Mandel School faculty members are leading with impact

Faculty member's view of teaching a classroom

From leading national and state-wide initiatives to guiding foundation boards and influencing national publications, our faculty members exemplify leadership and are shaping the fields of social work and non-profit organizations.

NASW Social Work Pioneers

Mandel School faculty and alumni are National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Pioneers who have shaped the history and enrichment of the profession. Dexter R. Voisin, dean of the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, is the latest faculty member to be named a Pioneer. Voisin joined former colleagues Darlyne BaileyClaudia J. CoultonRichard L. EdwardsM.C. “Terry” Hokenstad and John A. Yankey in holding this honor, one of the highest in the social work profession.

SSWR Fellows

Our alumni and faculty members are also Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) Fellows who have advanced, disseminated and translated research that addresses issues of social work practice and policy and promotes a diverse, equitable and just society. Megan R. Holmes, professor and co-director of the Center on Trauma and Adversity, is the Mandel School’s most recently named SSWR Fellow. Other Fellows include David E. Biegel (who also received SSWR’s Distinguished Career Achievement Award in 2020), Claudia J. Coulton, Nancy Rolock, Elizabeth M. Tracy and Dexter R. Voisin.

AASWSW Fellows

The school’s faculty are American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare (AASWSW) scholars, the prominent honorific society of distinguished academics and practitioners dedicated to achieving excellence in the field of social work and social welfare through high-impact work that advances social good. Daniel J. Flannery, the Dr. Semi J. and Ruth Begun Professor and director of the Begun Center for Violence Prevention Research and Education, became the eighth Mandel School AASWSW Fellow in 2024. He joined colleagues David E. BiegelClaudia J. CoultonGrover C. GilmoreVictor GrozaMark I. SingerElizabeth M. Tracy and Dexter R. Voisin.

CWRU Distinguished University Professors

Few social work faculty across the academy hold the rare title of Distinguished University Professor, the highest honor the university will bestow on a member of its professoriate. The Mandel School has three faculty members selected for this distinction, which acknowledges the contributions of full-time, tenured faculty with exceptional records of research, scholarship, teaching and service. Daniel J. Flannery, the Dr. Semi J. and Ruth Begun Professor and director of the Begun Center for Violence Prevention Research and Education, is the latest faculty member to join the ranks, alongside emeritus professors Claudia J. Coulton and M.C. “Terry” Hokenstad.

Select Board & Leadership Positions

We celebrate the profound influence of all of our faculty members, whose impactful contributions extend well beyond academia, thanks in part to the Mandel School’s $28.2 million in research and training grant awards, with transformative effects nationally and in the local community.

Mark Chupp

Robert L. Fischer

Adrianne M. Fletcher

David L. Hussey

Nancy Rolock

J. Richard Romaniuk

Aloen L. Townsend

Dexter R. Voisin

Laura A. Voith

Scott Wilkes

Jessica A. Wojtalik