Faculty

Priscilla Cortez, MSW '12, works with individuals and groups to develop strengths-based partnerships with the community and to increase personal wellness in everyday practice. Cortez is passionate about working with trauma-focused groups and immigrant youth and families. A Texas native, who found her passion working with refugee and homeless populations, has come to appreciate the diversity in cross-cultural and geographic differences of the Midwest.

Colleen E. (Kenna) Crane, MSW'01, has focused her primary practice interests in sexuality, gender identity, trauma and women's issues.

Crane spent more than two years working in Detroit as the senior clinician for the Teen Age Parenting Program (TAPP) at The Children's Center, where she worked with pregnant and parenting teenagers providing individual and group therapy. She completed her internship at the Family Assessment Clinic in Detroit, specializing in child welfare issues.

Cross received her MSW from the School of Social Work and a PhD in Developmental Psychology from the University of Michigan. Her research program utilizes a strength-based approach to examining family and cultural factors that promote healthy development and mitigate the risk of poor psychological and/or educational outcomes for Latinx adolescents and families. She is particularly interested in examining the role undocumented status plays in family processes and adolescents’ outcomes, as well as the protective effects of ethnic-racial socialization and identity development.

Tom Croxton joined the University of Michigan School of Social Work as an assistant professor in 1964 and was promoted to associate professor in 1968 and professor in 1975. He was named professor emeritus in 2001.

Dr. Ashley Cureton or "Dr. C" is an assistant professor in the School of Social Work and Marsal Family School of Education at U-M. She is also a visiting scholar at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. Prior to her current role, she was a Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellow and lecturer in the School of Education and the Department of Sociology at Johns Hopkins University.

Julie Cushman is currently a clinical director at Home of New Vision. She also has a private practice doing consulting and program evaluation for community services and agencies.

Christina Dadswell is the assistant director of the Office of Field Education for residential students at the School of Social Work where she is responsible for supporting strategic plans, innovation, curricular development and collaborating with other faculty and social work agency partners across campus and nationally. As a full-time faculty member, she is also an instructor for multiple courses in the Interpersonal Practice and Welfare of Children & Families pathways.

Sandra Danziger is professor of social work and research professor of public policy. Her primary research interests are the effects of public programs and policies on the well-being of disadvantaged families, poverty policy and social service programs, demographic trends in child and family well-being, gender issues across the life course, program evaluation, and qualitative research methods. Her current research examines welfare program approaches to addressing barriers to employment among single mothers.

Sean de Four currently serves as the President and CEO of Southwest Solutions, one of Detroit’s most innovative and impactful nonprofit organizations, which provides a range of services in the areas of behavioral health, economic self-sufficiency, workforce development, affordable housing, veteran, and homeless services. Prior to joining Southwest Solutions, de Four served as Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Wellspring Lutheran Services, one of Michigan’s largest human service organizations serving children, adults, families and seniors.

Bonnie Dockham, MSW '02 is a licensed medical social worker in out-patient, inpatient and community settings. Dockham is the founding program director of the Cancer Support Community of Greater Ann Arbor and currently the executive director. Her work focuses on community-academic partnerships and implementing evidence-based practices for service delivery and outreach. She is the recipient of the Michigan Cancer Consortium Spirit of Collaboration Award.