Kevin M. Miller, Ph.D., MSW, MA

       Kevin M. Miller, Ph.D., MSW, MA is an Assistant Professor at Dominican University in River Forest, IL. He is also a Psychotherapist at Evanston Counseling in Evanston, IL. His research focuses on using critical participatory methods to build resistance and resilience in youth of color against structural violence and oppression. More specifically, he is interested in using critical community-based participatory action research, and mixed methods research designs with a strong critical participatory component, with youth of color in out-of-school programs to develop resistance and resilience against structural poverty and racism, community and structural violence, and oppressive social forces. His practice and research focus on using humanistic group therapy principles and Frerian problem-posing education principles to promote critical social dialogue and critical consciousness. Kevin utilizes structural social work theory and a critical human rights approach throughout his practice and research. He is interested in the science of social work and how highly participatory research can redefine and decolonize ways of knowing and processes of knowledge production. Lastly, he facilitates a participatory, psycho-educational, rights-based out-of-school program in West Englewood called, Law Under Curious Minds (LUCM). 

Dr. Katherine Tyson McCrea, Ph.D., M.Div., LCSW 

       Katherine Tyson McCrea, Ph.D., Professor, earned B.A. and M.Div. degrees from Yale University, and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration. She received a Doctorate, Honoris Causa, from Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas, Lithuania, in June, 2015. Recognized as a Master Teacher by the Council on Social Work Education since 1994, she developed social work curricula about child treatment, philosophy of research, participatory action research, and global social work practice. A Fulbright Senior Specialist, she has taught seminars for social workers from the U.S. and abroad (Korea, Lithuania, Italy, Greece, Finland, and Thailand), in-person and through video-conference methods. She was named Graduate Faculty Member of the Year by the Council on Graduate Programs of Loyola University Chicago in 2019, for outstanding research, service, and teaching reflecting Ignatian values. 

      Her publications have focused on 1) improving services for disadvantaged persons, especially children and homeless adults, and 2) a practitioner-relevant philosophy of research for the social and behavioral sciences with a focus on participatory action methods. The founding Editor-in-Chief of Illinois Child Welfare, she developed the journal so that it has become international and multidisciplinary, with a practice-oriented emphasis (see www.illinoischildwelfare.org). 

      Since 2006 she has been the Principal Investigator for the participatory-action–based Empowering Counseling Program , which provides clinical social work and after-school services for disadvantaged children and youth in Chicago’s South and West side communities (see https://empowercounselprog.wixsite.com/ecp-luc). The Empowering Counseling Program has received over $700,000 in funding from After School Matters, the Illinois Violence Prevention Program, the McCormick Tribune Foundation, and the Gabe W. Miller Memorial Foundation. The ECP has educated over 50 masters and doctoral level social workers, and served over 750 disadvantaged children and youth. ECP research has yielded several dissertations, peer-reviewed journal articles, and local, national, and international presentations, most often co-authored with youth. 

      As Empowering Counseling Program PI, Prof. McCrea was a Co-Principal Investigator, in partnership with Prof. and PI Maryse Richard's Risk and Resilience Lab, in a $1 million Department of Justice award, studying the development of resilience via cross-age mentoring for youth living in high-poverty, high-crime Chicago communities (http://savinglivesinspiringyouth.weebly.com/) from 2014-2019.

      Professor Tyson McCrea’s current research foci are 1) improving clinical social work individual and group care models with traumatized, disadvantaged children and youth, 2) developing compassion to improve resilience and reduce violence engagement in disadvantaged youth through processes such as cross-age mentoring, 3) global social work with a focus on child welfare, and 4) participatory action research.

Heather Watson, LCSW

       Heather Watson, MSW is an LCSW who earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Heather later obtained her Master of Social Work (MSW) from Loyola University Chicago with a focus in Children and Families as well as non-profit management. Upon completion of her MSW, she worked with children and adolescents ranging in age from 9 - 22 with severe mental health issues at a residential facility in Chicago. She has also volunteered to mentor disadvantaged children of color in several venues. Last year Heather was the Senior Clinical Supervisor for social work interns in a federally-funded grant serving disadvantaged youth of color. Currently, Heather is a Ph.D. student in the School of Social Work at Loyola University Chicago. Her research interests include using mixed methods to study and improve mental health care and reduce disparities in social services and mental health care for young citizens of color. She enjoys teaching and clinical supervision and practice, especially working with disadvantaged youth and families and advancing social justice.

Chana Matthews

       Chana Matthews is a former educator who has spent significant time teaching students from various urban communities. Her time in the education field fueled a passion leading her on a journey to learn more about the psychological, social and cultural influences on learning, and its overall impact on education. As she pursues her M.A. in Cultural and Educational Policy at Loyola University’s School of Education, her previous degrees in Elementary Education and Psychology, as well as time spent in the Risk and Resilience lab will help to inform her research. She specifically wants to examine the implications of cultural capital in existing educational policies. When she is not engaged in tutoring, volunteering or research in the lab, Chana enjoys being with family and friends, traveling both locally and abroad, and indulging in music art and fashion.

David Kennedy Apopo, MSW

       David Kennedy Apopo is a current Ph.D. student in the School of Social Work at Loyola University Chicago. Prior to starting at Loyola, he worked with various international nonprofits in Kenya for over 10 years, mainly focusing on education, project management, and grants management for youth, vulnerable children, and marginalized populations. His research interests include Equity, Social Justice, Social and Public Policy, Poverty, Inclusion, School discipline, and Reforms/Restorative Justice practices in Schools.  He holds a Master of Arts in Social Justice & Community Development and an Advanced Master’s Certificate in Non-profit Management & Philanthropy from Loyola University Chicago. His Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education is from Kenyatta University in Kenya. David is passionate about social change and is deeply committed to working with vulnerable populations to promote a fairer world. 

Larry (Leo) B. Davis, MPH, MSW

       Larry (Leo) Davis is an active Health Policy Research Scholar, CSWE- Minority Fellow, an Ignatian Fellow for Social Justice, and a dual degree Graduate student. He is currently pursuing his Ph.D./ MBA at Loyola University Chicago- School of Social Work and Quinlan School of Business. Leo received his MSW from the University of Michigan- School of Social Work and his MPH from the University Wisconsin Milwaukee Zilber School of Public Health. His interdisciplinary research interest is informed by both his lived experience as a father and foster care scholar who studies the nexus of Black fatherhood engagement, child/ foster youth development, social policy, mass incarceration, Social Determinants of Health, homelessness, mental health, social entrepreneurship, poverty, and racism. He is interested in expanding the literature, creating programs, and developing models to inform research, policy, and clinical/ treatment practice.

MacKiah Hoff, BSW

       Kiah Hoff is in the Advanced Standing MSW program at Loyal University Chicago, where she is specializing in the Schools track. She completed her BSW from Lipscomb University in May 2023 and recently relocated to Chicago. She loves sewing, thrifting, puzzles, and good conversations. Her passions lie in rapport-building and providing effective interventions for at-risk youth and adolescents. As an undergraduate, she published an original research study on the use of mentorship to combat the school-to-prison pipeline. Now, she is working as a District 65 school social work intern, a nanny, an ACT tutor, and a Dignity Project Research Associate. She is excited to assist the team in collecting and coding data for a curriculum focused on the impacts of racial discrimination.

Amzie Moore, Ph.D.

       Amzie Moore is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Work at Chicago State University.  He studies resilience among disadvantaged urban youth and utilizes mixed method approaches to evaluate interventions which focus on the positive development of youth. Professor Moore teaches social welfare policy and research methods to graduate students in the MSW program. He received his B.A. degree from Hampton University, his A.M. from the University of Chicago, and his PhD from Loyola University Chicago.

Yigermal Demissie Ayalew, MSW

       Yigermal Demissie Ayalew, an educator and researcher, is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in social work at Loyola University Chicago, building upon his educational foundation with BSW and MSW degrees from Addis Ababa University. His prior experience includes serving as a policy analyst and program evaluator for various Ethiopian non-profits and State Ministries, and as a lecturer of social work at Jimma and Gondar Universities in Ethiopia. Yigermal's research initiatives emphasize the reconceptualization of existing paradigms, theories, interventions, and research methods so that knowledge generation can remedy problems perpetuating epistemic injustice in the context of colonization, globalization, and racism. He uses mixed methods research for scalable program development and evaluation, and policy analysis. Specifically, his research interests include organizational change in non-profits, participatory service models, immigrant wellbeing, maternal and child nutrition, urban poverty reduction, youth-focused programming, international development, and the sociology of knowledge. As an instructor and researcher in the Law Under Curious Minds program (LUCM), Yigermal is working on developing insights from LUCM into intervention guidelines for human rights-based participatory digital out-of-school youth group programs (OSPs).

Jeneba Zaynab Berety, BSW

        Zaynab Berety is pursuing an MSW in social work specializing in Migration Studies and Mental Health at Loyola University Chicago. Zaynab graduated from the University of Denver (DU) in 2020 with BAs in Anthropology and International Studies and minors in Sociology and Leadership. Zaynab is passionate about equity, justice, and humanity, fueled by her family’s refugee experience and journey to the US and working alongside other migrant and marginalized families. Zaynab’s experiences include working with several NGOs that honor people’s dignity and identities. Her past experiences include working with new African refugees to unfamiliar cultures – connecting them with community resources to adjust to their new environments comfortably. 
         Zaynab is interested in research and practice that honors the identities of communities to combat disparities in services. In addition, Zaynab is interested in how current U.S. resettlement agencies have primarily relied on “color-blind practices” that do not consider racialized lived experiences. Removal of one of American society’s most essential aspects, the historical and political hierarchy of race, is a barrier to success for many migrant families and communities. Zaynab’s experience and work with civil society organizations accompanying refugees have informed this perspective. 
       Zaynab’s work with these communities has made her aware of the urgent need for social workers equipped with the necessary skills to support immigrants with complex racial, ethnic, and religious identities. After graduation, Zaynab plans to work with migrant communities to ensure their lives in their new homes are free of injustices and exploitation and protect their fundamental human rights. 
       Her current position as the Dignity Project Research Associate allows her to engage with Black youth to understand their experiences with racial discrimination to assist in creating a curriculum that other families can utilize to build and hold their identity and dignity.