Skip to main content

Doctoral Alumni

Since UNC School of Social Work awarded its first Ph.D. in Social Work degree in 1997, nearly 100 social work professionals have earned their doctoral degrees here. Many are currently professors, researchers, and senior administrators in colleges and universities across the United States. Several are in private practice, and others hold leadership positions in public and private organizations. We are proud of our alumni!

Daniel Gibbs
Assistant Professor
University of Georgia

Quinton Smith
Vice President for Diversity, Equity an Inclusion
Center for Community Self Help

Annie Francis
Senior Research Associate
School of Social Work, UNC-Chapel Hill

Ting Guan
Tenure-track Assistant Professor
Syracuse University

Brooke Lombardi
Research Specialist
School of Social Work, UNC-Chapel Hill

Jonathan Phillips
Tenure-track Assistant Professor
University of Minnesota, Duluth

Anjalee Sharma
Graduating December, 2022
Research Postdoctoral Fellow
Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit, John Hopkins School of Medicine

Melissa Villodas
Tenure-track Assistant Professor
George Mason University

Gerard Chung
Research Fellow
Social Services Research Centre, National University of Singapore

Premela Deck
Attorney at Law and Forensic Social Worker

L.B. Klein
Assistant Professor
University of Wisconsin-Madison

Anna Parisi
Posdoctoral Research Associate
University of Utah

Erum Agha
Postdoctoral Research Associate
UNC-Chapel Hill School of Medicine

Sarah Eisensmith
Academic Guide
Duke University

Joseph Frey
Tenure-track faculty
University of North Texas

Crystal Joy Stewart
Research Associate Professor
School of Social Work, UNC-Chapel Hill

Laurie Graham
Assistant Professor
School of Social Work, University of Maryland

Patricia McGovern
Clinical Assistant Professor
School of Social Work, UNC-Chapel Hill

Charity Watkins
Assistant Professor
Department of Social Work, NC Central University

Ashley Givens
Assistant Professor
School of Social Work, University of Missouri

Brianna Lombardi
Assistant Professor
School of Social Work, University of Pittsburgh

Kanisha Coleman Brevard
Research Associate
School of Social Work, UNC-Chapel Hill

Todd Michael Jensen
Research Associate
School of Social Work, UNC-Chapel Hill

Jennifer O’Brien
Assistant Professor
College of Health and Human Services, University of New Hampshire

Christopher Wretman
Research Associate
Sheps Center for Health Services Research, UNC-Chapel Hill

Shiyou Wu
Assistant Professor
School of Social Work, Arizona State University

Candace Killian Farrell
Research Fellow
School of Medicine, UNC-Chapel Hill

Tamara Hicks
Clinical Assistant Professor
School of Social Work, University of Maryland

Jane Moore Hughes

Vivien (Wen Li) Anthony
Assistant Professor
School of Social Work, Rutgers University

Rainier Masa
Assistant Professor
School of Social Work, UNC-Chapel Hill

Tonya VanDeinse
Clinical Assistant Professor
School of Social Work, UNC-Chapel Hill

Qi Wu
Assistant Professor
Department of Social Work, University of Mississippi

Katie C. Stalker
Associate Professor and Director of Field Education
School of Social Work, University at Buffalo

Mat Despard
Associate Professor
School of Social Work, UNC-Greensboro

Caroline “Carey” R. Evans
Adjunct Faculty
Rhode Island College
FORMER:
Research Associate
NC Youth Violence Prevention Center

Will Hall
Assistant Professor
School of Social Work, UNC-Chapel Hill

Kevin White
Assistant Professor
School of Social Work, East Carolina University

Carmen Crosby
Clinical and Translational Research Consultant
Durham, NC

Jungwon Huh
Research Fellow
Asia Center, Seoul National University
FORMER:
Senior Program Impact Analyst
Office of the President, University of California

Cindy Fraga Rizo
Assistant Professor
School of Social Work, UNC-Chapel Hill

Keesha D. Benson
Director, Thrive By Five Pinellas
Early Learning Coalition of Pinellas County (Florida)

Dari Jigjidsuren
Research Fellow
Social Science Research Center, Mississippi State University

Jilan Li (deceased, 2018)
FORMER:
Assistant Professor
Department of Social Work and Sociology, NC A&T State University

Erica R. Carroll
Research Analyst
Sheps Center for Health Services Research, UNC-Chapel Hill

Tiffany Washington
Associate Professor
Ph.D. Program Director
School of Social Work, University of Georgia

Jeffrey D. Edwards
Instructor
Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina – Upstate

Alan R. Ellis
Assistant Professor
Department of Social Work, NC State University

Micaela Mercado
Research Analyst
School of Social Work, Arizona State University

Ijeoma Nwabuzor Ogbonnaya
Assistant Professor
School of Social Work, San Diego State University

Sharon D. Parker
Associate Professor
Joint Master of Social Work Program, NC A&T State University

Tashauna Albritton
Assistant Medical Professor
School of Medicine, City University of New York

Carrie Pettus Davis
Associate Professor and Founding Director, Institute for Justice Research and Development
College of Social Work, Florida State University

Chung-Kwon Lee
Researcher
Department of Social Welfare, Inha University (South Korea)

Adam K. Walsh
Interim Executive Director
American Association of Suicidology

Kirsten Alida Nyrop
Research Assistant Professor
Department of Medicine, UNC-Chapel Hill

Alexandra Calix-Hughes
Clinical Social Work Therapist
New Spring Counseling (Raleigh, NC)

Pajarita Charles
Assistant Professor
School of Social Work, University of Wisconsin – Madison

Marcie Myers Fisher-Borne
Senior Director of HPV Vaccination, National Cancer Control Interventions and PI HPV VACs Program
American Cancer Society

Eric Garland
Professor and Associate Dean for Research
College of Social Work, University of Utah

Johanna Greeson
Associate Professor and Faculty Director, Field Center for Children’s Policy, Practice and Research
School of Social Policy and Practice, University of Pennsylvania

Martin Thomas Hall
Associate Professor
University of Louisville

Rachel Buchanan
Associate Professor
Salisbury University

Jung-Sook Lee
Senior Lecturer
University of New South Wales – Sydney

Kerry Anne Krisman Littlewood
Instructor
School of Social Work, University of South Florida

Rachel Foster Stuart
Lieutenant Colonel
US Air Force

Thomas M. Crea
Associate Professor and Assistant Dean of Global Programs
School of Social Work, Boston College

Joelle C. Ferron
Adjunct Assistant Professor
Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth Colege

Julie S. McCrae
Senior Researcher
Chapin Hall, University of Chicago

Sophia Smith
Associate Professor
School of Nursing, Duke University

Trish Kohl
Associate Professor
Brown School, Washington University in St. Louis

Kevin Frank Modesto
Professor and Co-Chair
Department of Sociology, Social Work and Family Sciences, Point Loma Nazarene University

Jean Correll Munn
Associate Professor
College of Social Work, Florida State University

Martica Bacallao
Associate Professor of Practice
School of Social Welfare, University of Kansas

Eleanor Locklin Brown
Senior Research Associate and IRB Chair
Office of Research and Planning, Virginia Department of Social Services

Natalie Whisenant Conner
Director of Analytics and Quality Improvement
Children’s Home Society of NC

Tiffany Yvette Christian
Manager
Mast Store Online Fulfillment Center
FORMER:
Assistant Professor (2003-2013)
Department of Social Work, Appalachian State University

Carlton David Craig
Professor and Director
School of Social Work, University of Nevada at Las Vegas

Susan Darlene Phillips
Survey Specialist
Peace Corps

Joelle D. Powers
Professor and Associate Dean
College of Health Sciences, Boise State University

Ariana Postlethwait
Professor
Middle Tennessee State University

Karen Rotabi
Professor and Department Chair
Department of Social Work, California State University – Monteray Bay

Shweta Singh
Associate Professor
Loyola University – Chicago

Daniel Bennett Jr.
Assistant Professor
School of Social Work, University of Alabama

Daniel S. Brisson
Professor and Executive Director, Center on Housing and Homelessness Research
Graduate School of Social Work, Denver University

Mimi Misung Kim
Research Fellow
Center for Biobehavioral Research, Duke University

Nan Sook Park
Associate Professor
School of Social Work, University of South Florida

Craig Schwalbe
Professor
School of Social Work, Columbia University

Ann B. Brewster
Research Scholar
Social Science Research Institute, Duke University

Tanya Smith Brice
Dean
College of Professional Studies, Bowie State University

Sheara Williams Jennings
Associate Professor and Associate Dean for Doctoral Education
Graduate College of Social Work, University of Houston

Bernadette Sangalang
Program Officer
Children, Families and Communities, David & Lucile Packard Foundation

Sabrina Sullenberger
Professor
Department of Social Work, Belmont University

Darcy Clay Siebert
FORMER:
Associate Professor
School of Social Work, Rutgers University

Seema V. Srivastava
FORMER:
Senior Researcher
Educational Data Systems

Melissa D. Abell
FORMER:
Assistant Professor and MSW Program Director
Virginia Commonwealth University

Natasha Bowen
Professor
Ohio State University

Paul E. Castelloe Jr.
FORMER:
Nonprofit Consultant
Rural Support Partners of Asheville

Allyn McConkle-Rosell
Professor
Department of Pediatrics, Duke University School of Medicine

Andrea Meier
Owner
Flourish! Personal Coaching

Lori Messinger
Dean
College of Social Work, University of Tennessee

James Kennerly Nash (deceased, 2015)
FORMER:
Associate Professor
School of Social Work, Portland State University

Edna W. Comer
Associate Professor and Associate Dean of Academic Affairs
School of Social Work, University of Connecticut

Denise L. Gammonley
Associate Professor and Coordinator of Aging Studies Certificate
School of Social Work, University of Central Florida

Basil Ivanhoe Gooden
iCubed Visiting Scholar, Sustainable Food Access
School of Social Work, Virginia Commonwealth University
FORMER:
Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry (2016–2018)
State of Virginia

Karen A. Randolph
Associate Professor and Doctoral Program Director
College of Social Work, Florida State University

Kellie Reed-Ashcraft
Professor
Department of Social Work, Appalachian State University

Jeanne C. Rivard
FORMER:
Senior Program Officer
Board on Behavioral, Cognitive and Sensory Sciences, National Academies of Sciences

Mimi Chapman
Professor and Associate Dean for Doctoral Education
School of Social Work, UNC-Chapel Hill