In the PhD program at Notre Dame. Area of interest: Socioeconomic inequality and community interventions. Co-author of Passing The Plate: Why American Christians Don’t Give Away More Money, Oxford University Press, 2009.

Presently Matriculating.

Presently matriculating/working as a Child Welfare Specialist at the Babyfold, a child welfare agency in Normal, Illinois that provides a residential program, a school program, and family services.

Doing her field work in the Adoption Preservation Program of The Babyfold, which includes her research project of comparing intake and exit Child Behavior Checklist Self Reports. Anticipates graduating in May, 2007, and then two years of supervised work to qualify to sit for LCSW exam.

Received her BS in Sociology from Illinois State University. In an effort to reach out to minority teenagers weighed down by traumatic childhoods, early parenting responsibilities and limited family support, Trapp began Marevelousplan Mentoring in 2002.

Perri received both his Masters in Child Development from Chicago’s Erikson Institute and his Masters In Social Work from Loyola University Chicago in 2007. He has hands-on experience with the Wrongful Conviction and Death Penalty Movement, The Navajo Nation and utilizes his talents as a hip-hop musician in service to emotionally disturbed and behaviorally disordered children. He is currently a member of the Psychology and Mental Health Faculty of The Monarch School, a therapeutic day school in Houston, Texas. The school opened in 1998 with 23 students and now has 53 faculty serving 90 students. Visit http://www.39online.com/lifestyle/goinggreen/ to see a clip of Christopher in action in his outdoor and environmental education work at Monarch (click on GG Monarch 1 and a bit of 2).

Moran has a long history of serving troubled youth and the Chicana/o community and has served on the boards of The Puente Project Conference and MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicana/o de Aztlan) National Conference (Finance Director). Carlos has graduated with his MSW and currently serves as Program analyst for Special Services for Groups. He develops programs, writes grants and manages contracts for SSG which provides a full range of social services through over 30 community based service sites. Carlos also manages one of SSG’s after school enrichment programs in a local high needs community.

Tousant received her BA in Sociology and Law and Society from University of California - Riverside and her MSW last year. As a student she was already well-experienced in delivering services to abused and neglected children, at-risk youth, families facing terminal illness of a loved one and disabled children. Audrey goal was to work in community building and educational improvement to reduce the problems of the child and youth populations with whom she works and she is satisfying that aim by serving as Manager of the Prevention Initiative for Shields for Families, Inc. This program is designed to reduce child neglect and abuse by addressing the common stressors that often lead to it – lack of access to education, employment, food and municipal services. In that capacity, Audrey oversees four Family Resource Centers across Los Angeles County providing a full menu of social services.

Tom received his bachelor's in psychology from Illinois State University in 2005. He recognized his attraction to social work during a one year stint as a crisis hotline worker on the National Runaway Hotline. He then transitioned from graduate studies in clinical psychology to social work, Tom is hoping to specialize in hospice services.

Ms. Miller received her B.A. in Sociology at UIUC in 2009. A former AmeriCorps volunteer, she obtained practical experience in the subject matters of her passion by serving as an invited presenter and by leadership roles with, among others, the Illinois Coalition To Abolish The Death Penalty, the ACLU, Downtown Danville, Inc. and, recently, the YWCA of the University of Illinois, as its Executive Director. Rachael is in the University’s Advocacy, Leadership, and Social Change specialization.

Ms. Moss received her bachelor’s in communications and sociology from the University of Arizona in 2004. Rachael’s interest and practical experience in Community Organizing and Policy Administration, USC’s name for her concentration, was stimulated and honed by her participation with Shields for Families, Inc., an L.A. County initiative with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Children’s Defense Fund, Boys and Girls Club of Carson and Athletes In Action of the Urban Project Los Angeles.

Ananda Leinartas received her bachelor’s in psychology and gerontology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2006, where she was elected to Phi Eta Sigma. She self-financed her first two part-time years at the Jane Adams College of Social Work at the University of Illinois, Chicago by concurrent full-time employment as a Crisis Triage Worker with Resurrection Behavioral Health Procare. Ananda’s third year required full-time studies, so she had to give up her employment. Her Gabe Miller scholarship, matched by the school, was thus especially helpful. Now an MSW candidate, Ananda hopes to put her new degree to use in advocating and working for the chronically mentally ill.