School of Social Work Faculty and Staff
As a student in the Simmons School of Social Work, you will learn from faculty who are leaders in their fields, mentors in and out of the classroom, and nationally recognized scholars in social work.
Our faculty are world class scholars who do research that addresses social issues, works to create equity and justice, and advances social work teaching and practice. As shown through their publications, funding, and engagement in sharing their work with a variety of audiences, our faculty are respected leaders in the field.
Faculty lead our simulation experiences to provide students with opportunities to practice clinical skills. As active and prolific scholars, their research works to solve social challenges, advance the field of social work pedagogy, and change practice.
Our Faculty and Staff
Dean
Michael LaSala
Dean, School of Social Work
Full-time Faculty
Joanna Almeida
Professor and Eva Whiting White Endowed Chair
Celia Arias
Assistant Professor of Practice and Onground MSW Practicum Education Specialist
Gary Bailey
Professor of Practice and MSW Program Director
Emilé Baker
Associate Professor of Practice
Jeremy Brown
Associate Professor of Practice and Online MSW Practicum Education Specialist
Jeannine Chester
Associate Professor of Practice and Associate Director of Onground MSW Practicum Education
Gordon Chinamasa
Associate Professor of Practice and Associate Director of the BSW Program
Hannah Clark
Associate Professor of Practice and Online Practicum Education Specialist
Aqueela Culbreath-Britt
Associate Professor of Practice and Director of On-ground BSW Practicum Education
Eileen Dacey
Associate Professor of Practice and Director of Online BSW Practicum Education
Curtis Davis
Associate Professor of Practice
Noelle C. Dimitri
Assistant Professor
Jacqueline Dyer
Associate Professor of Practice and DSW Director
Kristen Ethier
Assistant Professor
Maria del Mar Farina
Associate Professor
Abbie Frost
Associate Professor
Tanya Frost
Associate Professor of Practice and Assistant Director of Online MSW Practicum Education
Rebekah Gibbons
Associate Professor of Practice
Renada Goldberg
Assistant Professor
Daren Graves
Professor
Johnnie Hamilton-Mason
Professor and Associate Dean for Faculty Development
Kristen Johnson
Associate Professor of Practice and Onground MSW Practicum Education Specialist
Eugenia Knight
Associate Professor of Practice and Director of MSW Practicum Education
Peter Maramaldi
Professor and Social Work Alumni Fund Endowed Chair
Samuel Odom
Associate Professor of Practice
Erika Peter-Harp
Associate Professor of Practice and Assistant Director of Onground MSW Practicum Education
Tiffany Pinckney
Associate Professor of Practice and BSW Program Director
Kelly Pratt
Associate Professor of Practice
Vanessa Robinson-Dooley
Professor and Director of the PhD Program
Christina M. Sellers
Associate Professor, Jennifer Eckert ‘08SW School of Social Work Endowed Chair, and Director of the Center for Innovation in Behavioral Health Education and Research
Amy Skeen
Professor of Practice and Associate Director of the MSW Program
Amy Smoyer
Associate Professor
Jeffrey Steen
Assistant Professor
Jennie Sucilsky
Associate Professor of Practice and Associate Director of the DSW Program
Leah Hart Tennen
Professor of Practice and Director of Student Support Services
Kristie Thomas
Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
Vee Williams
Associate Professor of Practice and Associate Director of Online MSW Practicum Education
Proportional Faculty
Francis Kuehn
Associate Professor of Practice
Allah-Fard Sharrieff
Associate Professor of Practice
Staff
Ivanna Adams
Faculty Support Coordinator
Sandra Bailly
Associate Director, Student Support and Alumni Networks
Santana Batres
Practicum Operations Manager
Patrick Bryant
Associate Director of Operations, SSW
Carlie Capell
Assistant Director of ITTS
Michael Cicone
Copy Editor
Patrick Cunniffe
Director of Operations, School of Social Work
Emily Dramstad
Program Specialist
Alexis Edwin
Digital Learning and Curriculum Specialist
Carlos Frontado
Director, SSW Admission
Kitt Kogut
Administrative Assistant, SSW
La-Toya Larke
Academic Advisor, SocialWork@Simmons
Michele Livingood
Academic Advisor, SocialWork@Simmons
Willa Mayo
Practicum Operations Manager & Advisor
Evan Rice
Events and Communications Coordinator to the Dean, SSW
Raeann Risko
Assistant Director of Graduate Admission
Laekin Rowell
Academic Advisor, College of Social Sciences, Policy, and Practice
Laura Stevens
Research Manager
Ashari Wallace
Academic Advisor
Social Work Faculty in the News
Hope Floats: Hurricane Katrina 20 Years Later
Simmons School of Social Work Professor and Associate Dean for Faculty Development Johnnie Hamilton-Mason shared a retrospective conversation based on her research, titled “Hope Floats: African American Women's Survival Experiences after Katrina.”
Professor Takes New Approach to Countering the War on Drugs
Assistant Professor Jeffrey Steen brings lived/ living experience and academic rigor to social work and the area of substance use. We spoke with him about his recent research award, advances in harm reduction, and the collaborative community at Simmons.
Social Work Professor Honored as Legacy Maker
Professor and MSW Program Director Gary Bailey was featured in Portraits of Pride 2025, a recognition of LGBTQ+ leaders in the Greater Boston area.
Associate Professor’s Research Links Drinking and Depression
School of Social Work Associate Professor Christina Sellers was quoted in an article, "Retirement and drinking don't mix."
Two Simmons Faculty Members Receive North Star Fellowships
Samuel Odom from the School of Social Work and Don Simmons from the School of Library and Information Science, have been named fellows by the North Star Collective Faculty Fellowship, which is designed to promote supportive community and racial healing for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) faculty members across New England.
Simmons School of Social Work Welcomes New Faculty
Simmons University’s School of Social Work Programs welcomed four new faculty members this academic year, with expertise in addiction treatment, hospice and bereavement support, racism-based trauma, and military social work.
Simmons Social Work Professor Featured in New Documentary Film
In a new documentary film, Never Cried: Boston’s Busing Legacy, sisters Leola Hampton and Linda Stark reflect on a trauma they endured fifty years ago. Dr. Gary Bailey, Professor of Practice and MSW Director of Simmons’ School of Social Work, makes appearances throughout the film.
Professor Visits University of Johannesburg as Fulbright Specialist
Professor Johnnie Hamilton-Mason received a Fulbright Specialist Award this year. Recipients of the Fulbright Specialist awards are "selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement, demonstrated leadership in their field, and their potential to foster long-term cooperation between institutions in the U.S. and abroad."