Department of Social Work Organization Chart

Department of Social Work Faculty

The faculty members of the UNCW Department of Social Work are widely engaged in collaborative work related to research, program development and evaluation, and curriculum development. These regional and national collaborations, combined with the diverse and extensive social work educational backgrounds on our faculty, allow a broad sense of the character of social work education nationally and the specific characteristics of the best of those programs. We have consulted widely, using the partnerships and collaborations of faculty, with many programs including the University of Kansas School of Social Work, the University of Michigan , the University of Washington , Portland State University , and the University of Georgia . As preparatory for the development of the MSW curriculum the faculty of UNCW hosted in 2000 an invitational conference on the “Research Utilization Problem in Social Work Practice” and invited to campus many notable educators and researchers to discuss the issue with our faculty, students, and regional practitioners.

Reginald O. York, MSW, Ph.D., yorkr@uncw.edu
Professor & Department Chair  

Teaching areas: social work research; human service administration. Dr. York has 30 years experience in social work education and has served in the roles of social worker, social work supervisor, and agency executive, both for a county department of social services and a family counseling agency. He is the author of 30 journal articles and three books. He has previous employment on the faculties of the School of Social Work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and East Carolina University .

Robert G. Blundo, MSW, Ph.D., LCSW blundor@uncw.edu
Professor
Teaching areas: Social constructivism, postmodern approaches to practice, diversity, social work epistemology, strengths perspective and solution-focused practice, rural social work, group work, crisis intervention, and mental health. Dr. Blundo has thirty-two years of clinical social work practice experience. He is a Diplomat in Clinical Social Work (NASW), a member of the Academy of Certified Social Workers , Board Certified Diplomat in Clinical Social Work (BCD), as well as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the state of North Carolina . He has taught graduate and undergraduate social work since 1988. He has published 12 articles and book chapters in the past 9 years and has made over twenty five presentations at national and regional professional meetings and conferences.

Deborah E. Bowen, MSW, LCSW bowend@uncw.edu
Lecturer, BSW Program Coordinator
Teaching areas: Introduction to social work and the social welfare system, human behavior in the social environment, social work with groups, social work policy for older Americans, interviewing skills, field seminar, clinical practice. Bowen has ten years of clinical experience in both private practice and in Catholic social services. She is a member of the NASW-NC Board of Directors.

Gwendolyn D. Clark, MSW, LCSW clarkg@uncw.edu
Lecturer & Coordinator, North Carolina Child Welfare Collaborative
Teaching Areas: Field education, child abuse and neglect, child welfare scholarship program. Clark is LCSW licensed and has twenty three years of post MSW experience in clinical and therapeutic practice with children and families. She has teaching experience in the community college and university level and is a recent Peace Corps volunteer.

Jeanne F. Denny, MSW, CSW-IP dennyj@uncw.edu
Lecturer, Director of Field Education
Teaching areas: Experiential learning, empowering students to participate in the problem-solving process, international practice issues, health care, foster care, school social work. Denny has more than 25 years experience in social work education combined with extensive practice and management experience in medical social work. She has published a book chapter dealing with practice in health care and has made more than 15 presentations to academic and professional groups. She is active in professional associations including the NASW, BPD, and CSWE.

Arthur J. Frankel , MSW, Ph.D. frankela@uncw.edu
Professor
Teaching areas: Clinical social work practice, grantsmanship. Dr. Frankel has taught graduate and undergraduate social work since 1972. His academic record includes 28 referred articles, two books, and over $3,000,000 in research grant awards since his graduation from the joint Ph.D. program in 1972 at the University of Michigan , Ann Arbor , in Social Work & Psychology. Frankel has extensive experience in clinical practice, both in private practice and mental health organizations, and in grant development and research in social work practice. He has conducted numerous social work clinical training workshops.

Dr. Lathardus Goggins, II, Ed.D. gogginsl@uncw.edu
Assistant Professor, within both the Departments of Educational Leadership in the Watson School of Education and Social Work in the College of Arts and Sciences, most recently hailed from Arcadia University where he served as the Associate Dean for Multicultural Affairs. He received his Ed.D. from the University of Akron in Ohio, his Master’s degree from Kent State University and his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Akron. Dr. Goggins’ dissertation was titled “The Academic STARS Retention Model: An Empirical Investigation of its Effectiveness Cognate: Urban Studies.” Dr. Goggins research involves the investigation of academic success of the African American male. Additionally, Dr. Goggins plans to develop the African American Center for Study of the Black Male and successful programs related to this group. A unique course being developed is the Psycho-educational Interactions with Black Males course to be available as a graduate study course

Dr. Chris Hall, Ph.D., MSSW halljc@uncw.edu
Assistant Professor
Teaching areas: Advanced clinical social work practice at the graduate level.
Chris received his PhD from the University of Louisville, Kent School of Social Work.Prior to coming to UNCW he taught advanced clinical social work practice courses at the University of Louisville and provided leadership in grants related to public child welfare services as well clinical interventions for divorcing couples. His areas of research include the social construction of practice modalities, amplifying the client voice in the therapeutic process, power/knowledge and the construction of normality, and hegemonic discourse. In addition to his clinical practice experience in social work, his varied background includes employment as a teacher both in Japan, the Czech Republic and at last count he has visited 25 countries. 

Donna E. Hurdle, MSW, PhD. hurdled@uncw.edu
Associate Professor
Teaching areas: Health/mental health in underserved populations, particularly teens, women and ethnic groups. Hurdle has been teaching social work at the graduate level since 1987 and has nearly fifteen years of college level experience. She has extensive clinical experience, with over twenty years of post-MSW practice in mental health, family services and school social work. In addition she has ten refereed journal articles, including Social Work and Social Work with Groups , and four book chapters.

Monique Ivanov, MSW, LCSW, DCSW  ivanovm@uncw.edu
Lecturer, UNCW Onslow County BSW Program Coordinator
Teaching areas:  Basic social work skills with individuals, families, group, communities and organizations, research, field education, crisis intervention and mental health, using a strength/empowerment, solution focused perspective.  Ivanov has 25 years of clinical social work experience and has taught since 1988 at the community college and university levels.  She is a Diplomat in Clinical Social Work (NASW), as well as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the State of North Carolina since 1986.  She has presented for NASW-NC, AHECs and BPD.

John P. Nasuti, MSW, DSW nasutij@uncw.edu
Associate Professor
Teaching areas: Child welfare, family violence, children and family policy, welfare reform, community development, program planning and evaluation, human service management, and labor market analysis. Nasuti has nearly twenty years experience in social work education at both the graduate and undergraduate level. He has practice experience in child welfare, housing development, family services, and administration. Nasuti has five refereed journal publications, including Child Welfare and Teaching in Social Work , and two book chapters.

P. Nelson Reid, MSW, Ph.D. reidn@uncw.edu
Professor
Teaching areas: Social work and social welfare history, social policy, ethics. Dr. Reid has 30 years of experience in social work education and administration. He has published three academic books and authored more than 20 refereed journal articles appearing in Social Service Review , Social Work , JSWE , and others, as well as some 15 book chapters. His practice experience includes regional and community resource assessment, planning, and administration.

Karen S. Sandell, MSW, Ph.D. sandellk@uncw.edu
Associate Dean of the Graduate School
Associate Professor, Department of Social Work
Dr. Sandell has been teaching at the university level since 1990, and has experience both in graduate and undergraduate education. Her teaching interests include: Women's Issues, Violence against Women, and Feminist Social Work Practice; Diversity and Practice with Vulnerable Populations; Child Welfare Administration and Practice; Community and Organizational Practice; and Innovations in Social Work Education. Dr. Sandell has an extensive background in child welfare practice and administration, and has been the PI for two federally-funded child welfare education grants. She has authored several refereed journal articles, and most recently completed, with Dr. Deborah Brunson, two monographs on Campus Violence.

Melissa N.Van Kirk, PhD, MSW vankirkm@uncw.edu
Lectuer, Coordinator of Undergraduate Fieldwork Education
MSW Program Coordinator
Dr. Van Kirk joined the social work faculty of UNCW as a part-time instructor in the field program in the spring of 2006, and became full-time faculty the following fall. Dr. Van Kirk did her undergraduate work at Cornell University. She received a Master’s of Social Welfare from University of California at Berkeley and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco. After moving to Wilmington, she began a private psychotherapy practice and continues to see clients on a part time basis. Dr. Van Kirk has held workshops at Multiracial conferences at Stanford University, San Francisco State University and Seattle University. She is particularly interested in research with Multiracial people, and the social work service needs of culturally diverse populations.