- Brenda Crawley
- Phil Hong
- Todd Barnett
- Victoria Woodley
- Angel Pringle
- Tatiana Carter
- Tamara Holloway-Lee
- Megan Butler
- Katherine Tyson McCrea
- Rachel Kibblesmith
- Gabriella Pehanich
- Jeff Bulanda
- Deanna Guthrie
- Elizabeth Coffman
- Jack Wall
- Anita Weinberg
KATHERINE TYSON MCCREA
Program Director, Fall, 2010 – 2012
Professor Katherine Tyson McCrea, the Principal Investigator, brings to her leadership of this project decades of experience in clinical social work practice and research with individuals and groups, especially in disadvantaged and socially traumatized communities, in this country and abroad. A Professor at the Loyola University School of Social Work, she teaches child therapy, clinical research, and global social work. She has authored numerous articles about innovative approaches to therapy for children and severely mentally ill clients, evaluation of social work services , and social work's approaches to research. Professor McCrea feels extremely appreciative of being able to work with such a great partnership of community schools, social service agencies, faculty, students, and, above all, the youth of Stand Up! Help Out!
Rachel Kibblesmith
Program Director, Fall, 2010 – 2012
Ms. Rachel Kibblesmith was the valedictorian in the 2010 M.S.W. class at Loyola University Chicago. She is currently the Program Director of the C.R.I.M.E. Project, (Compassion, Respect, Inspiration, Motivation, Empathy) and also the Lead Instructor for the After School Matters-funded Stand Up Help Out program at Reavis School in Bronzeville. Rachel completed an internship with the Empowering Counseling Program at Doolittle Elementary School in Bronzeville, and her 2nd year school social work placement (earning her Type 73 certification) in an elementary school in the western suburbs. In her spare time, Rachel also works with children who have special needs. She is the Managing Editor and reviewer for Illinois Child Welfare. Rachel is passionate about helping youth find their voice and developing them into empowered passionate leaders for social justice and change. She hopes to continue to work with children and adolescents on developing leadership skills, and with adults on helping them understand how to better use the perspective of youth who have a multitude of challenges. She can be reached at: rkibble@luc.edu.
GABRIELLA PEHANICH
Woodlawn Program Director, 2010
Ms. Gabriella Pehanich is a doctoral student student at Loyola University Chicago's School of Social Work. Her past experience in politics and advocacy, coupled with her strong belief in social justice has led her to a career in social work. She has been an intern with the Empowering Counseling program at Woodlawn Charter High School, is currently completing her Type 73 certification with an internship in Evanston. In Spring, 2010 she was the lead instructor for an After School Matters-funded Stand Up! Help Out! program at Woodlawn Charter High School. She is currently a Research Analyst on a participatory action project regarding After School Matters students and their ability to act compassionately (working with Prof. Tyson McCrea). A reviewer for Illinois Child Welfare, she also recently was awarded the President’s Medallion from Loyola University, recognizing academic excellence as well as humanitarian contributions. She received her M.S.W. in May, 2011 and expects to complete doctoral studies thereafter. She can be reached at: gsp17@yahoo.com.
JEFF BULANDA
Program Director, 2006 – Summer, 2010
Jeffrey J. Bulanda, Ph.D., L.C.S.W. is currently an Assistant Professor at Aurora University, teaching in the clinical and research tracks. He was a school social worker for six years, working with children and youth with multiple disadvantages. He was also Founding Director of the Empowering Counseling Program with Loyola University of Chicago School of Social Work, during which time he supervised M.S.W. social work interns, helped create a curriculum for interns, co-founded and led the Stand Up! Help Out! program, and co-founded and led the C.R.I.M.E. project. A recipient of the President’s Medallion at Loyola University of Chicago, recognizing his academic and humanitarian excellence, he also received several Child and Family Mental Health scholarships and was Editor-in-Chief of the student journal, Praxis. He has published primarily on the topic of services for severely mentally ill adults and research about practice, and presented on topics ranging from school social work to psychotherapy with adolescents. His Ph.D. was awarded with distinction for his research, entitled “Real talk”: Findings from a youth-led evaluation of an after school leadership development program. He has been an adjunct faculty member at Loyola University Chicago School of Social Work. Currently he also maintains a private practice serving children, adolescents, and adults. He can be reached at jbulanda@aurora.edu.
Deanna Guthrie, Ph.D., L.C.S.W. completed her dissertation with distinction at Loyola University Chicago School of Social Work, entitled, “Hope is the Ticket to Life”: Insights from Disadvantaged African American Youth.” Currently the Director of the Empowering Counseling Program and Research Director for a participatory action project studying compassion in disadvantaged youth (Prof. Tyson McCrea, P.I.), she supervises clinical social work interns and teaches a training seminar for interns. Her capabilities as a scholar have been recognized by 1) the awarding of the highly competitive Arthur J. Schmitt scholarship for her dissertation research, 2) her election to Alpha Sigma Nu, the Jesuit Honor Society, and 3) her selection to be Editor-in-Chief of Praxis, the student journal of the School of Social Work. She has been an adjunct faculty member at Loyola University of Chicago School of Social Work, an advisor for students, and a clinical social worker for Niles Family Services. She can be reached at: ddamico@luc.edu.
Professor Elizabeth Coffman is a documentary filmmaker, film scholar and Associate Professor of Communications at Loyola University Chicago. Her writings on film, dance and television history have appeared in Camera Obscura, Journal of Film & Video and other publications, while her film work has broadcast and screened in Europe, the U.S. and in museum installations. In Chicago, Elizabeth has served as a department chair, directed Loyola's Center for Global Media and Documentary Studies and facilitated community media projects. Her current film, Veins in the Gulf (2010), investigates the disappearance of Louisiana's coastal wetlands.
Dr. Jack Wall, Dean of the School of Social Work, has provided unending resources and support for this project and has enabled it to flourish. In 2004, Jack Wall, PhD, became Dean of the School of Social Work (SSW) at Loyola University Chicago after serving as Associate Dean since 1999. During his tenure, he has coordinated the social work program at the master's and post-master's level while teaching graduate courses in clinical methods and human behavior. He is focused on promoting the school and developing more research and grant projects, in addition to the active scholarship that the school historically has done.
Professor Anita Weinberg of Loyola University ChildLaw Center has been a pivotal member of the Loyola Partnership serving as liaison for the Law School;d involvement with the program. SHe has worked on behalf of children and families for over 25 years as an attorney and social worker. Prior to teaching at Loyola, she served as director of Policy and Planning for the Department of Children and Family Services Office of Inspector General. Previously she was an Assistant Cook County Public Guardian representing abuse and neglected children and supervising staff attorneys. She also was a staff attorney with the Legal Assistance Foundation of Chicago where she represented parents and children in the juvenile court, in class action litigation and in legislative advocacy.
Professor Brenda Crawley of the School of Social Work has been involved in projects in Africa for more than 15 years and worked with the counseling department at Kenya Methodist University (KEMU) in Summer, 2005. Dr. Crawley taught courses in theory and human development, consulted with the department regarding program issues, and visited several social service agencies to enhance her knowledge of their work. From 1993-1999, Dr. Crawley lived in Africa, established and M.S.W. degree program in Lesotho, and worked with the Austrian-based SOS Kinderdorf International Social Service Agency. Dr. Crawley is frequently a guest presenter at the After School Matters program.
Professor Phil Hong of the Loyola University Chicago School of Social Work has a major academic interest in social exclusion and social justice. He teaches policy courses in the BSW and MSW programs, and one of the research methods courses in the doctoral program. His research program focuses on structural poverty in the United States and international/comparative social welfare. Dr. Hong is currently undertaking research in collaboration with community agencies to explore innovative empowerment-based community and policy practice. He serves as the principal evaluator and consultant for various community agencies and international organizations. He has been a support in consulting about research and the overall aims of the Empowering Counseling Center.
Mr. Todd Barnett, Director of Community and Family Partnerships at the University of Chicago's Donoghue Charter Elementary School, has provided unwavering support for the Stand Up! Help Out! program. He has provided he program with a welcoming home and helped coordinate resources from Donoghue and After School Matters to positively impact the lives of the ASM teens and youth of Donoghue.
Ms. Victoria Woodley, Director of Academic and Social Supports at the University of Chicago Charter High School, Woodlawn Campus, has also provided unwavering support for the Stand Up! Help Out! Programs at Woodlawn High School. She has provided the program with a home and works with us in recruiting youth who want to participate in our apprenticeship program, and in ensuring the relevance of the program for the youth their families, and community needs.
Angel Pringle, M.S.W., is currently the Resource Coordinator at Donoghue Elementary School in addition to co-leading the Stand Up! Help Out! Donoghue program from the start.
My name is Tatiana Carter and I am 23 years old. I was born on the Southside of Chicago. When I was ten I moved to a small southern suburb called Blue Island where I attended middle school and high school. After high school I attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where I majored in Psychology with a minor in Afro-American Studies. For 3 ½ years of my undergraduate career I had a federal work study job through the program America Reads/America counts where I tutored students in math and reading at local elementary school. It was through this program that I found my love of working with youth and for social work and went on to major in Clinical Social Work at the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration (SSA). My specialization is in Community Schools where it is believed that schools can be the hub for partnerships created amongst different agencies within a community!
I am Tamara Holloway-Lee. I am a social worker and I have been in the field of social services for 11 years. I enjoy working with teens and want to provide them with the education and tools needed to make them better individuals.
Megan Butler, M.S.W., is a school social worker and district wraparound facilitator. She provides home-based counseling to students and families and behavioral consultation and support to school staff. She worked with the Stand Up! Help Out! teens in the summer of 2010 on the Bronzeville community mapping project.