• Methods I & II
• Social Services for the Elderly
• Intro To Social Welfare
• Human Behavior & Social Environment
• Victim and Crisis Intervention
• US Poverty
• Human Service-Justice Practicum Seminar

• Homebased intervention therapy certificate
• Bachelor’s degree in psychology
• Master’s degree in social work
• E-Learning certificate
• Master’s degree in education

• Social worker, Stark County Department Job and Family Services
• Case manager, Child Adolescence Behavioral Health
• Trainer, Ohio Child Welfare Training Program
• Speaker/trainer, Marriage Initiative
• Conference speaker/trainer, sex abuse, culture of poverty, empowering women and life skills

• National Associations of Social Workers
• Stark County Fatherhood Coalition
• President Toastmasters of Stark State College
• Ohio Coalition of Associate Degree Human Service Educators
• Phi Alpha Honor Society for Social Work

Verlinda Bennett loves educating people of all ages. She has a true passion for helping others learn, grow, and reach their full potential through the power of education. With more than 30 years of experience working with people from diverse and challenging backgrounds, she has learned that people can achieve despite insurmountable odds, regardless of socioeconomic status. This has continued to drive her to make a positive impact in the lives of her students, trainees and colleagues. She has trained in the area of sex abuse, culture of poverty and strengthening marriage relationships, to name a few. In 2009 she participated in her first women’s mini triathlon and will continue to talk about it as though it was yesterday.  In her spare time, she enjoys eating food at various restaurants, traveling and spending time with her husband, three children and 12 grandchildren.

• Group Processes
• Poverty in the US
• Introduction to Social Welfare
• Victim and Crisis Intervention
• Substance Abuse

• Bachelor’s degree in social work, The University of Akron
• Master’s degree in social work, The University of Akron

• Community corrections,
• Outpatient therapist, clients ages 5-80
• Working with people who are HIV positive/living with AIDS
• Guardian ad litem,
• Pediatric oncology camps

• National Association of Social Workers
• Children’s Oncology Camping Association
• Camp Quality USA

I am optimistic by nature, solution-focused and fascinated by human behavior and diversity.  Finding the lighter side of day-to-day life is my coping tool – you can’t take life too seriously. Breathe…  I enjoy spending time with my wife and two sons and our two dogs (the two cats, not so much).  I spend a great deal of time outdoors, walking, running, appreciating nature.  My career of teaching in higher education social work began in 1998.

• Substance Abuse
• Poverty in the U.S.
• Human Behavior in the Social Environment

• Master’s degree in social administration, Case Western Reserve University, Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences
• Bachelor’s degree in psychology, The University of Akron

• Department chair, Human Services and Justice Studies, Stark State College,
• Therapist, Melymbrosia Associates, Inc., Canton,
• Forensic interviewer, Stark County Human Services/Child and Adolescent Services, Canton,
• Mental health therapist, Stark County Crisis Intervention Center, Canton
• Perinatal social worker, Aultman Hospital, Canton
• Intake worker, Children’s Services

• Leadership Stark County 2014
• Ohio Coalition of Associate Degree Human Services Educators
• National Association of Social Workers
• Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board

Armed with a bachelor’s degree, Shari began her career at Children’s Services as an intake worker specializing in sexual assault cases.  From there, she became a social worker in the fields of mental health, corrections, crisis intervention, domestic violence, abuse and neglect, medical and substance abuse.  After working with survivors, she took an interest in offenders and began to provide treatment to them in hopes that she may better understand their mindset.  Eventually, she returned to academia and earned a master’s degree in social work and began teaching at Stark State College in 1999 as an instructor in the human services program.  She currently holds the title of associate professor and department chair of the human services, justice studies and occupational therapy assistant programs.

• Introduction to Criminal Justice
• Criminal Law in the United States
• Introduction to Paralegal Studies
• Civil Litigation
• Torts & Personal Injury Law
• Paralegal Studies Practicum and Seminar
• Political Science

• Master of laws degree, Harvard Law School
• Juris doctor, summa cum laude, Creighton University School of Law
• Master of science degree, University of Nebraska-Omaha
• Bachelor of arts, graduation with distinction, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

• Program coordinator, Stark State College, 2010-present
• Pre-law director, Mount Union College, 2001-2010
• Director of advising, Teachers College, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 1994-1995
• Director of legal writing, Creighton University School of Law, Omaha, Nebraska, 1990-1993
• School administrator, Montessori Parents’ Co-op for Children, Omaha, Nebraska, 1989-1990

• Nebraska Bar Association (inactive member)
• Ohio Bar Association (associate member)

• “Public School Choice and Open Enrollment: Implications for Education, Desegregation, and Equity,” published in the Journal of Law and Education (1995) and in the Nebraska Law Review (1995)
• “Requiring Writing Courses Beyond the First Year: To Boldly Go Where Hardly Anyone Has Gone Before,” published in Perspectives: Teaching Legal Research and Writing (1993)
• “School Desegregation: An Encore of ‘Separate But Equal,'” published in the Creighton Law Review (1987)

Born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, Professor Smith Alder has had a long career in education and academia. She has served as an administrator at the pre-school and elementary school levels, taught and coached at the middle school and high school levels, taught and served as a program coordinator/administrator at the undergraduate level (the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Kent State University, the University of Mount Union and Stark State College), and taught legal research and legal writing at Creighton Law School. Focused on curriculum development, Professor Smith Alder has created many new programs and courses at a variety of educational institutions, and served on the curriculum committee at three different universities. She also clerked for the United States Court of Appeals for the 8^th Circuit. Angie and her husband, Bob, live in Canton. They have three adult children: Julie, Ryan, and Mari.