We are excited to announce the arrival of two new faculty members to the School of Social Work, Drs. Antonio Garcia and Ebony Perez.

Dr. Antonio Garcia, previously a Professor at the University of Kentucky College of Social Work, is a community-engaged child welfare scholar. He has published over 80 peer-reviewed articles or book chapters and disseminated his findings in local, national, and international contexts. Collectively, his body of work centers on developing, disseminating, and implementing strategies to (1) mitigate racial inequities in service provision across child and family systems of care, and (2) in turn, promote positive psychosocial and developmental outcomes among diverse populations.

Dr. Alan Ellis, Interim Head at the SSW, stated, “I’m very excited to welcome Dr. Garcia to NC State. His research and scholarship on families and children, child welfare, and fatherhood will nicely complement our existing portfolio, and his track record of interdisciplinary work is sure to strengthen the School of Social Work’s collaboration with other professions.”

Dr. Ebony Perez, previously a tenured Assistant Professor and the Department Chair of Undergraduate Social Work at Saint Leo University, has over 15 years of post-masters social work experience and eight years of teaching experience. Her practice experience is primarily in working with children and adolescents who have learning exceptionalities and co-morbid psychiatric diagnoses. Dr. Perez has worked with this population in a variety of settings including their natural families, therapeutic foster care, research environments, and an inpatient psychiatric hospital setting.

Dr. Perez is currently serving as a member of the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Council on Racial, Ethnic, and Cultural Diversity. Her work has been presented at multiple national and international conferences, including at the American Educational Research Association, the Association for the Study of Higher Education, CSWE, and The Learner Conference. Her research has been published in Advances in Social Work, Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work, Journal of College Development, and has several book chapters.

“I’m delighted to have Dr. Perez join our faculty. She brings a wealth of leadership experience to her role as our new Director of Graduate Programs, and her anti-racist research agenda resonates with the School of Social Work’s core values,” said Dr. Ellis.

Please join us in welcoming these excellent social work scholars to NC State!