Dr. Richard Freer –Title IV-E Grant Principle Investigator
rkfreer@astate.edu, ph. 870-972-3357
Dick Freer has been with the partnership at ASU virtually since its inception. He currently serves as the Principle Investigator. Associate Professor of Social Work at ASU, Dr. Freer has a long standing commitment to the well being of children through both advocacy and direct service. Dr. Freer is a Licensed Certified Social Worker in Arkansas with a Ph.D. is Social Welfare from Case University in Cleveland, Ohio. His dissertation examined the challenges to inter-professional coordination of Family Preservation Services in Northeast Arkansas. He is certified by the Arkansas Alternative Dispute Resolution Commission to provide family mediation as an alternative to child access and visitation litigation.

Karen Fullen MA, LCSW – Program Director
kfullen@astate.edu, ph. 870-972-2199
Karen Fullen began working in child welfare in 1979. She has 15+ years’ experience as a child abuse investigator, caseworker, supervisor, administrator/manager, and executive staff of an Arkansas non-profit child abuse agency. She has worked for the Department of Social Work at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock as a curriculum developer, program manager, and trainer for child welfare professionals. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in Sociology from Arkansas State University. She also has a master’s degree in social work from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She has been with the Title IV-E Child Welfare Partnership at ASU for 10 years and currently supervises the program. Ms. Fullen has taught several of the social work courses over the years and now primarily focuses on the Introduction to Child Welfare course. Ms. Fullen is a licensed clinical social worker with several years’ experience in the mental health field and social work in health care settings. She provides post graduate supervision to social workers seeking their LCSW certification.

Patricia Holt LCSW – Field Trainer and Stipend Coordinator
pholt@astate.edu, ph. 870-972-3599
Trish Holt is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has been practicing for the past 20+ years. She has extensive experience serving victims of domestic violence and child abuse and their families. She has been the director of a domestic violence shelter in Iowa, a director of social services for The Salvation Army in St. Louis serving homeless families and a juvenile probation officer in Arizona. In addition, she has worked in the mental health field serving clients with chronic mental health issues and worked for the Division of Children & Family Services (DCFS) in Arkansas as a county supervisor. For the past seven years, she has worked for Arkansas State University as a field trainer for the Title IV-E Academic Partnership in Child Welfare Grant. She coordinates the DCFS Stipend Program under that grant and teaches one of the field seminars. Ms. Holt serves as a volunteer Mental Health First Responder for the Arkansas NASW Catastrophic Response Team. She also volunteers time at the Women’s Crisis center in Jonesboro and is one of the Arkansas NASW Representatives for NE Arkansas.

Lynda Nash LCSW – Field Trainer and Substance Abuse Education Coordinator
lnash@astate.edu, ph. 870-972-3146
Lynda Nash is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and has extensive experience with child welfare. She has been a Supervisor with the Arkansas Division of Children and Family Services and specialized in child maltreatment issues and foster care for twelve years. She has been a school based therapist and continues to work with clients with chronic mental health issues and substance abuse. She has spent twelve years as a professional Girl Scout Executive developing and administrating outdoor education programs, residential and day camps, and an in-school joint program for children with disabilities. She has worked for the partnership as Field Trainer for the past five years and has taught the field seminars and Understanding Child Maltreatment classes. Mrs. Nash serves as a volunteer Mental Health First Responder for the Arkansas NASW Catastrophic Response Team and the Northeast Arkansas Crisis Team. She volunteers with Boy Scouts, is a life time member of Girl Scouts and serves with the Craighead County Cattlemen’s Association.

Sandra Tate – IVE Child Welfare Secretary
state@astate.edu, ph. 870-972-3116
Sandra Tate began her work with the ASU Title IV-E program in the fall of 2008. Sandra Tate is a native of this community and has worked in the office environment for many years. She spends most of her extra time with the families of her four children which include six grandchildren. Sandra does volunteer work with her church and for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure to help fight breast cancer.

Dept. of Social Work
Office:972-3984
Fax: 972-3987

Location:
Eugene W. Smith Hall
3rd Floor
Suite 327

Address:
Arkansas State University
P.O. Box 2460, State University, AR

This page is maintained by: Sandra Tate
Please e-mail problems, comments, and suggestions to: state@astate.edu