Faculty members Paul Lanier, Ph.D., and Tina Souders, Ph.D., recently received academic promotions, effective in July.
Paul Lanier, Full Professor
Lanier, who joined the School in 2013, is recognized nationally as an expert in developing, evaluating, and scaling-up evidence-based prevention programs in child welfare, mental health, and early childhood systems. Over the course of his academic career, Lanier has focused on engaging and supporting low-income families with young children, particularly new fathers. Notably, he recently led a statewide needs assessment of the North Carolina Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program. In addition to his faculty role at the School, Lanier serves as associate director for child and family well-being for the School of Social Work’s Jordan Institute for Families; as a research fellow with UNC’s Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research and as a faculty affiliate with the Injury Prevention Research Center. Most recently, he was invited to serve as a fellow at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute. A Ph.D. graduate of the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis, Lanier earned his MSW from UNC-Chapel Hill.
Tina Souders, Clinical Professor
Souders joined the School in 2005 and served as director of the 3-Year Winston-Salem MSW Program for 17 years. She was appointed the School’s first full time director of digital learning and instruction in July 2022. In this newly created role, Souders works exclusively to advance the digital learning and instruction needs of the School, including overseeing the development of an online MSW program and coordinating trainings for faculty. A licensed clinical social worker in the state of North Carolina and a longtime member of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), she is a frequent speaker on professional social work ethics at Area Health Education Centers and NASW continuing education programs.
