Dr. Dorinda Noble

Professor and Director, School of Social Work

Office: HPB 150A
Phone: 512-245-2592
E-mail: dn12@txstate.edu

Dr. Dorinda Noble, LCSW, joined Texas State in 2001. Holding degrees from Texas Tech University, Tulane University, and the University of Texas-Austin. She is an expert in policy, ethics, and supervision. Dr. Noble, the School Director, currently serves on the Texas State Board of Social Worker Examiners, having been appointed by the governor in 2005. She is Co-Principle Investigator on the School's $1 million federal grant to provide MSW education on-line to rural social workers.

Dr. Angela Ausbrooks

Assistant Professor

Office: HPB 150A
Phone: 512-245-2592
E-mail: aa16@txstate.edu

Dr. Angela Ausbrooks, LMSW, joined the faculty in 2006. Holding degrees from the University of North Texas and the University of Texas at Austin. Her teaching areas include child welfare, minorities, research, practice, and human behavior and the social environment. Dr. Ausbrooks has more than 15 years experience in child welfare as an employee and coordinator of a Title IV-E program. Her research interests include child welfare, resilience, juvenile justice, and diversity.

Dr. Mary Jo Garcia-Biggs

Assistant Professor and Coordinator, On- Line MSW Program

Office: HPB 150A
Phone: 512-245-2592
E-mail: mb56@txstate.edu

Dr. Mary Jo Garcia Biggs, LCSW. Holding the MSW from Our Lady of the Lake University, and the Ph.D. in Education from Texas A&M University. She also serves as a faculty advisor for Latinas Unidas a university student support group for Latinas. She has a decade of experience with Adult Protective Services and Research interests include: gerontology, secondary trauma, social justice issues, and distance learning and technology. Dr. Garcia Biggs has several years of experience in protective services for the elderly. Currently, she is the Co-Principle Investigator on the School's $1 million federal grant to provide MSW education on-line to rural social workers.

Dr. J. Karen Brown

Professor Emerita

Office: HPB 150A
Phone: 512-245-2592
E-mail: kb01@txstate.edu

Dr. Karen Brown, LMSW-AP, who completed her MSSW at the University of Tennessee and her doctorate at the University of Texas at Austin, is active in the Council on Social Work Education. She holds a $2.5 million federal grant to develop and provide parenting training to teens. Dr. Brown served as Director of the School of Social Work and Director of the University's Center for Children and Families for many years, and the School is indebted to her for her service.

Dr. Nancy Chavkin

Regents Professor and Director, Center for Children and Families

Office: HPB 150A
Phone: 512-245-2592
E-mail: nc02@txstate.edu

Dr. Chavkin, LMSW-AP, has published three books and more than eighty articles on family and community partnerships, program evaluation, child welfare, and school social work. Dr. Chavkin currently serves as Director of the Center for Children and Families, an interdisciplinary research center, and she is co-principal investigator for the School’s Title IV-E project. Previously she has served as Director of the Walter Richter Institute of Research, Director of the MSW Program, and Co-Director of the Center for Children and Families. Dr. Chavkin received Texas State's Presidential Award for Excellence in Scholarly/Creative Activities (1990) and the Presidential Seminar Award (1993) for her work in collaborative research. In 2002, the Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation named Dr. Chavkin a Piper Professor, one of the top college teachers in the state. In 2007, the Texas State University System Board of Regents named her a Regents’ Professor for her outstanding contributions to higher education.

Dr. Anne Deepak

Assistant Professor

Office: HPB 150A
Phone: 512-245-2592
E-mail: ad21@txstate.edu

Dr. Anne Deepak, LCSW. Holding degrees from Columbia University and Boston University. Her years of practice and teaching experience have contributed to her expertise in cross-cultural mental health issues, postcolonial feminist theory and practice, help-seeking behaviors of immigrant women, immigration adjustment of South Asian women, diversity and social justice, and the use of popular culture in social work education and practice.

Dr. Catherine A. Hawkins

Professor

Office: HPB 150A
Phone: 512-245-2592
E-mail: ch11@txstate.edu

Dr. Catherine A. Hawkins, LCSW. Holding the MSSW and Ph.D. in social work. Joining Texas State in 1991, Dr. Hawkins specializes in direct practice, bringing into class her expertise as a psychotherapist in residential, acute care, and out-patient settings. She has held credentials in family therapy and chemical dependency. Her research interests are in mental health and chemical dependency, social work education, spirituality, and international social work. She has led study abroad programs to Mexico and was a visiting professor at the Madras School of Social Work in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India in Fall 2006. Dr. Hawkins took students to study in Cambodia this year and is planning a study abroad trip to South Africa in 2008.

Dave Luke Henton, LCSW

Clinical Assistant Professor and Field Coordinator

Office: HPB 150A
Phone: 512-245-2592
E-mail: dh22@txstate.edu

Mr. Dave Henton, LCSW, joined Texas State faculty over a decade ago. He currently directs the School's Field Practicum Office. He has a long history of working in developmental disabilities, mental health, and gerontology services. In addition to social work field education, his teaching and scholarly interests include older adult mental health, sexual minority populations, and social work and spirituality.

Dr. Sally Hill Jones

Associate Professor

Office: HPB 150A
Phone: 512-245-2592
E-mail: sh29@txstate.edu

Dr. Sally Hill Jones, LCSW. Holding degrees from the University of Chicago and the Institute for Clinical Social Work in Chicago, Illinois. She has over 25 years of practice experience in a variety of settings, including family service agencies, private practice, and hospice. Her primary interests are in trauma, self-care for helping professionals, and gerontology. She joined the Texas State faculty in 2001.

Dr. Karen Knox

Professor

Office: HPB 150A
Phone: 512-245-2592
E-mail: kk07@txstate.edu

Dr Karen Knox, LCSW, holds both the MSSW and Ph.D., and has taught at Texas State since 1995, serving as Field Director for much of that time. Dr. Knox has also taught at the University of Tennessee-Memphis, St. Edward's University, and the University of Texas at Austin. Her areas of research interest, publications, and practice experience include crisis intervention, victim services in law enforcement, child abuse, family violence, sexual abuse survivors, and sex offenders. Currently Dr. Knox is involved in grant activity developing curriculum for older persons, and she is working on a project to connect Texas State School of Social Work with a sister university in Russia.

Andrew Marks

Senior Clinical Lecturer and BSW Coordinator

Office: HPB 150A
Phone: 512-245-2592
E-mail: am27@txstate.edu

Mr. Andrew Marks, LMSW, has served as a Lecturer at the Texas State School of Social Work since 2003. He is the former Executive Director of the Texas State Board of Social Worker Examiners and Texas State Board of Examiners of Marriage and Family Therapists. He also has worked at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin and for the Texas Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. Professional interests of Mr. Marks include leadership, professional ethics, management, public administration, community organization, mental health and mental retardation issues, disabilities, and forensic and legal issues. He has presented extensively on professional ethics and professional regulation.

Stacie McGee

Adjunct Faculty

Office: HPB 150A
Phone: 512-245-2592
E-mail: sm60@txstate.edu

Ms. Stacie McGee, LMSW-IPR, received her Bachelor of Social Work degree from Texas State in 1992 and her Master of Social Work degree from Our Lady of the Lake University in 1994. Since 2006, she has served as the Graduate Recruitment Coordinator in the Texas State College of Liberal Arts, assisting academic departments with graduate student recruitment efforts and helping prospective graduate students find the degree programs that fit their needs. She also helps coordinate the College of Liberal Arts Graduate Student Council. Ms McGee has served Texas State as an Adjunct Clinical Faculty Member since 1993, supervising field interns in the School of Social Work, as well as the Sociology and the Family and Consumer Sciences departments. She has worked in geriatric outreach, juvenile residential treatment, juvenile justice, program development, administration and grant writing, and in public school social work. She served for two years on the NASW/Texas School Social Work Steering Committee and presents regular conferences and workshops to fellow social workers throughout the state. Ms. McGee currently serves on the mayor-appointed city of San Marcos Youth Commission.

Gerald McKimmey

Lecturer

Office: HPB 150A
Phone: 512-245-2592
E-mail: gm24@txstate.edu

Mr. Jerry McKimmey, LMSW, has a strong interest in social work policy following a long career in public service. Formerly Deputy Commissioner of the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation, he also served as Associate Commissioner, Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Director of Children's Mental Health Services, and Director of the Federal Child and Adolescent Services System Project (CASSP). He also worked in a variety of direct service roles, including Director of the Scheib Mental Health Center in San Marcos; Director of Social Work Services on the Child/Adolescent Treatment Unit, Austin State Hospital; and regional Clinical Supervisor for a ten-county rural mental health system. He is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps.

Dr. Christine Norton

Assistant Professor

Office: HPB 150A
Phone: 512-245-2592
E-mail: cn19@txstate.edu

Dr. Christine Lynn Norton, LCSW. Holding degrees from the University of Chicago, Minnesota State University, and Loyola University in Chicago. She has over 15 years experience working with high-risk youth in a variety of settings including therapeutic wilderness programs, juvenile justice, schools and mentoring organizations. She has taught as adjunct faculty at The University of Denver, Prescott College, and Naropa University. Her areas of practice and research experience and interest are in adolescent development, treatment and empowerment; wilderness and adventure therapy; youth mentoring; juvenile justice, alternative sentencing and restorative justice; experiential education; and international social work.

Dr. Amy Russell

Assistant Professor

Office: HPB 150A
Phone: 512-245-2592
E-mail: ar41@txstate.edu

Dr. Amy Russell, LMSW. Holding degrees from the University of Houston. Dr. Russell has ten year’s practice experience in public community mental health services working with persons with severe and persistent mental illness. She presently teaches graduate level research methods and policy courses and has taught ethics, advocacy research, behavioral statistics, and individual and group social work practice. Her research skills and interests comprise cultural oppression and liberated identity, lesbian feminism, social capital, social welfare policy and economics, and lesbian and women’s health and mental health needs. This agenda includes a special interest in research methods that utilize visual ethnography and classic grounded theory. Dr. Russell is involved state-level political advocacy and frequently presents on lobbying and advocacy ethics.

Dr. Kathy Selber

Professor

Office: HPB 150A
Phone: 512-245-2592
E-mail: ks15@txstate.edu

Dr. Kathy Selber, LMSW-AP. Holding degrees from the University of Houston and the  University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Selber has been awarded numerous research grants and is well-published. She is fluent in Spanish and previously taught in Mexico. She is particularly interested in challenges in administration. Currently, Dr. Selber is very engaged in support services for soldiers.

Rhonda E. Smith

Grant Specialist/Adjunct Faculty

Office: HPB 150A
Phone: 512-245-2592
E-mail: rs32@txstate.edu

Ms. Rhonda Smith, LMSW, is a grant specialist with the Center for Children and Families. She serves as an Agency-Based Field Instructor with Child Protective Services in San Antonio for Title IV-E stipend recipients in both the BSW and MSW degree programs. She also serves as adjunct faculty for the Texas State School of Social Work. Her primary practice experience has been working with children and families in a public child welfare setting, with the majority of her experience focused on working with sexually abusive families.

Dr. Mary Tijerina

Associate Professor and MSW Coordinator

Office: HPB 150A
Phone: 512-245-2592
E-mail: mt01@txstate.edu

Dr. Mary Tijerina, LMSW-AP, joined Texas State School of Social Work in 2001 and is now the Schools MSW Coordinator. Dr. Tijerina's practice experience includes work in drug and alcohol abuse services, public welfare, and child welfare services. Her teaching and research interests include minority health issues, administration and leadership, and social work education. Dr. Tijerina is the Co-PI of the School's First-Generation College Student $500,000 federal grant.

Dr. Raphael Travis, Jr.

Assistant Professor

Office: HPB 150A
Phone: 512-245-2592
E-mail: rt27@txstate.edu

Dr. Raphael Travis Jr., LCSW. Holding degrees from University of Virginia, University of Michigan, and University of California at Los Angeles. His current research interests include positive youth development over the lifecourse, adolescent resilience, and youth participation in individual and community transformation. His work background blends mental health practice with public health issues.

To read more information on Dr. Travis click on the link below:
http://www.rwjf-newconnections.org/Gran2008-5996.html

Mr. John Uriarte

Senior Clinical Lecturer

Office: HPB 269

Phone: 512-245-4565
E-mail: ju13@txstate.edu

Mr. John Uriarte, LCSW, BCD. Holding degrees from the University of California,
Berkeley and the Social Work Fellowship in Child and Family Practice at Walter
Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.  Mr. Uriarte spent the last 20 years
as a U.S. Army Social Work Officer and has served in assignments all over the world
including a tour of duty as the senior ranking clinical social worker in Baghdad,
Iraq, Korea, Cuba and Western Europe.  Mr. Uriarte is board certified in Clinical
Social Work and Child & Family Practice. His research interests include working with
displaced persons, military families, and children & adult ADD/ADHD.  Mr. Uriarte is
currently working on his Ph.D. dissertation on Coping and Resiliency of military spouses
during deployment.

Dr. Ted Watkins

Professor Emeritus

Office: HPB 150A
Phone: 512-245-2592
E-mail: tw11@txstate.edu

Dr. Ted Watkins, LCSW, Professor Emeritus, received his DSW from University of Pennsylvania. He has a long background in working with family counseling. Dr. Watkins, who taught at University of Texas-Arlington for many years, served Texas State School of Social Work as both BSW Coordinator and MSW Coordinator. He is still involved in teaching and consultation with the School.

Ms. Martha Wildberger

Grant Specialist

Office: SH 101
Phone: 512-245-6600
E-mail: mw38@txstate.edu

Ms. Wildberger, LCSW. Holding degrees from Truman State University and Washington University, she is a Grant Specialist with the Center for Children and Families. She has over ten years of child welfare experience. Ms. Wildberger's professional interests include child welfare, foster care and adoption.

Dr. Betsy Wisner

Assistant Professor

Office: HPB 150A
Phone: 512/245-2592
E-mail: bw30@txstate.edu 

Dr. Wisner, PhD, LMSW. Holding degrees from the State University of New York College at Cortland, Syracuse University, and The University of Texas at Austin. She worked in the mental health field for many years specializing in work with adolescents and their families. She has worked as a clinical social worker in family mental health and school settings. Betsy currently teaches developmental and research courses and her research interests involve using meditation as a coping strategy for adolescents and adults.