dedicated to helping and serving families in San Diego. His mantra is to do something every day, big or small, to help make the world a better place. He considers himself a Social Work Entrepreneur, driven to blend various business and nonprofit models to create sustainable change. Carlos is the Co-Founder of and the CEO of Get Empowered Today with a vision of Communities and Young Adults coming together to achieve dreams through grassroots community reinvestment. Carlos is also the Co-Founder of Stay Smilin, a positivity movement to help empower people to find their internal smiles and walk their truth. Carlos obtained his Masters in Social Work degree in 2011 from San Diego State University with a concentration in Administration and Community Organizing.
Job Titles:
- Professor / Professor
- Professor of Social Work at San Diego State University
David W. Engstrom, PhD, MA, is a Professor of Social Work at San Diego State University and the Bua Luang ASEAN Chair at the College of Interdisciplinary Studies, Thammasat University, Bangkok, Thailand. His research focuses on immigration policy and services to immigrants and refugees. Dr. Engstrom has written extensively on the plight of vulnerable immigrant populations, such as torture survivors, trafficked persons, and migrant workers, and has explored the role of bilingual social workers in service delivery. Dr. Engstrom co-developed the concept of vicarious resilience which recognizes the positive effect of trauma work on therapists, and has co-authored six articles refining its conceptual development. He is presently developing a culturally reflexive trauma assessment scale to better document the suffering of human trafficking survivors in Thailand. Dr. Engstrom has received several awards for his international work: CSWE's Partners in Advancing Education for International Social Work (PIE) in 2017 and SDSU's Outstanding International Scholar in 2016.
Dr. Alan Siman (emeritus: 2003) was the Associate Director of the School of Social Work for 17 years (1985-2002) and returned to teach for a year prior to retirement. He coordinated student and personnel issues for the school as well as the Pupil Personnel Services Credential program. He taught Cultural Pluralism for a number of years and was a dedicated member of the University's Diversity and Equity Committee.
Dr. Amanda Miller has been conducting HIV and substance use research since 2010. She received her doctorate from University of California, San Diego (UCSD), her masters from University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and she is currently a postdoctoral fellow in the NIAAA Science in the Practitioner Model T32 at SDSU/UCSD. Dr. Miller's research primarily focuses on the synergy between alcohol use, experiences of intimate partner violence and HIV. Her dissertation research examined how alcohol use and intimate partner violence impact HIV care and treatment outcomes in Uganda. Her postdoctoral research is focused on addressing perinatal alcohol use among pregnant and breastfeeding women who are at high risk of HIV infection of living with HIV in South Africa. She is also co-investigator on a study to assess the feasibility of integrating point of care syphilis testing into routine antenatal care in Uganda and has ongoing mental health research at the same study site aimed at characterizing drivers of poor mental health and substance use and identifying gaps in mental health literacy in this setting to inform adaptation of interventions to address these issues.
: 2016) was a professor director of the School of Social Work. She founded the University Center on Substance Abuse, and was the Executive Director of its Academy for Professional Excellence. Throughout her career, Harbert received international recognition and was the successful recipient of millions of dollars in grants and contracts from national, state, and local agencies supporting social work education and training for public social services. She continues to volunteer her time to run the SDSU Center on Aging.
Dr. Audrey Shillington (emeritus: 2012) received her PhD from Washington University. She was Professor in the School of Social Work where she also served as the Associate Director of the Center for Alcohol and Drug Studies and Services. Currently, Dr. Shillington is Professor of Epidemiology at the Colorado School of Public Health, and is Professor and Director of the School of Social Work at Colorado State University (CSU). She has published over 50 peer-reviewed publications on behavioral health and prevention. She has been PI and Co-I on several R-level NIH NIDA, NIAAA, and U.S. Department of Education grants totaling over $11.
Job Titles:
- School Associate Director / Lecturer
Dr. Dahlia Fuentes earned her doctorate from the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, and worked as a Research Fellow at the USC Edward R. Roybal Institute on Aging where she focused her research on the experience of Latino older adults in depression treatment. Her research interests center on health and mental health services as these relate to the experience of accessing care, service utilization, and outcomes among Latinos and older adults. She has also published on inter-organizational partnerships and collaborations, and collaborates on several research projects at the UCSD Division of Geriatric Psychiatry focused on research literacy and participation among Latinos with severe and persistent mental illness. At the SDSU School of Social Work, she teaches graduate and undergraduate macro-level courses.
Dr. Daniel J. Finnegan (emeritus: 2018) retired as an Associate Professor in the School of Social Work at San Diego State University. He served as the Associate Director for many years. He taught an introductory course on research methods for graduate students as wells as a course on computer applications for social workers. Dr. Finnegan was active on campus, serving on the University Senate and the Academic Policy and Planning Committee. His area of research included informational design for social service agencies.
: 2002) came to the faculty as The Director of the University Interdisciplinary Program On Aging. Prior to that he was an Officer in the U.S. Army, worked in the U.S. Dept. of Health Education and Welfare, in the Office of the Secretary and in the U.S Administration on Aging. As a Congressional Fellow, he served on the staffs of Senator Alan Cranston and Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm. At SDSU, he was Founding Director of the University Center on Aging, The National Institute on Minority Aging and the Gerontology Department and served as Interim Director of the School of Social Work. Dr. Stanford has published numerous books and articles, assumed leadership roles in several Aging organizations, earned Fellow status in recognition of contributions to the field and received many awards. He later held a Senior Vice President position at AARP and is currently President of Folding Voice and San Diego Kind Corporation.
: 1996) received her PhD at the University of Chicago. A Professor in the School of Social Work , Dr. Davis was a prolific scholar and researcher in the area of child welfare services, and was extremely successful in receiving external funds in this area. She was instrumental in the development of a joint master's degree in social work and law for the School. Dr. Davis was the recipient of the SDSU Phi Beta Kappa Lectureship Award in 1987. In l992 she received the Outstanding Faculty Award for the College of Health and Human Services, as well as, the June Burnett Institute Outstanding Leadership Award on Behalf of Children, Youth and Families.
: 2003) Dr. Kelley received his Ph.D. at Columbia University and joined the faculty in 1968 following extensive assignments as visiting professor and research fellow in Germany, Taiwan, Spain, Colombia and Mexico. He continues to play a key role with the Council on International Programs (CIP), a major international exchange program for health and human services professionals, established in 1956. SDSU School of Social Work has been a CIP affiliate since 1987, with Dr. Kelley at the helm.
Job Titles:
- Emeritus
- Co - Director, Joint Doctoral Program in Interdisciplinary Research on Substance Use
Dr. Maria Zuniga (emeritus: 2003) joined the faculty in 1985 as a full professor and was a faculty member for 18 years. She taught in the direct practice concentration with a focus on mental health and children, youth and family issues. In addition to teaching, she was a consultant in culturally competent service delivery and published on cross-cultural aging and culturally competent interventions. She directed an NIMH training grant for Spanish Speaking Social Workers in Mental Health and the School's Youth Enterprise Zone Project for At Risk Youth. She also served as the faculty advisor for the Latino Social Work Association.
Dr. Melinda Hohman (emeritus: 2018) served as the School of Social Work's Director and as a Professor. She taught courses in substance abuse treatment, motivational interviewing, and social work practice, and helped coordinate the undergraduate program and the Community Corrections Case Management Speciality. Her research focused on scale development and substance abuse assessment and treatment services particularly with women in the child welfare system and with DUI offenders.
Dr. Susan Woodruff (emeritus: 2018) retired as a Professor in the School of Social Work. She was the principal investigator for numerous studies in the fields of tobacco and drug use, health disparities, research methodologies, and statistics, and was extremely active in multidisciplinary grant writing, with well over 100 articles published in scientific journals, while mentoring dozens of ethnically-diverse students in attaining research experience and publishing their research findings.
: 2014) was a Professor and Director of the School of Social Work. Prior to SDSU, Reilly served as county manager and CEO of Clark County, Nevada and was the former head of the state child welfare system in Nevada. While at SDSU, he was instrumental in obtaining the PhD program in Interdisciplinary Substance Use Studies, offered jointly with the UCSD School of Medicine.. He obtained both his doctorate and masters in public administration from USC and is a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration.
Dr. Tom Packard (emeritus: 2018) retired as a Professor in the School of Social Work. He taught administration and maco practice courses, and was a consultant specializing in human service and government organizations, with organizations ranging in size from 5 to 10,000 employees. He published articles on his consulting projects and the results of his research in the areas of organizational change, leadership, organizational effectiveness, and the quality of working life, served as the director of two community-based human services organizations, and was a program evaluator for the County of San Diego.
Job Titles:
- Co - Director JDP Program
Job Titles:
- Field Coordinator
- Lecturer
Dr. Geoff Twitchell is the Treatment Director for the San Diego County Probation Department. He is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist with advanced training and expertise in addiction, treatment of co-occurring mental health disorders, Trauma Informed Care and evidence based treatments to reduce recidivism in justice involved populations. In his current position he is responsible for identifying, implementing, and evaluating evidence-based treatments for justice involved populations as well as liaising with the courts and community providers. He oversees field internship placements at Probation for SDSU social work students.
Job Titles:
- Research on Substance Use ( IRSU ) Coordinator
Iyas R. Masannat is a practicing pharmacist with additional experience in molecular biology, immunology and biochemistry. His primary pharmacy appointment focuses on patients in health care facilities including various rehabilitation and detoxification programs in southern California.
My name is Jessica Ramirez, I am an SDSU graduate alumni and currently a School Social Worker in the La Mesa Spring Valley School District. I previously worked with Child Welfare Services and nonprofit agencies supporting youth impacted by being in the foster care system. I am passionate about advocating and supporting families that have had previous negative experiences in the education system and generational trauma. I am a proud Latina and enjoy traveling to other countries to learn and experience other cultures.
Job Titles:
- Administrative Support Assistant II
Job Titles:
- Director, Professor
- School Director
Job Titles:
- Senior Director for Casey Family Programs
Jorge Cabrera is Senior Director for Casey Family Programs. Casey is a national operating foundation based in Seattle, WA that provides direct services to foster youth and engages in collaborative and systems improvement efforts in partnership with the public child welfare system and other community organizations. In addition to overseeing the day-to-day operations of the direct services in the Casey San Diego field offices, Mr. Cabrera leads Casey's Strategic Consulting work in San Diego and Orange Counties, California and in Puerto Rico.
Dr Phillips is a cellular immunologist with an interest in improving immune function and healthspan in the elderly. Major projects involve inflammatory responses in the lungs after viral infection, including the macrophage-mediated transition from ongoing inflammatory immunity to resolution and tissue repair. Additional areas include the link between inflammatory regulation and immune function, anti-inflammatory therapeutics, development of needle-free mucosal vaccines for respiratory viral infections., and investigating the therapeutic potential of cannabinoids. Dr. Phillips leads the biology arm of the Lung Digital Health Platform Big Idea Project. She received her Ph.D. from the Albany Medical College of Union University, and has worked at the Mt. Sinai Medical Center, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, The Scripps Research Institute, and the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center. She has also consulted for various biotech companies on aspects of experimental designa nd validation, particularly involving issues associred with respiratory viral infection and age-realted changes to the immune system.
Job Titles:
- Administrative Support Coordinator II
Kathi Anderson co-founded Survivors of Torture, International. She served as its first board chair before becoming its Executive Director. She has had extensive experience in health care, human rights, refugee resettlement and higher education. She was recently elected as the chair of the San Diego Refugee Forum and is one of the co-founders and officers of the National Consortium of Torture Treatment Programs. She has also served on national boards of directors of Amnesty International USA, Center for Employment Training and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service.
Job Titles:
- Lecturer / MSW Admissions Director & Graduate Advisor
- SDSU Social Work Alumni Representative
Kellie Scott is the SDSU Social Work Alumni representative. She is a double Alum with both her BSW and MSW from SDSU, and proudly serves as an officer for the Alumni chapter. She is the Program Coordinator for the San Diego/ Imperial Geriatric Education Center (SDIGEC) within the Academy for Professional Excellence. She is also an active member in the local Network for Social Work Management chapter and serves an the co-coordinator the Mentoring Program.
Job Titles:
- Admissions & Field Education
She joins us from California State University, Northridge. Dr. Willner completed her PhD in Social Welfare at UCLA's Luskin School of Public Affairs in 2017. Her research focuses on the nonprofit sector, specifically social justice and social change organizations. Social justice is at the forefront of Dr. Willner's research and practice, and she is committed to garnering greater understanding about how the models that nonprofit organizations embrace can be strengthened to achieve greater positive results for clients and communities. By conducting research that favors an interdisciplinary and critical approach to organizational inquiry, Dr. Willner's research builds upon existing knowledge and generates new understandings about the role of nonprofit organizations in working towards greater social justice. She is currently researching how nonprofits utilize business models typically employed by the for-profit sector, and the impact of this trend on the abilities of social justice organizations to effectively provide services, meet the needs of clients, and work towards greater social justice and social change. Her other research interests include anti-oppressive social work research and practice, and social work pedagogy informed by critical theoretical approaches. She is a qualitative researcher and has a particular interest in community-based research methodologies. Dr. Willner earned her MSW from the University of Pennsylvania's School of Social Policy and Practice in 2009, and BA in Feminist Studies and Photojournalism from the Gallatin School at NYU in 2004. Please extend a warm welcome to her.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor
- Principal Investigator
- Graduate Program Coordinator
Dr. Urada is Principal Investigator (P.I.) on several federally and privately funded grants. She is P.I. of a National Institute on Drug Abuse grant developing and testing an intervention for unstably housed individuals using opioids at public libraries. She was P.I. of a K01 grant examining community mobilization and its potential to reduce HIV/STI risk and violence among substance-using women in the commercial sex trade in Tijuana, Mexico. She was also one of the few U.S. researchers to publish on HIV among women and men in the commercial sex trade in the Philippines. She also received an NIMHD-funded SDSU HealthLINK pilot project award for developing a novel historical community trauma measure for the East African refugee community in San Diego. The Nemeth Foundation also supported her study to explore the nature and extent of human trafficking and sexual exploitation among college students in San Diego County and Imperial Valley (one of the first studies of human trafficking among college students in the U.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor
- Associate Professor at the School of Social Work at San Diego
- Student Affairs Chair
Lucinda A. Rasmussen, Ph.D., LCSW is an Associate Professor at the School of Social Work at San Diego State University, where she has taught social work practice classes for the past 13 years. She has over 25 years clinical experience in the field of child sexual abuse, with specific expertise in intervening with children and adolescents with questionable or sexually abusive behaviors (and their families). She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in California and Utah and recently worked for three years as a therapist treating adult sex offenders who were on probation or parole. Dr. Rasmussen's research focuses on risk assessment of sexually abusive youth and children with sexual behavior problems, effects of trauma (sexual abuse, domestic violence, and other types of traumatic experiences). She developed the Trauma Outcome Process Assessment (TOPA) model, a practice model for assessing and treating traumatized children, youth and adults. Dr. Rasmussen has published several articles in peer reviewed journals on: the TOPA model, risk assessment and recidivism of sexually abusive youth, and play therapy with sexually abused and sexually abusive children. She has presented her work on the TOPA model at national and international conferences in various cities in the United States and in Israel and Mexico. Dr. Rasmussen has assisted Dr. L.C. Miccio-Fonseca, Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Researcher in the validation research of an innovative risk assessment tool for sexually abusive youth that Dr. Miccio-Fonscea constructed: the Multiplex Empirically Guided Inventory of Ecological Aggregates for Assessing Sexually Abusive Children and Adolescents Ages 19 and Under (MEGA) and is currently Research Associate to Dr. Miccio-Fonseca She has co-authored with Dr. Miccio-Fonseca several peer reviewed publications on the MEGA tool.
Job Titles:
- Mental Health Training Program & Field Education
Marion Kahn (emeritus: 1983) moved to San Diego in 1967 to teach at SDSU in the Social Work Masters program where she helped develop the local affiliate of (Council on International Programs) CIP, an international exchange program. Among her many community activities, she was a member of the San Diego Health Council and on the Board of San Diego Hospice. Following retirement, she continued her international travels, volunteered at local theatres, wrote a memoir, conducted oral histories for the San Diego History Center and became a regular member of a local writing workshop.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director of Crisis House
Mary Case is the Executive Director of Crisis House, a landmark social service agency established in 1970 in El Cajon. For 30 years prior she served as the Vice President of Programs of Father Joe's Villages in San Diego, California. Under her leadership, St. Vincent de Paul Village grew from a 100-bed shelter to a 900-bed rehabilitation center for the homeless in two cities. Ms. Case is active in the community serving as founding member of the Mayor's Task Force on the Homeless and past President of the Regional Task Force on the Homeless (2010-2013).
Melanie Nicholls, Ph.D., MSW, LCSW is a social worker specializing in severe and persistent mental illness, substance use disorders, and the implementation of treatment. Melanie received her Ph.D. from the JDP IRSU program at SDSU/UCSD. Her areas of interest include barriers and facilitators to treatment access, the implementation of evidence-based practices in mental health and substance use disorder treatment, medication-assisted therapy, and providers' attitudes toward evidence-based practice. She is currently researching ways to increase access to medication for opioid use disorder for those who are marginalized and unstably housed.
Job Titles:
- CEO of Jewish Family Service of San Diego
Michael Hopkins has been the CEO of Jewish Family Service of San Diego since January 2012. During his tenue, JFS continues to be a leading human service agency assisting over 20,000 San Diegian's of all ages experiencing the challenges of poverty. Michael Hopkins has devoted over 30 years to building and strengthening community. He earned his MSW from the Yeshiva University Wurzweiler School of Social Work, and spent the majority of his professional career directing and growing Jewish Community Centers across the country. Michael was for 11 years the CEO of JCC Metrowest in Essex and Morris County NJ. JCC Metrowest is the 5 th largest JCC in the country. In the past, Michael was the Executive Director of Nehirim, a national Jewish LGBT organization. Michael brings extensive background in helping nonprofits reach their full potential and compassionately serving the needs of a diverse, inclusive community.
Nancy Gannon Hornberger is CEO of SAY San Diego. SAY San Diego provides multiservice solutions that strengthen youth, families and communities with a vision of opportunity, equity and well-being. Nancy is nationally recognized for more than three decades of experience in social justice, public policy, system reform and human service and received a commendation from President Bill Clinton in 1996. Prior to joining SAY San Diego, she was executive director of the Coalition for Juvenile Justice (1999-2013), and held leadership positions with the National Crime Prevention Council and the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence. Nancy also serves the community as a member of the Leadership Table of the City Heights Partnership for Children, and the Citizen Review Panel and Prevention-Early Intervention Committee of the California State Child Welfare Council.
Job Titles:
- Administrative Support Assistant