Alumni Notes
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family, business ventures, career moves, honors and awards.
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news to nportera@sw.ua.edu or call 205-348-0182.
Spring 2007 | Fall 2006 | Summer 2005 | Summer 2003 | Spring 2002 | Fall 2002
Spring 2007
Francis K.O. Yuen ( MSW ’83, PhD ’89) on the publication of his co-edited book, Teenage Pregnancy and Parenthood: Global Perspectives, Issues and Interventions. Dr. Yuen is a professor in the Division of Social Work, California State University, Sacramento.
Michael G. Tancyus (MSW ’87) was promoted to Senior Clinical Therapist at Augusta Behavioral Health of Augusta Medical Center, where he recently completed his fifth year. In addition to heading clinical services in the Substance Abuse treatment program, he is now also responsible for clinical staff development and training, as well as clinical supervision. This past fall he closed his private practice in psychotherapy in Harrisonburg, Va. after 11 years of practice. He is enjoying the extra spare time at home with his wife and parents in Afton, Va.
Joyce O’Neal ( MSW ’93) was elected Employee Representative to the State of Alabama Personnel Board for a six-year term. The Employee Representative is the only elected position on the Personnel Board. Ms. O’Neal is Director of the Food Assistance Division of the Alabama Department of Human Resources.
Misty Samya (BSW ’00, MSW ’02) was recognized on the “Women in Social Work Leadership” website.
Avani Shah (MSW ’00) is pursuing a doctorate at The University of Alabama in clinical psychology. She is the 2007 recipient of the Outstanding Service by a Graduate Student Award at the University of Alabama.
Elizabeth Codega (MSW ‘05) accepted a new job in South Carolina working through the Governor's Office in the Foster Care Review Board as a Review Board Coordinator.
Fall 2006
Dianne Harrison (MSW ’73) was named president of California State University, Monterey Bay.
Robert M. Malone, Jr. (MSW ’74) was named Director and CEO of the VA Medical Center in Tuscaloosa, AL.
Jack Sellers (MSW ’71, DSW ’83) received a Significant Achievement Award from the Association of Social Work Baccalaureate Program Directors (BPD) at their meeting in October. Dr. Sellers will retire at the end of the current academic year from his faculty position at the University of North Alabama.
Ashley Adcox (BSW ’94) is Aging Services Supervisor for the West Alabama Regional Commission Area Agency on Aging in Northport, AL.
Melanie (Berry) Baker (MSW ’95) and her husband, Michael Baker, had a son, Harold Jeffries Baker, born December 6, 2005. They live in Richmond, Virginia.
Linda M. Nutt (PhD ’96) was named Director of Planning, Policy and Research for the Department of Correction for the state of Tennessee.
Allison (Gangstad) Litton (MSW ’02/MPH) is pursuing a doctorate at University of Alabama at Birmingham in Public Health, Department of Maternal and Child Health. She hopes to focus her work on health disparities and cancer prevention research.
Vincent Venturini (Ph.D. ’03) associate professor at Mississippi Valley State University, was recently named interim chair of the Social Work Program.
Jay Gabbard (PhD ’04) is in his third year as an Assistant Professor of Social Work at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, KY. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he served as the Director of Admissions and Recruitment for their recently accredited MSW program.
Cyleste Collins (MSW ‘05, PhD ’05) started a tenure track position as an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at Cleveland State University.
Elizabeth Mullins (MSW ’05) is a therapist at Bradford Health Services inpatient unit in Warrior, Alabama. She works with women patients and is currently creating Bradford's first Women Specific Treatment Program.
Lauren Harrick (MSW ’06) is the Online/Outreach Coordinator at the Samaritan Center in Vero Beach, FL.
Summer 2005
Diane Holliman (PhD 1998) was recently granted promotion and tenure at
Summer 2003
Barry Ackerson (MSW '78, PhD'98) was appointed Associate Dean and Director of the MSW Program in the School of Social Work at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in August, 2003. He also had the following recent publications: 1) Parents with serious and persistent mental illness: Issues in assessment and services, Social Work, April, 2003. 2) Coping with the dual demands of severe mental illness and parenting: The parents' perspective, Families in Society, January-March, 2003.
Spring 2002
Theron K. Fuller. For the past 20 years, Theron K. Fuller, M.S.W. 1969, has worked at the Pentagon, in Washington, D.C., as an operational research analyst for the U.S. Army’s Information Management Support Center (IMCEN). Fuller is currently studying for his social work license in Virginia so he can get back into professional social work.
Karen L. Tatum, M.S.W., 1986, and her husband, Tim Rollinson, have moved to London after spending three years in China. Currently Karen is consulting on refugee and cross-cultural issues and hoping to work on the current crisis in Afghanistan. For the past ten years, Karen has worked outside the U.S., mostly for U.N. agencies. She served as the social services coordinator for the UNHCR program in Hong Kong. She also worked for 10 months in Syria for UNHCR setting up a resettlement program.
Wendy Russell, M.S.W. 1994, is an outpatient child/adolescent psychotherapist for Alabama Psychiatric Services in Alabama.
Joanne Kwok, M.S.W. 2001, is working at Elmhurst Hospital’s Outpatient Mental Health Center in New York City.
Maureen Sullivan, M.S.W. 2001, recently moved to Anniston where she will be working with the Family Services Center.
Saundra Lane Bandy, M.S.W. 1995, married Stephen Bandy in 1999 and now resides in Kingston, Tennessee, where she serves as the Social Services Manager for Raone Medical Center and Field instructor for the University of Tennessee College of Social Work.
Fall 2002
Nancy Angelo, M.S.W. 1984, received lifetime achievement awards from the National Association of Social Workers West Alabama Unit and the state of Alabama in March 2002 and April 2002 respectively. She was also a nominee for a life-service award by Celebration of Collaboration from Prevent Child Abuse Alabama in March 2002. Nancy works at Child Abuse Prevention Services in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Mandy Tierce Docker, B.S.W. 1997, recently became certified by the National Foundation for Consumer Credit as a credit counselor. She works at Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Charles Lovelace III, M.S.W. 1983, is director of social services at Southern Christian Home in Morrilton, Arkansas. Services provided by the home include group care, foster care and adoptions.
Billie Ruth Stewart Sudduth, M.S.W. 1969, received the Alumni Achievement Award in April from Huntingdon College, her undergraduate alma mater.
Sheryl Talley, M.S.W. 1991, married Christopher Flavin on December 8, 2001, in Port Charlotte, Florida. She is currently employed as a Social Services Counselor at Hospice of Southwest Florida.
Traci Garner Treese, M.S.W. 1989, gave birth to a daughter, Katie Margaret, on February 23, 2002. She has a son, Jackson, who turned four in June. Traci is a social worker at the East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika, Alabama.