Matthew Ringenberg joined the Department of Social Work in Fall, 2020 and now serves as the chair of the program and director of the MSW program. Dr. Ringenberg completed a BA in Psychology from Taylor University, an MSW from the University of Kentucky, and earned his PhD in Social Work from Washington University, St. Louis. A native of Indiana, he also taught at Valparaiso University in Northwest Indiana and served as chairperson there for 12 years.

Dr. Ringenberg is a member of the Academy of Certified Social Workers (ACSW) and practiced as a therapist, case manager, school liaison, therapeutic supervisor, grant writer, and program evaluator. He has taught policy, human behavior, research methods, social work practice, spirituality in the helping professions, and grant writing.

Dr. Ringenberg’s research agenda has two distinct foci. He recently co-authored “The Education of Alice Hamilton: From Fort Wayne to Harvard”, the story of Alice Hamilton, the founding mother of OSHA, pioneering researcher in industrial poisonings, peace and immigrant rights advocate, and the first female faculty member at Harvard University. His other area of research involves parental involvement in their children’s education. He developed the Parent And School Survey (PASS) to measure parent involvement with elementary school children and more recently completed a longitudinal study of parent-student relationships in college and its relationship to academic, social, and personal success.

Recent Scholarly Activities: 

Audra Eggum is honored to work with students and faculty as an academic instructor in the Social Work Department. Audra received her BSW from the University of Wisconsin- Oshkosh, and her MSW from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She has worked in various social work roles that include crisis and trauma intervention, in-home therapy, and outpatient mental health.

Audra currently works as an outpatient mental health provider that specializes in children and families, LGBTQ advocacy, and trauma recovery. She has a personal and professional interest in holistic medicine and intervention.

Colleen is an alumni of the BSW program here at UW Oshkosh.  She received her MSW from UW- Milwaukee. Colleen began teaching as an ad hoc faculty in fall 2005.

Colleen joined the Social Work department full time in spring 2008 as an academic instructional staff member. Colleen has taught multiple courses in the BSW program, including:  Intro to Social Work, Transitions in the Family Life Cycle, Interpersonal Skills, Generalist Practice, Generalist Practice Interviewing Lab, Human Behavior and the Social Environment, Applied Generalist Practice Field I and II. She has also taught Field Seminar in the MSW program. In addition to teaching responsibilities, Colleen is also the Social Work program advisor, BSW Program Coordinator, as well as part of the BSW Admissions Committee, and Field Committee.

Colleen has been in social work practice in the Fox Valley for over 20 years.   Throughout her career, Colleen has also provided supervision to both BSW and MSW Field students. Her area of interests include: oncology, palliative care and hospice social work.

Dr. Hudson joined the faculty in 2015 and teaches in both the BSW and MSW programs, primarily in the areas of theory and practice. His primary interests are the implications of the natural environment for social work, spirituality and social work, ethics, and qualitative research.

Dr. Hudson received his BSW and MSW degrees at St. Louis University in the family concentration; a practice centered program steeped in the social work traditions of family systems theory and the person-in environment perspective.

He took his PhD at the University of Kansas, School of Social Welfare in August of 2014, where the Strengths Perspective for
social work was born. During his time at KU he taught ten semesters at both the undergraduate and master’s levels in two core areas of the curriculum, practice and human behavior in the social environment and the natural environment to social work’s
professional domain.

Dr. Hudson’s dissertation, The Natural Environment in Social Work Education, examines how social work educators are integrating issues of the natural environment into their teaching in the United States. Dr. Hudson’s role as a teacher is to use content to teach awareness and reflection and analysis leading to critical thinking. Further, how to integrate theory in practice and to help students transition from an education system that posits them as receptacles for information, to one in which they are expected to take a larger role in their education, actively seeking-out knowledge and understanding.

Dr. Jim Power, MSW, APSW, Ph.D., joined the Department of Social Work faculty in August, 2017. An Iowa native, he studied at Bowdoin College, earning a degree in Anthropology with a minor in Economics. Upon completing his undergraduate degree, he worked as a psychiatric technician at Iowa Lutheran Hospital. Dr. Power then earned his MSW from the University of Iowa-Des Moines, in the Family-Centered Care concentration. While there, he successfully completed internships at Polk County Department of Human Services and Des Moines University’s Department of Psychiatry and Neurology. Additionally, he has been a Licensed Master of Social Work (LMSW) in Iowa since 2000.

Dr. Power earned his Ph.D. in Social Work in Iowa City, completing coursework in Social Work, Sociology, Psychology, and Education. He is trained as a Gerontologist and holds an Aging Studies Certificate. During his Ph.D. program, Dr. Power served as a graduate teaching assistant for Social Work courses at the undergraduate and graduate level. He was appointed a Teaching Fellow for introductory Gerontology and Intergenerational Service-Learning.

As a Ph.D. student, Dr. Power has contributed to several qualitative research studies. He has co-authored peer-reviewed journal articles, been involved in poster presentations, and presented at national conferences. Dr. Power completed his dissertation entitled Adult Children with Schizophrenia or Schizoaffective Disorder: Family Case Studies in Social Support (2009).

After graduation, Dr. Power, relocated to rural Iowa. For eight years, he worked as a hospice social worker where he had the opportunity to work with hundreds of clients and families. He has been active at the affiliate level as Vice President of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) South Central Iowa, as well as a Director-at-Large for NAMI Iowa. His research and teaching interests include: end-of-life care, gerontology, qualitative research, healthcare, social work ethics, mental health advocacy and policy.

Dr. Power belongs to NASW-WI, NAMI-WI, and The Gerontological Society of America (GSA).

EDUCATION

PhD, Brandeis University, Heller School for Social Policy and Management (4/15)

Fellow, Federal Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (8/10 – 8/11)

Master of Science in Social Policy, Brandeis University, Heller School for Social Policy and

Management, Waltham, MA (8/12)

Master of Science in Social Work, Columbia University, New York, NY, (10/98)

Bachelor of Science in Social Work, Loyola University, Chicago, IL, (5/97)

 

ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE

University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh, Social Work Department, Oshkosh, WI

Interim MSW Field Coordinator and Assistant Teaching Professor (Fall 2022 – present)

• Taught BSW Courses Generalist Practice I Interviewing Lab, Generalist Practice with Groups
• Co-Facilitator, Field Committee, Community Advisory Committee
• Responsible for placing all MSW students (foundation and advanced) in field

 

University of Wisconsin – Green Bay, Professional Social Work Programs, Green Bay, WI

Assistant Teaching Professor (Fall 2021 – present)

• Taught BSW Courses Skills 1 (2 Sections) and Methods 1
• Taught MSW Specialized Field and Seminar, Capstone Seminar, Crisis Intervention, Advanced Practice Family Therapy, Generalist Practice and a BSW/MSW course Strengths-Based Group Facilitation
• Member, BSW Admissions, MSW Curriculum and Field Committees

 

Simmons University, Boston, MA  

Adjunct Faculty Member (Summer 2021, Fall 2021, Spring 2022, Summer 2022)

• Teaching DSW Program 701 Transformation, Inspiration, and Inclusion: Social Work Leadership for the Future (1-2 sections per 14-week term)

 

University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, DSW Online Program

Part-time Instructor (Summer 2021)

• Taught DSW 892-210 Course Colloquium 1

Course Developer (Spring 2021)

• Develop DSW Course SW861 Business and Technology in Social Work Practice

 

Fordham University, New York, NY, MSW Online Program

Adjunct Faculty Member (Fall 2018)

• Taught Contemporary Social Policy Analysis to MSW students

 

University of Wisconsin – Green Bay, Professional Social Work Programs, Green Bay, WI

Adjunct Faculty Member (Fall 2015)

• Taught Social Policy Analysis to senior BSW students

 

Bellin College, Master of Science in Nursing, Green Bay, WI

Lecturer (Fall 2013)

• Taught Epidemiology to students in Family Nurse Practitioner Track

 

University of Wisconsin – Green Bay, Professional Social Work Programs, Green Bay, WI

BSW Field Coordinator and Lecturer (5/08–6/10)

• Responsible for all aspects of BSW Field Education, placing approximately 80 students per year
• Committee Chair: Field Committee, Program Advisory Committee
• Committee Member: BSW Admissions Committee
• Taught American Social Welfare – a history of social policy in the United States

 

 

 

 

 

St. Norbert College, Sociology Discipline, De Pere, WI

Director and Instructor of Human Services (8/05–5/08)

• Expanded Human Services Concentration to an academic minor
• Brought program into compliance with State of WI Board of Regulation and Licensing Standards
• Taught 3, 4 credit courses per semester including Human Services Internship Seminar, Social Welfare Policy and Services, Social Work with Organizations and Communities
• Facilitated student projects with area human services agencies in the areas of social marketing and grant writing

 

University of Wisconsin – Manitowoc, Sociology Discipline, Manitowoc, WI

Lecturer (Fall 2003)

• Taught 3 sections of Sociology 101
• Supervised experiential learning within the curriculum

 

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Freedom House Ministries, Inc.  (11/17-11/19)

President, 1.0 FTE

• Responsible for overall budget, management and strategy of $800,000 agency providing variety of services for homeless families with children
• Developed and implemented fundraising plan, led $5.5 million capital campaign
• 20 staff members and 11-person Board of Directors
• Secretary, Brown County Housing and Homeless Coalition
• Transitioned donor management programs and updated all technology and infrastructure
• Redesigned case management program and course work
• Developed and maintained relationships with dozens of community organizations and churches

 

Green Bay Area Catholic Education System (GRACE), Green Bay, WI (8/16 – 11/17)

Research Officer, contracted employee

• Conduct enrollment projections for 9 schools
• Conduct competitive salary market analysis
• Provide administration with curriculum and student assessment data analyses

 

Green Bay Area Public Schools, Green Bay, WI (11/15 – 5/16)

Facilities Planning Liaison, contracted .5FTE

• Facilitated a long-term facilities management plan with Nicholas Kent from PRA Architects
• Conduct analysis on enrollment trends considering open enrollment and vouchers
• Provide administration with organizational data and analysis regarding student mobility

 

Bellin Health System, Decision Support, Green Bay, WI (5/13 – 5/15)

Research and Risk Analyst, .5FTE

• Provide thought leadership on Population Health strategies
• Design outcome measures for organizational strategies
• Design and evaluate research projects throughout the care continuum

 

Bellin College, Green Bay, WI (5/13 – 5/15)

Research and Risk Analyst, .3FTE

• Design outcome measurements for organizational strategies
• Provide project evaluation, statistical analysis, and reporting across college initiatives
• Develop mathematical models to identify students at risk of academic failure

 

NS Research Design and Consulting Services LLC, Green Bay, WI (4/13 – 11/17)

Owner/Researcher/Consultant

• Provide research design and consulting services to school systems, health systems, American Indian tribes, and state agencies.

 

Family Services of Northeast Wisconsin, Inc.  Youth and Family Programs, Green Bay, WI (12/03-12/05)

Consultant and Grant Writer

• Provided consultation on program design, outcome measurement and program management
• Wrote grant proposals and renewal requests to federal, state, and local government agencies as well as private foundations
• Secured exceeding $1million of funding per fiscal year, including grant renewals and new funding

 

Family Services of Northeast Wisconsin, Inc.  Youth and Family Programs, Green Bay, WI (3/00–12/03)

Program Manager/Supervisor

• Provided supervision to over 40 staff members across seven programs serving a diverse population of youth and families
• Managed data, designed and collected outcome measures in all seven programs
• Represented program interests in meetings with government representatives, community, and agency partners
• Developed five programs from the beginning of federal, state and county contracts

 

Family Services of Northeast Wisconsin, Inc. Outpatient Counseling, Green Bay, WI (9/99–7/00)

Outpatient Therapist

• Provided outpatient counseling on a sliding fee scale
• Co-facilitated sexual offender treatment groups
• Facilitated weekly group for adolescents in a day treatment program

 

Family Services of Northeast Wisconsin, Inc. Crisis Center, Green Bay, WI (10/99–3/00)

Crisis Counselor

• Provided crisis intervention both in person and over the phone
• Assessed clients for suicidal ideation/intent
• Gained valuable experience with the chronically mentally ill and jail populations

 

Family Services of Northeast Wisconsin, Inc. Sexual Assault Center Green Bay, WI (9/98–3/00)

Service Coordinator

• Coordinated victim services in Door County (a rural county), including prevention education efforts
• Recruited, trained, and supervised volunteer advocates maintaining a 24-hour service
• Provided education at community organizational meetings, AOD treatment groups, juvenile offenders

 

Prevention Specialist/Crisis Counselor

• Developed protective behaviors curriculum and curriculum evaluations for children ages 5-18
• Solicited, scheduled, and presented curriculum in school systems of Brown, Door, and Oconto Counties
• Provided crisis counseling and medical and legal advocacy for victims of sexual violence ages 18 months to 72 years old
• Responsible for grant writing

 

 

 

Good Shepherd Services, John Jay High School, Brooklyn, NY (9/97–6/98)

Program Coordinator/Liberty Partnership Program

• Scheduled and facilitated monthly meetings with parents and students
• Represented program’s interests in meetings with funding sources
• Responsible for selected budgeting and written interim and final reports

 

MSSW Social Work Intern/Liberty Partnership Program

• Conducted individual, group and family counseling sessions and outreach work with at-risk students
• Designed and implemented evaluation process of Liberty Partnership Program
• Assisted in the coordination of special projects: College Summit, College Visits

 

Hull House Association, Court Advocacy Project, Chicago, IL (9/96-5/97)

BSSW Social Work Intern, Court Advocate, Cook County Court House for Domestic Violence

• Conducted intakes and assessments of women pursing criminal charges, crisis counseling
• Advocated for the rights of battered women on an individual basis; explained rights to clients
• Responsible for case notes regarding all clients served, including suggested community referrals

 

POLICY RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

University of Wisconsin – Green Bay (Spring 2022 – 2023)

• Research Booster Program funded research “Menstrual Hygiene and Reproductive Health for Sheltered Homeless Women; Moving from Assessment to Support”
• This study will result in a publishable manuscript and suggestions for organizational and state policy. Anticipated completion date of summer 2023.

 

Green Bay Area Catholic Education System (8/16 – 11/17)

• Conducted enrollment projections due to school choice/voucher programs

 

Green Bay Area Public Schools, Green Bay, WI (11/15 – 4/16)

• Conducted research and analysis on open enrollment, vouchers, and student mobility

 

PhD Dissertation, Waltham, MA (defended April 2015)

• “Factors Facilitating Activation of Self-Management in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes”
• Mixed methods study of engagement and activation of self-management in type 2 diabetics using NVivo and Stata 11
• Examination of the role of culture in patient activation, a cultural comparison of two American Indian Tribes and a White population

 

Bellin Health System, Green Bay, WI (5/13 – 11/15)

• Lead on-going analysis for population health strategies and strategic/employer partner initiatives
• Examined cost, quality, and readmissions data in the hospital setting
• Determined emergency room trends (patients, conditions) to develop alternative health care access

 

Wisconsin Institute for Healthy Aging, Madison, WI (Spring 2013)

• Mixed methods research regarding Chronic Disease Self-Management Programs across the state
• Examined patient engagement strategies in the form of incentives
• Provided consultation for state agencies on outcome-based research

 

 

Brandeis University, Waltham, MA (8/12 – 8/13)

• Research Assistant working with Dr. Walter Leutz to evaluate availability and vitality of Healthy Aging and Chronic Disease Self-Management Programs in Massachusetts

 

Brown County Aging and Disability Resource Center, Green Bay, WI (9/11 – 9/12)

• Qualitative research project serving as an evaluation of the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program, “Living Well with Chronic Conditions”

 

Northeast Wisconsin Health Value Network, Appleton, WI (9/10 – 9/11)

• Quantitative study using claims data to determine quality variation among commercial payers

 

 

POLICY LEADERSHIP/ADVOCACY INITIATIVES

Current Involvement:

Board of Directors Hospital Sisters Health System, Wisconsin Region

Advisory Board of Directors, Northwestern University School of Education and Social Policy

 

Past/Former Involvement:

Board of Directors, Freedom House Ministries, Inc. Homeless Shelter 

Member, Health Policy Advisory Committee, Representative Reid Ribble (R, WI)

Member, Government Relations Committee, Family Services of Northeast Wisconsin, Inc.

Board of Directors, Secretary – Executive Committee, Brown County Housing and Homeless Coalition

 

PAPER PRESENTATIONS

“Population Health Management” Bellin College, April 2014

 

“The Affordable Care Act and the State of US Health Reform Efforts” Fulda International University, July 2011, Fulda University, Germany

 

“Health and Poverty” Fulda International University, July 2011, Fulda University, Germany

 

“Gendered Leadership and First Nation Women: Cultural Significant Food Preservation Efforts and Vital Involvement” The Joint World Conference on Social Work and Social Development, June 2010, Hong Kong

 

“Working with the Generation Y in Social Work” University of Wisconsin Green Bay, BSW Field Instructors Continuing Education Session, April 2009, Green Bay, WI 

 

 “Teaching Social Marketing to Social Work Students” Southwestern Social Science Association, March 2008, Las Vegas, NV

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

COMMUNITY SERVICE/PROJECTS (See also Policy Advocacy Initiatives)

 

The Farmory

Advisor for Capital Campaign

 

Greater Green Bay Community Foundation

US Oil Basic Needs Granting Committee Member

 

Family Services of Northeast Wisconsin, Inc.

General Board Member, Government Relations Committee

Advisory Board Member for the Ways to Work Program

 

Wisconsin International School, De Pere, WI

Founding Member, Academic Committee Chairperson

 

Service League of Green Bay, WI

Active, Associate and Board Member responsible for funding proposal designs

 

Brown County Child Mental Health Partnership, Brown County, WI

Designed an SPSS database to track outcomes and identify unmet needs

 

Funding Proposals Written for: The Salvation Army, Healthy Teeth, Healthy Kids (Currently the Oral Health Partnership), BAD DADS, Inc.

Dr. Weeden is both a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and a Registered Nurse (RN). Before joining the faculty at UW Oshkosh, she held the position of Assistant Professor at Concordia University Wisconsin. Prior to Concordia, Mary served as the social work field coordinator at George Williams Campus of Aurora University in addition to teaching in both the undergraduate and graduate programs.

With an expertise in eating disorders, Dr. Weeden has continued to practice in the private sector. As a psychotherapist for over 20 years, she has worked with eating disordered client and issues related to this illness since 1990. Her work in the private sector has involved intensive care nursing, inpatient and outpatient oncology, home care and hospice.

In August of 2016, Professor Weeden defended her Ph.D.  Her research focuses on quality in higher education at the undergraduate level.  She has published peer-reviewed journals and is a contributing author to two social work textbooks. Dr. Weeden has taught practice, research, field seminar, and policy classes. Her scholarship has included presentations on eating disorders prevention, treatment, and education at the local and regional levels.

Outside of her work at the University, Mary continues to be active in her local community and is committed to issues associated with political, social, and economic justice.

Amy Fischer Williams holds a BA in Psychology, an MSW (University of Minnesota) and a DSW (University of St. Thomas). Dr. Fischer Williams joined the department in Fall 2006, having previously taught at the College of Menominee Nation. Her professional practice areas of interest include: vital involvement, macro-level practice, and school social work. Areas of research interest include program evaluation; and social work curriculum, especially curriculum standards to prepare practitioners to work and collaborate with Indigenous people and communities, and practitioner self-care.

Dr. Fischer Williams has taught across the baccelaurate curriculum: Social Welfare Institutions, Social Welfare Policy, Ethics in a Diverse Society, Interviewing Lab, Generalist Practice I & II, Interpersonal Skills, Family Lifecycle Transitions, Field Seminar, and Introduction to Social Work. At the MSW level she has taught: Human Behavior in the Social Environment; Diversity; Generalist Social Work Practice; Skills Lab with Individuals, Families & Small Groups; and Advanced and Foundation Social Work Field Practicum.

Dr. Fischer Williams served as the BSW Field Coordinator until 2019. She also served a 4-year term (2010-2014) as the MSW Collaborative Program Field Coordinator at time of substantial growth.

From 2002-2008, Dr. Fischer Williams served as independent evaluator at the College of Menominee Nation for the Native American Vocational and Technical Education Program (NAVTEP) grant. In 2008 she was elected as the outside evaluator of Native American Career and Technical Education Program (NACTEP). The grant, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, is awarded to the College of Menominee Nation. CMN-NACTEP provides career and technical education programs for the greater Menominee, Oneida, and Stockbridge-Munsee tribal communities. She continues to serve in this capacity.

Select presentations include: the Joint World Conference on Social Work and Social Development in Hong Kong, China; the 16th World Congress International Union Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences (IUAES) in Kunming, China; and the keynote speaker at the Strengthening Culturally Responsive Services with Indigenous People: Effective Skills for Providers conference co-organized by Bemidji State University departments of Social Work and American Indian Resource Center.

Upcoming presentations include: “Rethinking Social Work Self-Care: Opportunities to Integrate Effective Strategies to Mitigate Practitioner Stress” at NASW WI’s Annual Conference on Friday October 21, 2022 9:00-10:15am. 

Renee Pasewald formally joined the Department of Social Work as the Academic Department Associate in 2015. Here she assists with scheduling, enrollment, program applications, field placements, and more. Prospective and current students are welcome and encouraged to contact her with questions regarding UWO’s Social Work programming.

Renee holds a BA from the University of Minnesota Duluth and an MA from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. Prior to working for the Department of Social Work, Renee taught Art History (2009-2014), assisted with various projects and exhibitions at the Paine Art Center and Gardens (2008-2015), and served in AmeriCorps (2007-2009).