Anna Stathopoulou

Anna Stathopoulou is the online training manager for The Network and CADER. She has worked with BUSSW since 2004 and manages all operations related to online training and implementation. She works closely with organizations to determine coursework, develop a customized experience for training partners, and collaborates closely with developers and designers to improve systems. As one of the founding members of CADER, Stathopoulou has worked with thousands of training participants across the country to grow our programs and build career ladders and competencies for those who work with older adults.

Alison Montague

An alumna of BU, Alison Montague returned to the University to coordinate the development and implementation of The Network. As program manager, she will work with trainers to identify opportunities to engage with learners across The Network. A veteran of the technology industry, she spent twelve years working in marketing and strategic alliances, and has consulted with a wide range of business, consumer, political, education and non-profit organizations.

Elise DeWinter Eckelkamp,  M.S.W., M.Ed.

Elise DeWinter Eckelkamp has been a life-long advocate for youth and families and began her career working in residential care with children and adolescents. Her primary areas of practice include education, child health and welfare, differing abilities, family support, housing, systems change and the development of strategic collaborative partnerships. She has been a teacher, organizer, executive director, trainer and coach. Ms. Eckelkamp has served as a BUSSW Field Instructor, Faculty Advisor, and Course Developer and Facilitator. In addition to her work at BU, she has her own consulting business and works throughout the state with both private and public entities to provide training, community-based project management, and 1:1 coaching and leadership development.  Ms. Eckelkamp is a graduate of the Boston University School of Social Work where she earned a Certificate in Human Services Management, and the School of Education where she specialized in Administration, Training and Policy. She also holds a BA from Boston College where she studied Psychology and Management.

Ms. Eckelkamp worked with The Network for Professional Education team to develop and author the Train-the-Trainers online curriculum for The Trainers Hub, a nationwide network of certified trainers who support the training needs of various constituents throughout the country.

Rick Cresta, LICSW, MSW/MPH 

Rick Cresta has over 25 years of experience working with adolescents and young adults in a variety of settings including schools, residential treatment and home-based. He is in private practice in the Boston area specializing in work with court-involved youth and focuses on substance use, trauma and violence prevention. Rick received both his MSW and MPH from Boston University. He is currently a half-time faculty at the BU School of Social Work. In addition, he provides training and consultation on substance abuse and other adolescent and young adult-related issues to numerous organizations throughout the New England area.

Olita Day-Berger, LCSW-R

Olita Day-Berger is a graduate of Fordham University School of Social Work and holds a master’s in clinical social work. She is certified as a cognitive therapist by The Academy of Cognitive Therapy. Her 28+ year professional career began with providing social work services in the child welfare system and as a field supervisor. In 1997 she joined New York Presbyterian Hospital, providing psychotherapy, CBT training and supervision in the adult outpatient department. For the past ten years, Olita has been an Online Instructor at the graduate and post-graduate level for BUSSW OLP and PEP. She has been published on the topic of multidisciplinary and multi-setting CBT supervision. Some areas of particular interest include CBT for severe behavioral health issues and CBT training to providers in various community mental health clinics. Additionally, Olita maintains a private practice in White Plains, N.Y.

Elisa (Lisa) Fagan Walts, MSW, LICSW, CDP, CMDCP

Lisa Fagan Walts graduated from BU’s School of Social Work Master’s Program with a primary interest in addressing the unique needs of older adults with cognitive impairment and related neurological disorders. She specializes in advocating for and supporting people with dementia, and in working with and educating their families to better understand and communicate effectively with their loved ones. She brings deep experience in training long-term care staff on person-centered care, as well as educating the public, medical professionals and first responders about Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. Lisa also brings a unique personal perspective from her experience as the primary caregiver for her mother who was diagnosed with dementia in 2011. After her mother passed away, Lisa transitioned from her successful career in the computer field to return to school to help others navigate the disease process and the often challenging medical treatment and support systems. Lisa has over 9 years experience in the geriatric and dementia fields, and has practiced at in-patient geriatric psychiatry hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living communities with memory care.

Katharine R. Hobart, PhD, MSW, LCSW

Dr. Katharine R. Hobart is a long-standing practitioner, researcher, and professor of community practice social work. Dr. Hobart was a Fulbright Scholar in Uganda teaching at the first Masters of Social Work program in East Africa and conducting action-based research with rural elders. Over her career, Dr. Hobart has run a federally-funded Administration on Aging intervention/research grant empowering frail elders, lived in Guatemala while working with a women’s microcredit organization, and has practiced clinical social work in urban hospitals. Dr. Hobart has consulted and lectured on program development, participatory monitoring/evaluation, and global aging issues in Malawi, Rwanda, Uganda, Guatemala, Japan, the UK, and the USA. Her MSW is from Boston University School of Social Work and she earned her Ph.D. from the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work, where she taught from 1997–2010. She currently develops curriculum and teaches online for Boston University School of Social Work and works with the Centre for Dignified Aging in Rwanda.

Grace Myhill, MSW, BUSSW ‘04

Grace Myhill is a pioneer and leader in the field of neurodiverse couples therapy. She currently holds the titles of Director of Couples and Partner’s Services and Director of the Peter M. Friedman Neurodiverse Couples Institute at the Asperger/Autism Network (AANE). Since 2004, she has worked with hundreds of neurodiverse couples together or separately in her private practice and through the AANE neurodiverse couples coaching program. She has developed numerous skill-building tools and lessons to enhance communication and emotional connection.

Grace trains professional clinicians to work effectively with neurodiverse couples through online courses she developed for AANE and through individual and group consultations. She has written several articles and is a frequent guest on podcasts.

Stephanie Recchia, MSW, LICSW

Stephanie Recchia is a graduate of Boston University School of Social Work. Her areas of expertise are geriatric medical social work, clinical practice with older adults, end of life issues, Parkinson’s Disease, caregiver support, and clinical student supervision. Stephanie has collaborated with all Boston area MSW schools, acting as a clinical and macro field instructor for over 20 years. She has been a Faculty Advisor with BUSSW since 2012. Ms. Recchia has been a Director of Social Work, Hospice Program Director and Consultant to Long Term Care and Rehabilitation Facilities, Assisted Livings, and home-based elder care agencies. In 2012, she created a private practice, providing clinical social work services to elders in their homes, and facilitating support groups for persons affected by Parkinson’s Disease.

Hairpin

Hairpin builds brands for world-changers, do-gooders & hell-raisers. We’re collaborating with the team at BUSSW to tell the story of The Network for Professional Education – a place where health and social services professionals can find lifelong learning opportunities and connect with like-minded experts to accelerate the field of social work. We began by developing the underlying strategy: articulating what The Network is and why it matters, defining its suite of products and services, and clarifying how its multiple brands fit together within a system. Hairpin then designed and developed an interactive website that gives users a clear path to explore and register for learning opportunities, find and connect with trainers, and become part of The Network’s community of practice. Learn more: hairpin.org.