Today we are profiling one of our alumni, Luke Muetner, MSW ‘20, PhD ‘21. Luke Muetner is a Justice Researcher in RTI’s Corrections and Reentry Research Program. His research focuses on correctional programming, reentry support, and interventions, with a particular emphasis on parental incarceration and family well-being. Skilled in both quantitative and qualitative methods, he …
Today we are profiling one of our alumni, Marissa Abbott, PhD ‘21. Marissa Abbott is a Social Science Analyst at the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) for the US Department of Health and Human Services. She supports the child welfare and family well-being portfolios. Her dissertation for her PhD was …
Today we are profiling one of our alumni, Elizabeth Wahl, MSW ‘05. Elizabeth Wahl, MSSW LSW IMH-E® is the Pregnancy Promise Program Manager at Indiana Family and Social Services Administration. Since Elizabeth founded the Indiana Pregnancy Promise Program in 2021, nearly 1,000 women have enrolled. The program aids expectant and new mothers with opioid …
Today we are profiling one of our distinguished alumni award recipients, Ben Schumaker, MSW ‘06. Ben received the distinguished alumni award in 2018 after he founded The Memory Project, an incredibly successful non-profit dedicated to promoting intercultural understanding and kindness among children around the world through school-based art and writing programs. Since 2004, 320,000 youth …
Kristi Wood’s journey working with adolescent boys evolved over her 30 years of experience in human services. After working at Tellurian’s adolescent emergency respite center in Madison, she and her partner Shannon felt they could make more of an impact working with a smaller number of teens in more of a home environment. Initially, they …
For Stefanie Primm, MSW ’08, a commitment to the field of developmental disabilities began early in life. Her brother’s autism required special attention in her early years, and she remains a central caregiver for him as he ages. Through her personal and professional experiences, she recognized that the isolation that individuals with developmental disabilities and …
Alumni who were at the School of Social Work in the mid 1970s to the late 1980s may remember Toby Cohen. Toby was the advisor to most MSW and undergraduate students. In those pre-computer days, Toby kept your coursework on a small file card which she updated each semester. She provided course suggestions, insight, and …
A Journey from Hmong Refugee to Behavioral Health Clinic Founder Sheng Lee Yang’s journey is impressive. A first-generation Hmong refugee who was resettled in Wisconsin as a young person, she became a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, social work faculty member, and clinic founder – a testament to her ability to overcome many challenges while working …
Charity Douglas, MSW ’98, once a social welfare recipient, now leads a department of social services with 4,700 employees that serves one million community members As a young mother with a special needs child, Charity Douglas spent a short time receiving benefits from Wisconsin’s public welfare system. That experience, coupled with the need to engage …
The Chair of our Board of Visitors and alumna, Stephanie Lozano, MSW ’14 was selected as one of Wisconsin’s Most Influential Native American Leaders of 2024 by “Madison365.” Stephanie is the Tribal Liaison for the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. As noted in the article, she spent 10 years working for the Ho-Chunk Nation …