She/Her/Hers
Assistant Director and MSW Program Director, Senior Instructor
Social Work
Amy Martonis discovered her passion for higher education after more than a decade of direct social work practice, domestically and abroad, in child welfare and nonprofit settings. In 2011, Amy was invited to join the faculty team at Southern University, New Orleans, where she also served the Director of the Title IV-E Child Welfare Training Program. Since joining CSU in 2014, Amy has been dedicated to student success as well as program development, evaluation, and expansion. Amy currently serves as the Assistant Director for the School of Social Work and also as the Master of Social Work Program Director.
She/Her/Hers
MSW Field Education Coordinator
Social Work
Carolyn Tredinnick is an MSW Field Education Coordinator in the School of Social Work at Colorado State University. Tredinnick received her bachelor’s degree from Colorado State University in Sociology and History in 2003. After graduation, she worked in emergency services for the city of Fort Collins before enrolling in CSU's Distance MSW program. Tredinnick then worked for a year in community mental health on the Eastern Plains of Colorado before transitioning to medical social work and working for non-profit hospitals in Weld and Larimer counties for 6 years. During that time, she also served as a Field Instructor for many CSU MSW students.
She/Her/Hers
Director and Professor
Social Work
Charlotte Bright serves as director and professor of Colorado State University's School of Social Work. Her research interests include gender and juvenile justice, child maltreatment, interpersonal trauma, adolescent and young adult development, service implementation, and quantitative and qualitative methodology. Bright's scholarship has been focused on areas such as juvenile justice services and how they are implemented in communities, gender differences, and the impacts of trauma. Prior to joining CSU, Bright served as associate dean for doctoral and post-doctoral education at the University of Maryland School of Social Work in Baltimore. Bright is editor-in-chief of the journal Social Work Research, is a Society for Social Work and Research Fellow, and has held leadership roles with the Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education in Social Work.
She/Her/Hers
Instructor
Social Work
Cheryl Distaso, MSW, has more than 25 years experience as a community organizer in Fort Collins. She joyfully teaches concentration year policy and community practice classes in the School of Social Work. Cheryl’s interests include social justice, liberatory practice, Critical Race Theory (CRT), Theater of the Oppressed and Paulo Freirean based praxis. She has presented at various conferences, primarily focusing on white privilege and social justice. In the community, she works on decriminalization of homelessness, immigrant rights, community empowerment, disability rights and increased public transportation. She is committed to the praxis of her community work by utilizing CRT as a theoretical lens; she is equally committed to keeping her social work classes relevant by bringing her real-time experiences to students for inquiry and critique.
She/Her/Hers
Instructor
Social Work, Human Development and Family Studies
Holly Panetta is an attorney, mediator, and educator at Peak Empowerment LLC, providing mediation services and conflict resolution training. She also serves as a Child & Family Investigator and Parenting Coordinator/Decision Maker. Holly is a former Director of the State of Colorado Office of Dispute Resolution. She served as the Court Programs Manager for the State Court Administrator's Office overseeing the administration of probate, mediation, restorative justice, diversion and problem-solving court programs. She is an adjunct faculty member at Colorado State University teaching courses related to mediation, conflict resolution, family law and social welfare policy. Holly’s prior professional experience includes working as a litigation associate for Henderson, Taylor & Rapp, a law firm in Greeley specializing in family and criminal law. She also served as a Family Court Facilitator in the 19th Judicial District. Holly enjoys spending time with her two young adult children, hiking with her dog, and attending yoga and live music events.
He/Him/His
Instructor
Social Work
Jordan Brooks holds a Bachelor of Arts from Eckerd College and a Master of Social Work from University of South Florida. His research areas of interests include: conceptualizations of mental health, social justice, queer affirmative social work, and psychodynamic psychotherapy.
She/Her/Hers
Instructor
Social Work
Kristin Mooney holds an MSW from The University of Denver, Mental Health Concentration / Substance Abuse Certificate Program and a B.A. in Psychology from Stanford University with a Specialization in Hu-man Health and Development. Her research areas of interest include: family therapy, substance use, men-tal health, delinquency, children and youth.
She/Her/Hers
Senior Instructor
Social Work
Marie holds an MSW from Smith College School for Social Work, a B.S.in Psychology from Colorado State University, and a B.A. in Social Work from Colorado State University. Her Research areas of interest in-clude: mental health, child welfare, diversity, work with families and children, and creating social action. Marie received a Best Teacher Award in 2017 from the Colorado State University Alumni Association.
She/Her/Hers
MSW Associate Director for Distance Programs
Social Work
Mindy Van Kalsbeek holds an MSW from Colorado State University School of Social Work and a BSW from Dordt College. Her Research areas of interest include: intellectual and developmental disabilities, mental health, and organizational and nonprofit management.
She/Her/Hers
MSW Academic Advisor
Social Work
Sarah holds a B.S. in Human Development and Family Studies from CSU. She started her career as a counselor at a Residential Treatment Facility in 2007. After two years in that role, Sarah received her M.S. in HDFS, focusing on studying intervention and prevention programs for high-risk youth. During the program, Sarah worked as a mentor coach and instructor for CSU’s Campus Corps (currently Campus Connections). After finishing her M.S., Sarah entered the field of social work as a child protection caseworker for Larimer County Dept. of Human Services. After two years as an intake worker, she transitioned to the Family Partnerships Unit, which was designed to help prevent adolescents who are in-volved in the delinquency system from being placed out of their homes. Sarah has a strong interest in raising community awareness of the reality and presence of Human Trafficking in local areas.
She/Her/Hers
Associate Professor
Social Work
Dr. Hughes teaches, writes, and conducts research about the medicalization of human distress and the role of psychotropic drugs in managing our mental and emotional lives. She has developed and delivered education for professional social workers, counselors, and researchers on the topics of safety and efficacy of psychoactive substances used in mental health care. Hughes is actively engaged in community education and leadership in the emerging field of psychedelic medicine in Colorado. Hughes currently holds positions as Associate Professor in Social Work at CSU and in the Dept. of Community and Behavioral Health, Colorado School of Public Health. She is a member of the Larimer County Behavioral Health Technical Advisory Committee and sits on the Board of two non-profit organizations.
She/Her/Hers
Ph.D. Candidate, GTA, GRA
Social Work
Shivani Kaushik is a doctoral student in the School of Social Work and the Graduate Research Assistant to Dr. Jennifer Currin-McCulloch. With over ten years of experience in the social services field and an exemplary record of academic achievement, having achieved a B.A., B.S.W., and M.S.S.W., Shivani maintains her great enthusiasm for education as she pursues a Ph.D. at CSU, in addition to serving as a Graduate Teaching Assistant. Shivani has significant clinical experience as a medical social worker, with a special interest in end-of-life care and supporting diverse, vulnerable populations. Shivani also possesses a great interest and vast knowledge in working with and supporting individuals who have experienced loss and/or anticipatory grief. Moreover, Shivani has extensive practice experience in end-of-life and palliative care practices, with a specific interest in end-of-life interventions in correctional settings.
She/Her/Hers
Instructor
Social Work
Sofia Webb received a B.A. in Sociology from the State University of New York at Geneseo and earned her MSW degree from LSU's distance learning program while living in Hawaii. After graduating, Sofia spent time working as a school social worker within an alternative high school of Aurora, CO serving primarily immigrant, refugee and asylee students. During that time, Sofia prioritized improving mental health support and creating programs to address increasing rates of teen pregnancy and substance use among marginalized youth. After this position, Sofia further specialized in trauma treatment and trauma-informed care. She currently provides trauma-focused psychotherapy to adolescents and adults in the state of Colorado. In addition to her work in private practice, Sofia volunteers in Spark the Change Colorado's mental wellness program. Sofia also serves as a member of Violet's Clinical Review Board.
They/Them/Theirs
Graduate Programs Coordinator
Social Work
Frank currently serves as a Graduate Programs Coordinator for the MSW program. Frank holds a Graduate Certificate in IT Project Management from Colorado State University and a Graduate Certificate in Business Intelligence, also from CSU.
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