JACSW Alumni Updates

The Rev. Ciera Bates-Chamberlain, MSW ’14, was named an Obama Foundation Leader for 2024-25, a six-month, non-residential leadership development program that seeks to inspire, empower, and connect emerging leaders across the United States. She is the founder and executive director of Live Free Chicago – Live Free Illinois, an organization that mobilizes Black churches to improve public safety and transform the criminal justice system. In her work, she has convened statewide coalitions of clergy and nonprofits dedicated to peace and justice, developed violence reduction strategies, and designed innovative programs related to gun violence reduction and incarceration.

Katherine Mettam, MSW ’18, has worked at Southwest Key Programs (SWK) for 10 years, under the Home Study & Post Release program, funded by the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). The program serves unaccompanied children and youth, the majority of whom are ages 13-17 from Guatemala, Honduras, or El Salvador, referred by ORR. Mettam began her work with SWK as a Post Release Worker based in Chicago. In that role, she assisted families to thrive after reunification from a shelter funded by ORR. She used a trauma-informed perspective to ensure youth and sponsors have everything needed to succeed. Mettam then transitioned to a Home Study Worker, and was promoted to Assistant Program Director in December 2018, a position she held until December 2022, when she was elevated to her current position as Program Director. She directly oversees, supervises, and coordinates program and financial elements for all Home Study and Post Release Services program operations in the Northeast U.S. and serves as the main liaison between SWK and ORR’s regional staff.

Amy Condiotti-Bowman, MSW ’99, is a licensed clinical social worker in both Illinois and Indiana. She serves as supervisor of Outpatient Mental Health Services for Regional Health Systems in Indiana and is field supervisor for Indiana University Northwest MSW students. Condiotti-Bowman is invested in working towards greater access of care for meeting the mental health needs for Northwest Indiana.

Lisa Avery, PhD ’97, was selected to the inaugural cohort of presidents selected for the 2023-24 Aspen Presidents Fellowship. Avery is president of Linn-Benton Community College in Albany, Oregon. The Fellows are among the nation’s most promising community college leaders – committed to taking risks, building partnerships, and setting a bold vision to advance equitable student outcomes, according to the Aspen Institute. Prior to Linn-Benton, Avery served as a campus president at Portland Community College.

James Williams, MSW ’93, PhD ’03, received the Martin Luther King Jr. Social Justice Award on Jan. 17, 2023, from The Conversation, an interracial organization in Tacoma, Wash.

Christopher G. Hudson, PhD ’83, has retired as a faculty member at Salem State University near Boston, where he taught in their MSW program for 32 years. Prior to Salem State, Hudson briefly taught in the MSW programs at George Williams College and East Carolina University. He was also a part-time instructor in Smith College’s doctoral program. Hudson primarily taught mental health policy, research, and human behavior theory, among other subjects. He also served one term as Salem State’s MSW Coordinator and two terms as the school’s chairperson, while maintaining an active research program with several funded projects with more than 60 professional publications and five books. He performed research during several sabbaticals at various international locations such as the London School of Economics, Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and universities in Prague, Hong Kong and Auckland, New Zealand. Two of the programs were funded by the J. William Fulbright Program. Hudson also served on several mental health and social work boards, and was elected president of the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers.

Hudson and his wife, Barbara Berger Hudson, MSW ’83, returned to Chicago following his retirement. They have two grown children and one grandchild. Today, he does some part-time teaching, professional consulting, and is presently writing his second book. He enjoys several hobbies, including traveling, running and trekking, including one to the Everest Base Camp and a climb of Mount Kilimanjaro.

Percy Cross, MSW ’92 has worked for Integrated Services of Kalamazoo, Mich., as a Housing Case Manager in the Housing Department since July 2020. With his co-worker he operates a family homeless shelter with seven two-bedroom units. They provide case management, referrals for mental health services or medical services, help with job referrals, and assistance with securing housing.

Camille R. Quinn, PhD ’14 serves as Co-Principal Investigator on a MacArthur Foundation grant titled Innovative methods to enhance racial equity through the Safety and Justice Challenge Network. This two-year, $500,000 grant seeks to reduce racial disparities in the criminal justice system through a three-phase project that will assess aspects of diversity and inclusion in the communities, develop strategic plans for implementation, and create a racial equity toolkit. Quinn is also the recipient of a National Institute of Health, National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities R21 grant entitled, “Exploring PTSD Symptoms, Barriers and Facilitators to Mindfulness Stress Reduction for Justice-Involved Black/African American Female Adolescents and Parents/Caregivers.” Quinn is associate professor of Community Engagement Research at the University of Michigan School of Social Work.

Donald Dew, MSW ’80, President and CEO at Habilitative Systems, Inc., serves as chair of the Board of Directors for the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), which accredits more than 60,000 health and human service providers on five continents. Dew is a past recipient of the Jane Addams College of Social Work’s Pioneer Award.

May Saengpraseuth Alirad, MSW ’09, founder and CEO of De Lao CCE, published an e-book titled Was I Assaulted? My Guide to Healing as a Survivor. It has gained national and international attention in Ireland, Africa, UK, Caribbean, Australia, France, UAE, Canada, Spain, and Laos.

Dr. Daniel Williams Jr., MSW ’85, has published the books, Black-on-Black Crime in America and Why Do Americans Hate Americans?  Dr. Williams currently provides therapeutic services through F.O.C.U.S. Online Counseling.

Quenette Walton, PhD ’16 has been inducted as an Honorary Member of Phi Alpha Honor Society for providing “distinctive contributions to the field of social work”. Walton is assistant professor in the Graduate College of Social Work at the University of Houston.

Jessica Stolzer, MSW ’10 has been working in care coordination since her graduation. Specifically, she has been working in managed care since 2014 and loves working in that field. She currently serves as a Behavioral Health Care Management Specialist and Team Lead at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, where she also provides clinical supervision services.

Anne McNelis, BSW ’93, MSW ’94 has served more than 20 years as clinical director at Transitions Mental Health Services in the Quad Cities (Moline, IL). She is an adjunct professor in St. Ambrose University’s MSW program and has taught Mental Health Empowerment in Social Work, Trauma Informed Care in Social Work and Clinical Group Supervision during her tenure. She is a trauma-informed trainer and resiliency coach, and recently became a congressional liaison for Campaign for Trauma Informed Policy and Practice (CTIPP). Anne has received an honorary achievement award from First Lady Jill Biden, and was named one of “100 Influential Citizens in the Quad City Community” by the QC YWCA.

Marie Preston, MSW ’20 is serving as a Technical Assistance Specialist at Howard Brown Health, responsible for developing tools/resources, conducting trainings and providing support for contact tracers and managers at Federally Qualified Health Centers and hospitals across Chicago.

Linda Freedman, MSW ’78, PhD ’02, is a researcher in the field of sexual harassment who has developed sexual harassment prevention workshops for the workplace, as well as a new continuing education credit-hour program for professionals seeking licensure. She is a State of Illinois continuing education sponsor.

Qiana Cryer-Coupet, PhD ’15, Nancy Rolock, PhD ’13 and Tyreasa Washington, PhD ’10 served as editors on a special issue of Sustainability: Child Welfare and Health for Sustainable Development.

Kelly Anne Smith, MSW ’08, serves as Director of Health Social Work at UI Health. Kelly Anne, a former student intern at the hospital in the very same department, also serves as an adjunct professor at Dominican University.

Joe Hollendoner, BSW ’03, MSW ’04 serves as CEO of the the Los Angeles LGBT Center. He previously served as CEO of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, and was first deputy commissioner at the Chicago Department of Public Health.

Thomas Mattison, MSW ’15, LCSW, is a Hybrid Veterans Justice Outreach (VJO) and Health Care for Reentry (HCRV) Social Worker at the West Texas VA Health Care System. Says Mattison: “My job is to work with the at-risk homeless population of veterans involved either on the front end of justice involvement to defer to treatment versus incarceration, or the reentry population to be linked to Veterans Administration benefits prior to discharge from incarceration.”

Jackie Haas, MSW ’89, President/CEO of the Helen Wheeler Center for Community Mental Health in Kankakee, Ill., represents Illinois’ 79th district in the Illinois House of Representatives.

Donald Dew, MSW ’80, President/CEO of Habilitative Systems, Inc., serves as vice chairperson of the State of Illinois’ Guardianship and Advocacy Commission.

Deborah Dettman, MSW ’92 is founder of Wise Woman Therapy, which provides therapy for women recovering from addiction and trauma. Beyond those issues, she works with women on recovery from the impacts of homophobia, sexism, toxic workplaces and relationships and religious trauma.

Christopher Burkett, MSW ’19 serves as an Outpatient Therapist at Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch in southwest Montana.

Lisa Avery, MSW ’94, PhD ’97 as presidenet of Linn-Benton Community College in Albany, Ore.

Mary Parke, MSW ’96 is a Nurse Care Coach in San Antonio, Texas, helping individuals across the country with the behavioral health components of their medical needs.

Nancy Rolock, PhD ’13 has been appointed the Henry L. Zucker Associate Professor in Social Work Practice and Associate Dean for Research and Training at the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University. The professorship is dedicated to advancing knowledge in community-oriented approaches to social work practice.

Lindsey LaPointe, MSW ’11 is a Democratic candidate for the Illinois House, 19th District, and the Chicago Sun-Times published a profile of her. She covers a fair amount of territory in her responses, including her path from working in the community to working at the macro policy level, and how social work and its founder Jane Addams have shaped her approach to leadership and legislation.

Cindy Waldeck, MSW ’13 recently started a newly created position as the Recruitment and Awards Specialist at the School of Social Work at University of Wisconsin–Madison after spending six years working at Northwestern University in roles overlapping in social work and higher education. Cindy completed her Masters in Higher Education Administration in June 2019 from Northwestern University.

Qiana Cryer-Coupet, PhD ’15 and Tyreasa Washington, PhD ’10 co-authored, along with JACSW Professor Emeritus James P. Gleeson, PhD ’84, a book chapter on the role of grandparents in co-parenting, in Gerontological Social Work and the Grand Challenges.

Lindsey LaPointe, MSW ’11 represents the 19th District in the llinois House of Representatives. She has a long history of public advocacy, and says that her training as a social worker impacts how she approaches life.

Tyreasa Washington, PhD ’10 is an associate professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She has received funding from the Eunice Kennedy Shrive National Institute of Child Health and HumanDevelopment for her research project Family’s Impact on the Development of African American Children in Kinship Care.

Camille R. Quinn, PhD ’14 will serve on the Ohio Supreme Court Subcommittee on Juvenile Justice, which focuses on policies regarding juvenile justice issues in Ohio. She says she is “both honored and excited to have this opportunity to represent our College on this important effort.”

Samantha Lasky, MSW ’18 is contracting as a consultant with Illinois Collaboration on Youth with the trauma department.

Dr. Richard Harris, MSW ’65 is the author of the book, “Growing Up Black in South Madison” (WI). He describes his life experiences in Madison from 1937 to present day, including the men and women, movements, and litigation of historical importance to the fight against racial discrimination in Madison. Dr. Harris can be reached at Dr.Harris@genesissocialservices.com.

Marc D. Smith, MSW ’97 has been named by Gov. J.B. Pritzker to assume the position of Director of Illinois DCFS.

Shonda King, MSW ’97, MPH, LSW has received the UI Health 2019 Social Worker of the Year Award. She also authored “Scientific/Modern Medical and Traditional Medical Care for Sickle Cell Disease: Implications for Social Work Intervention” in White Paper: Pathways to Progress in Newborn Screening for Sickle Cell Disease in Sub-Saharan Africa, Journal of Tropical Disease and Public Health. 2018, 6(2).

Kelley Kitley, MSW ’04 was recently featured in the Chicago Tribune in a story about serendipity in finding a career. She has also written the book MY self: An autobiography of survival.

Jeff Levy, MSW, ’94 recently left his role as CEO of Live Oak, Inc. in Chicago where he was also one of the co-founders after a tenure of almost 15 years. He left Live Oak for his own private psychotherapy practice in Chicago’s Ravenswood neighborhood. In addition to his practice, Jeff founded and is the Executive Director of The Wingspan Project (TWP). TWP is a not for profit 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to make mental health and related services available to underserved, marginalized, and/or disenfranchised people through organizational and individual capacity building. TWP is most notably dedicated to supporting services to people who have experienced discrimination and stigma and to those whose identities and communities are particularly vulnerable to systems of oppression.

Camille R. Quinn, PhD ’14 was appointed to the Ohio Governor’s Council on Juvenile Justice, a community program of the Ohio Department of Youth Services.

Cleopatra Watson, MSW ’11 announced her candidacy for alderman of the 9th Ward of Chicago. The SunTimes published a detailed look at her positions on many issues, including her stated priorities of affordable housing, equitable school funding and food insecurity.

Gary Kenzer, MSW ‘84 has been appointed as the Executive Director of the National Alliance on Mental Health, NAMI Cook County North Suburban.

Kenny E. Miller, MSW ’85 recently published a chapter in a book that deals with models of treatment for developmental trauma entitled Attachment Theory in Action. The title of the chapter he authored is “Delight In Me: Repair of Developmental Trauma and the Birth of the Self.”

Dr. Anna McPhatter, PhD ’88 is the Interim Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Morgan State University (Baltimore, MD). The Division of Academic Affairs supports and promotes innovative teaching and learning (face-face and online), cutting edge research, scholarship and creative activity and collaborative community engagement.

Steven Narowetz, MSW ’02 relocated to Minnesota after graduation. He recently started working as an LGSW at Global Healthcare in Minneapolis.

Sheila Sewe, MSW ’14 has been working in the United Kingdom as part of a Child Protection Team for Dorset County Council. She primarily works on the front lines with children in need and looked-after children, as well as presenting children in court alongside their solicitors and preparing assessments and court reports. She says, “I feel like my education and field placements at UIC were an added advantage to help me succeed in my field of work here.”

Sylvia Margolin, PhD ’01 retired from Governors State University where she had been teaching social work courses to masters degree students. After retirement, she has continued her involvement in the field by volunteering as the book review editor of the “School Social Work Journal.” After her husband suffered a spinal cord injury, they moved to Washington DC to live near their daughter.

Tuka Rachid, MSW ’17 moved to Peoria, IL and has been working at Human Service Center as a Team Lead for the new First Episode Psychosis team.

Krista Woods, MSW ’04 was elected to the Board of Directors as the NASW-IL Calumet District Chair and is proud to serve Illinois social workers for the next 2 years. She founded Integrity Clinical Consulting and Training in 2011, as an LCSW in IL and more recently in TX, where she opened a second clinical therapy practice, with the main location in Homewood, IL. Her practice focuses on providing high-quality clinical therapy services with a special focus on communities of color, LGBTQ and persons receiving Medicaid, and helps people with histories of complex trauma find healing and recovery. She is also a national speaker/trainer on topics relating to ethics in social work, racism, oppression, discrimination, and how social workers must work to eliminate discrimination while helping those impacted to find healing and recovery.

Jules E. Beuck, MSW ’83 retired from State of California Patton State Hospital in 2014. He now works two days a week doing outpatient therapy for Inland Psychiatric Medical Group. He is also in a band called Gallows Humor, which has recorded two albums.

Dayna Guido, MSW ’84 has published the book The Parental Tool Box for Parents and Clinicians.

Marci Morrison, MSW ’88 moved to Phoenix six years ago.

Christina L. Erickson, PhD ’05 has published a book by Oxford University press titled Environmental Justice as Social Work Practice.

Emily Keesling, MSW ’17 works for Brinton Woods Health and Rehabilitation Centers in Washington, D.C. She reports that she is “lobbying for all kinds of social justice bills on Capitol Hill” with the organization Women’s Information Network.

Jessica LeBeau-Richman, MSW ’14 moved to her home city of Philadelphia and is now teaching Mental Health First Aid courses through the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services.

Margaret Miles, MSW ’13 recently started a new job as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Social Work at Concordia University Chicago.

Staci O’Neal-Robinson, MSW ’14 LCSW moved to Los Angeles in April of 2017 and now works as an intake therapist at a community mental health center.

David Simpson, PhD ’11 is an Assistant Professor at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, WA, where he recently co-led a course that took eight students to Rwanda to study genocide and memorialization.