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School of Social Work welcomes eight new clinical professors 

by Chris Hilburn-Trenkle 

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Social Work is pleased to welcome eight new clinical assistant professors for the spring semester. 

The eight faculty members arrive from different parts of the country, but share a similar passion for advancing equity, transforming systems and improving lives. Below we’ve included information on each of the eight professors. 


Theresa Flores: Flores, a 2019 MSW graduate at the School of Social Work, has previous work experience with the School’s behavioral healthcare program, and also worked within the Duke University Health System with the emergency department at Duke University Hospital. Flores, who owns a Durham-based private practice, this semester is teaching SOWO 740 (Implementing Evidence-Informed Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups), SOWO 750 (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) and SOWO 758 (Differential Diagnosis of Mental Health Disorders). 

Matthew Morgan: Morgan is coming to Chapel Hill after more than a decade spent in education at Virginia Commonwealth University, where he received his bachelor’s degree and MSW degree. While teaching at UNC, Morgan is in the process of wrapping up his dissertation for his Ph.D. from VCU and hopes to graduate later in 2025. His research interests include gerontology, especially involving the disparities in end-of-life care for populations historically marginalized. Morgan is teaching SOWO 505 (Human Development in Context: Adulthood) and SOWO 792 (Program Development and Proposal Preparation) this semester. 

Erum Agha: Agha, a 2020 Ph.D. graduate of the School of Social Work, is arriving with prior teaching experience at UNC School of Medicine and Meredith College. Agha’s research interests include social justice and interventions for resettled migrants and refugees, especially children and women living with untreated or undiagnosed trauma. This past summer she helped start a community-based refugee wellness and mental health program for an international refugee resettlement agency. She is teaching SOWO 740 (Implementing Evidence-Informed Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups) this semester. 

Rachel Foster: Prior to joining the School of Social Work, Foster was an instructor for the United States Air Force’s Global College of Professional Military Education and the University of Southern California School of Social Work through its virtual academic center. Foster, who served for nearly 21 years with the United States Air Force and reached the rank of lieutenant colonel, previously worked at the Pentagon in the headquarters’ Air Force Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office as the Air Force Surgeon General Advisor advocating for sexual assault victims. Foster, a 2008 Ph.D. graduate of the School, is teaching SOWO 751 (Behavioral Intervention with Children) and co-teaching SOWO 810 (Evaluation of Social Work Interventions) and SOWO 861 (Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy: Essential Practices) this semester.  

Jacqueline Coleman-Carmon: Coleman-Carmon is joining the School of Social Work following time spent as a therapist with Banyan Treatment Centers providing both individual and group therapy. A 2011 MSW graduate of East Carolina who received her Ph.D. in social work from the University of Pennsylvania in 2024, Coleman-Carmon also has experience as a social work case manager for UNC Health Rex Hospital and has worked at WakeMed Health and Hospitals and UNC Health Wayne Hospital in Goldsboro. Coleman-Carmon this spring is teaching SOWO 821 (Social Work Specialization Practicum II). 

Tywan Lindsey: Lindsey is arriving in Chapel Hill with experience in multiple fields, having spent nearly 20 years as the president and clinical director of Rise Ministries in North Carolina. Lindsey, who’s in the Doctor of Social Work program at the University of Alabama, has spent more than four years as a clinical psychiatric social worker in the Duke University Health System. Lindsey and Clinical Associate Professor Tauchiana Williams are co-teaching SOWO 524 (Generalist Practicum Seminar II) this semester. 

Adrienne Slaughter: Slaughter is bringing decades of experience in the field of social work to the School, including more than a decade spent as a field instructor at Augsburg University and the director of student success programs and services at Emory University. A 2010 MSW graduate of Augsburg University, Slaughter also has spent time in private practice as a psychotherapist. Slaughter is teaching SOWO 520 (Social Work Generalist Practicum I) and SOWO 523 (Generalist Practicum Seminar I) for the spring semester. 

Sarah Patterson: Patterson has more than a decade of experience in education and six years of experience working with juvenile justice-related services. She previously worked at New Hope Elementary School in the Orange County School District, and engaged in juvenile justice work in Chatham, Alamance and Orange County. Patterson this semester is teaching SOWO 520 (Social Work Generalist Practicum I) and SOWO 523 (Generalist Practicum Seminar I). 


School of Social Work welcomes two student success coaches for O-MSW program 

The School of Social Work recently hired two student success coaches for the online MSW program to help students navigate their way through their academic journey. We spoke with Carla Snow and Sara Rechnitzer to learn more about their prior experience, why they joined the School and more.

School of Social Work welcomes three new clinical assistant professors 

We spoke with the School’s three new professors to learn about their prior experience, what they hope to teach students, why they joined the School and more.