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First, tell us a little about yourself. 
I am an LCSW-S (Licensed Clinical Social Worker- Supervisor) and have worked in a variety of human service organizations with my most recent experience being in Outpatient Behavioral Health Management. This is my first year as a UNT faculty member although I have been a guest speaker in some UNT classes and had more UNT interns out in the field then I can count! My husband and I have two beautiful daughters and two cats who provide me a safe and loving space at the end of long days.

Why did you choose to study social work?
Is it bad to say that I originally looked at majors based on their math requirements? Because I did! Luckily for me, that led me into the social work field. I had originally wanted to major in psychology but at that point had not committed to pursuing a masters. After speaking to my advisor, they explained social workers can start in the field with their bachelor’s and that social workers have the flexibility to not only do counseling and assessments but to run programs, advocate for policy change, create community organizations, and so much more. I get bored easily so I knew social work would always provide me with a new opportunity to help others!  

What do you enjoy most about teaching?
I love the chance to inspire students to pursue a career in social work so that they can go out and advocate for change in individuals and our communities. Having been in the field for the past twelve years, I can bring a lot of real-world experience to the classroom and help them understand the ‘why’ behind our key concepts and assignments. 

What do you hope your students gain from your courses?
I hope my students gain confidence in their abilities to enact change and learn skills that can be used in the social work field and beyond. In my ‘Introduction to Social Work’ class it is an opportunity to introduce students to all the populations you can work with in our field, or for the non-social work majors, it helps them understand the role social workers play in their communities every day. 

What did you do before pursuing a career in academia, and why did you decide to pursue higher ed instead?
My experience includes opening three outpatient behavioral health clinics in Collin County, developing a grant funded program at a local MHMR, managing the state hospital waitlist for Collin County, running intake and admission departments for local psychiatric hospitals, and utilizing my skills in clinical project management. My focus has always been in ‘Community and Administrative’ social work in the behavioral health setting and I found the most joy out of improving systems and creating programs that allow the helpers to do their job better.

I chose a career in higher education because as more and more human service organizations are being moved into the private sector for profit…the further these organizations move from our core social work values and ethics. Through higher education I hope to inspire the next generation of social workers to confront the broken systems, advocate for change, and prove the best individuals to run social service organizations….are social workers. 

When you’re not teaching, what do you enjoy doing?
I enjoy baking, thrift shopping, playing board games, crafting and watching cooking shows while eating Hot Cheetos and pretending they are a gourmet meal. I also enjoy reading fantasy and young adult novels and going to concerts with my husband.