Doctoral researcher in Social Work
Jyväskylä University (Finland)
Originally from the United States, I have been working in the social work field for seventeen years with a focus on community organizing, social policy, and program development. I completed my Bachelor of Social Work program in 2010 and went on to work as the Executive Director of Central Indiana Jobs with Justice, a coalition working to build class solidarity. After completing my dual Master of Social Work and Public Health degrees, I relocated to Cape Town, South Africa to work at the Scalabrini Centre of Cape Town. While in South Africa, I assisted in developing community led programming for women with refugee and migration backgrounds. Following this, I worked as the Program Director at the Immigrant Welcome Center in Indianapolis, USA and as an adjunct professor at Indiana University Indianapolis where I taught Executive Leadership and Social Policy to Master of Social Work students. I have been in Europe for the last four years working towards my PhD in Social Work as part of the ASTRA Project, a Marie Curie and European Horizons funded program to develop research related to the role of social work in the sustainable transition of society. Using a transdisciplinary approach, my specific research focuses on ways third sector organizations can implement principles of ecosocial work. I frame my social work studies on the premise of liberation and healing, with the goal of social work being a vehicle to dismantle systems of oppression and contribute to a sustainable future for all.
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