The University of South Dakota

Faculty

Michael Lawler, PhD, MSW Program Chairperson and Professor Michael.Lawler@usd.edu Research and Teaching Interests:  Child-parent relationships, child welfare services, public welfare, transfer of learning, child development, public policy, and social welfare leadership.

Elizabeth Talbot, PhD, LCSW MSW Director and Associate Professor Elizabeth.Talbot@usd.edu Research and Teaching Interests:  Human trafficking, Christianity and the anti-human trafficking movement, child welfare services, social work theory and practice, play therapy, the impact of graduate social work education on child welfare services, and social work education.

Debra Norris, EdD Associate Professor Debra.Norris@usd.edu Research and Teaching Interests:  Intergenerational families, persistent poverty and well-being, adult education and applied research, program evaluation and planning, gerontology, and rural culture and community sustainability.

Deborah Aden, MSW, LCSW Assistant Professor and Field Education Director Deb.Aden@usd.edu  Research and Teaching Interests:  Domestic violence, sexual assault, older adults, cultural sensitivity, white privilege, child welfare and mental health, vicarious trauma and historical trauma, rural vs. urban resources/environment, and theory and systems with the concentration on evidence based practice.

Kathy LaPlante, MSW Assistant Professor  Kathy.LaPlante@usd.edu Research and Teaching Interests:  Public child welfare, Indian child welfare, social work with native children and families, foster care, and emancipation services for youth.

Jarod Giger, PhD, MSW, LCSW  Assistant Professor Jarod.Giger@usd.edu Research and Teaching Interests:  Mental health recovery and systems of care, technology acceptance, 'smart home' technology and ubiquitous computing, direct social work practice, psychopathology, and social work research and statistics.

Peter Kindle, PhD, MSW Assistant Professor Peter.Kindle@usd.edu Research and Teaching Interests:  Financial literacy, financial stress/strain, dual economy, poverty alleviation, ex-offender reentry, financial management and administration, social welfare policy, and history of social work.

Emeriti Faculty

Louise C. Johnson, MSW Emeritus Professor

Charles Schwartz, PhD Emeritus Associate Professor Charles.Schwartz@usd.edu

Lloyd Hawes, MSW Emeritus Assistant Professor Lloyd.Hawes@usd.edu

 

Staff

Tammy Goetz Program Assistant I Tamara.Goetz@usd.edu