Faculty Highlights

Fall 2025

Dr. Wendy Ashley, Department Chair and noted author has recently published two new books that reflect the anti-racist and anti-oppressive mission that our department is committed to teaching, practicing, and modeling.

Book covers for What Are You Mixed With? Navigating Anti-Blackness, White Supremacy and Light Skinned Privilege and Merging Clinical Social Work Practice and Antiracist Positioning

Ashley, W. (2025). What are you Mixed With? Navigating Anti-Blackness, White Supremacy and Light Skinned Privilege. Innovative Ink Publishing: A Division of Kendall Hunt Publishing Company. ISBN-13: 9798385154883.   

Ashley, W. (2024). Merging Clinical Social Work Practice and Antiracist Positioning: How to be a Clinically Sound, Antiracist Social Work Practitioner. Peter Lang. DOI: 10.3726/b21366.

Professor Jared Morgan, LCSW was recently featured on KCAL Channel 2 news and in the June 12, 2025, NASW Social Work Smart Brief discussing fatherhood postpartum depression. 

Fathers can experience postpartum depression in addition to mothers, says licensed clinical social worker Jared Morgan, who discusses his personal experience with the condition and his recommendations for supporting other fathers. Morgan discusses signs of postpartum depression in dads, such as isolation and increased activities such as excessive gaming. He suggests being empathetic and compassionate with a father who may be experiencing postpartum depression, rather than minimizing their experience. Full Story: KCBS-TV/KCAL-TV (Los Angeles) (6/11) 

Professor Xiomara Flores-Holguin is a dedicated community activist. She currently serves as committee member on the San Fernando Gang Coalition and as Political Delegate for the State of California. 

Professor Flores-Holguin engaging in community activism

Professor Jolene Swain was recently appointed to serve on the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles-Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine/Leadership Education in Adolescent Health (LEAH) Board of Directors.  

Professor Maral Karaccusian was unanimously voted in by the LA Board of Supervisors as the Interim Director of the LA County Aging and Disabilities Department on August 12, 2025. 

Read the full story here.