Karen Gerdes is an Associate Professor in the College of Public Programs, School of Social Work at Arizona State University. She received her PhD from Florida State University in 1993. Karen has published 25 peer-reviewed articles, five book chapters, and is the co-author of a social work textbook. Her research areas include social work curriculum evaluation, teaching methods, and issues impacting women and children. Karen has also served as the BSW Coordinator, the MSW Coordinator, and the Associate Director of the School of Social Work. In 2007, Karen was nominated for the Parents’ Association ASU Professor of the Year Award.
Karen's practice experience includes Field Unit Supervisor at the Teen Choice Leadership Academy in Phoenix, AZ; Group Leader, Family Preservation Program, Provo, Utah (Worked with Physically and Sexually Abusive Parents); Family Counselor for Intensive Crisis Counseling Service, in Tallahassee, Florida; and, Child Welfare Specialist in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Karen served in the Peace Corps in the Philippines from 1984 to 1986. She received the Peace Corps Volunteer of the Year Award at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. in 1986. She also lived overseas for extensive periods in Taiwan and Thailand, working in the refugee camps for Vietnamese, Laotian, and Hmong refugees.
Karen has served and currently serves as chair of the Scholarship Committee 2008-2010. |
