Page Buck, MSS, PhD, LSW
Program Director, Department Chair, Associate Professor
Traumatic Brain Injury; The Human-Animal Bond; Realities of Field Practicum

"The first day I drove into the parking lot of my MSW program, I knew I was home. It was exactly where I belonged and has been so ever since."

Ginneh L. Akbar, MSW, DSW, LSW
Assistant Professor
Child Welfare Social Work

"It's my charge to make my personal and professional time relevant and significant. West Chester is a good place for that because the school's values align well with my teaching philosophy. WCU genuinely cares, and it comes through in every facet of student interaction."

Nadine Bean, MSW, PhD, LCSW
Associate Professor
Integrative Health and Recovery; Disaster Mental Health Services and Service Members, Veterans, and Military Families

"There is an oft- quoted sentiment about the field of social work that I truly believe applies to me and my passion for the field, "Social work is a 'calling,'" not simply a profession. The field has been 'calling' me for over 30 years."

Wan-Yi Chen, MSW, PhD
Associate Professor
Children and Adolescents; Victimization Experience and Reaction to Trauma; Environmental Impact in the Person, Family, and Community

"As much as I enjoyed working in the field, I realized very early on that I could make a bigger impact as a professor; as a professor I could develop programs and set the pace for future social workers."

Christina Chiarelli-Helminiak, MSW, PhD
Assistant Professor
Organizational Factors That Affect Job Satisfaction and Burnout; Integration of Human Rights in Social Work Curriculum; Immigrant Civic Engagement; Children's and Women's Rights

"In order to live together as a global society that appreciates peace, we must become aware of what limits peace."

Linda Ello, MSW, PhD, LCSW
Associate Professor
Gerontology; Research

"Currently working on a research initiative regarding infusing gerontology content into all MSW foundation courses."

Amber Holbrook, MSW, PhD, LSW
Assistant Professor
Trauma; Mental Health; Intimate Partner Violence

"I first became interested in issues of social justice during my undergraduate education when I worked for the campus Women's Center and volunteered with the local Khmer refugee population."

Angela Lavery, MSW, PhD, LCSW, FT
Assistant Professor
Gerontology; Housing Needs of Older Adults; Aging in Place; End-of-Life Care; Grief and Bereavement; Elder Abuse and Neglect

Terrence O. Lewis, MSW, PhD, LICSW
Assistant Professor
Multicultural Clinical Practice

"I discovered that spirituality is by its very nature inclusive, while religion can tend to be exclusive, but it doesn't have to be that way."

Stacie M. Metz, MSW, MPH, MA, PhD
Professor
Adolescent Mental Health and Social-Emotional Learning; Health Promotion in Young Adult Populations; Program Evaluation

"I vividly remember dreaming of opening a community mental health center in order to help those in need. I envisioned a blend of preventive and tertiary services to improve not only emotional health, but also social, physical, and spiritual health."

Gwenelle O'Neal, MSW, DSW, LSW
Professor
Community Mental Health Services; Multicultural Resources; Universal Design to Enhance Student and Consumer Engagement and Participation

"My interest in social work stems from the NAACP in the seventh grade during the civil rights movement. My community focus on democracy and economic development can be connected to that experience."

Julie Tennille, MSW, PhD, LSW
Assistant Professor
Motivational Interviewing; Role of Intimacy and Sexuality in Mental Health Recovery; HIV; Implementation Science; Field Education; Pedagogical Models to Enhance Workforce Competence

"As a gay kid growing up in the 1970s and 80s, I learned a lot about what it was like to be an outsider. I've always connected to outsider identities. This led me to my profession and continues to shape the way I see the world and the depths of oppression and privilege that go unexplored."

Lisa G. Allen, MSW, LSW
Director of Field Education

"It has been an honor in my role as a social worker over the years to be a part of my clients' lives, working to facilitate positive changes."

Theresa Sullivan, MSW
Director of Field Education for Philadelphia

"I came to social work seeking a career path that addressed human service work from a social justice perspective. I found a vocation rooted in this philosophy, with a unique attention to the feminist perspective, constantly examining how the personal and political are intimately connected, in all of the issues we face."

Kyle Murray
MSW Recruiter

"It is truly inspiring to work with the faculty, staff, and students here at West Chester University."

P.K. Ahearn
MSW Program Secretary

"As social workers labor to aid in the vital needs of humanity, it is so wonderful for me to work with these best of persons for the best of causes!"