Shawn Worthy

Shawn Worthy, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Human Services at Metropolitan State University of Denver.

Worthy began his career as an instructor at Northern Illinois before working in many clinical settings for behavioral and therapeutic services. He joined MSU Denver in 1995 and received tenure in 2002. Worthy has served as the chair of the Human Service Department, as well as the interim vice president of the Student Services Division and has also worked as the director of Mentoring and Summer Bridge Programs with Student Services at MSU Denver. He currently serves as the MSU Denver NCAA Faculty Athletic Representative. Worthy has also worked as a clinician and psychotherapist at the Children’s Hospital of Denver and The Urban League of Denver.

He has done research and published work extensively about sports psychology on how all levels of skiers cope with fear. Additionally, Worthy has conducted research on domestic violence, teen suicide and other issues related to children and families. He has worked clinically with adults and teens infected with HIV. Worthy has researched, published and presented at many conferences and workshops striving to understand diversity as it pertains to engaging people of color. He currently serves on several community boards and commissions, which focus on youth and violence.

Worthy received his doctorate and master’s in clinical psychology from Northern Illinois University.

Mark Stephenson

Mark Stephenson, MPA, is a affliate professor member in the Department of Human Services and Counseling – Fire and Emergency Response Administration program at Metropolitan State University of Denver. His areas of expertise include incident command, fire, hazardous materials, tabletop exercises and interfacing with state and federal agencies. He currently teaches Fire-Related Human Behavior, Fire Dynamics and Fire Prevention, Organization and Management.

Prior to joining MSU Denver, Stephenson worked for 36 years in fire service. He served as deputy chief, was a founding member of a hazardous-materials team and spent time as a paramedic. He served as an EMS bureau director, exercising oversight of the paramedic program. Stephenson also served as chief of planning, on-line battalion chief, shift commander and deputy chief of Administration Services. He eventually returned to the line as chief officer and finished out his last few years in fire service as battalion chief.

He is an active volunteer in the community and chairs the Aurora Federal Credit Union Board of Directors. Stephenson also serves as the chair of the Board of Directors of the Aurora Community Mental Health Center and is an active advocate for mental-health care in the community. Stephenson has been awarded the Exemplary Employee award and Citation for Actions award for working on an underground-interstate-pipeline fire.

He received his Master of Public Administration from the University of Colorado. He also holds several specialty certificates.

Nancy Rich

Nancy Rich, M.A., is an adjunct professor in the Department of Human Services in Counseling at Metropolitan State University of Denver.

Ann Obermann

Ann Obermann, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of social work at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Since 2016 she has taught courses in direct family practice, family therapy, trauma, mental health assessment, trauma interventions and child maltreatment. In addition, she enjoys training child welfare and mental health professionals on topics such as trauma, adolescent development, leadership and supervision as well as family engagement.

Obermann is a licensed clinical social worker in the state of Colorado and has extensive social work practice experience working in human service management, community mental health and with at risk families and adolescents in both child welfare and mental health environments. She also managed an intensive evidence based program where she created and facilitated different trainings for online social work instructors to prepare them for socially just educational experiences. Obermann is also the coauthor of the book, “101 Careers in Social Work”.

Obermann received her Ph.D. in social work from the University of Denver in 2017, her master’s in social work from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2002 and her bachelor’s in social work from St. Olaf College in 1997.

Tricia Hudson-Matthew

Tricia Hudson-Matthew, Ed.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Human Services and director of the Center for Addiction Studies at Metropolitan State University of Denver. She teaches about Legal and Ethical Issues in the Helping Profession, Family System, Motivational Interviewing Conflict Resolution, and Decision-making Skills.

Hudson-Matthew performs clinical work at a private practice with individuals with substance abuse, couples counseling, and children ages 5 and up as a certified play therapist. Prior to joining MSU Denver, she worked as a therapist and clinical case manager at the Mental Health Center of Denver. Hudson-Matthew was also the clinical director and child and family therapist at the Council on Substance Abuse and Mental Health.

Her scholarly interests are in ethics between therapists and clients, mental health, and addictions. She has given presentations and published her work about mental health, ethics, domestic violence, self-esteem, addiction, grief and loss, and motivational interviewing techniques.

Hudson-Matthew received her educational doctorate in Counseling Education and Supervision from Argosy University in 2012, a master’s in Clinical Behavioral Healthcare from the University of Northern Colorado in 2004 and a bachelor’s in Human Services from MSU Denver.

Scott Heiss

Scott Heiss is an affiliate faculty member the Department of Human Services – Fire and Emergency Response Administration program at Metropolitan State University of Denver.

Anne Hatcher

Amy Dore

Amy Dore, DHA, is a professor of health care management at Metropolitan State University of Denver.

Larry Curry

Larry Curry, Ph.D., LCSW, CAC III is a licensed Clinical Social Worker, and a former professor in the Department of Social Work at Metropolitan State University Denver. He is a national and international speaker trainer and presenter in the areas of child welfare, family preservation service and addictive behaviors. He also specializes in domestic and internal adoptions, and cross cultural adoptions.

He is also the Founder/CEO and Clinical Director for The Curry Center, LLC located in Aurora Colorado. This agency operates as a private outpatient mental health clinic, offering in home services to some of the most troubled families and children within the Denver/ Aurora communities.

Annie Butler

Lynann “Annie” Butler is a professor in the Human Services Department and interim chair of the Rita and Navin Dimond Department of Hotel Management at Metropolitan State University of Denver. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), a Certified Addictions Counselor Level III and received a bachelor’s degree in Psychology at Colorado State University and a master’s degree in Counseling from the University of Colorado at Denver.

She founded Professional Counseling Services, Inc. in Denver in 2002, providing a six-week intervention program for students facing suspension from high schools in five different school districts. She has worked in the field since 1991, and has shared her “wisdom, mistakes and humor with students” at MSU Denver since 2002. In 2012, she was the Human Services nominee for the US Professor of the Year Award, and has also received the Teaching Excellence Award from the Faculty Senate at MSU Denver.

On her recent sabbatical, she traveled to Laos to research Hmong refugees and the Hmong Cultural Center in St. Paul, MN, the largest comprehensive museum about the “secret war” in Southeast Asia, which began in 1963. She has recently completed and submitted Walking With Tigers, a book about a Hmong refugee whom she first met while recruiting guest speakers for her classroom.

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