Meet Our Staff and Administrators

The staff and administration of Smith College School for Social Work are here to help. Find individual contact information for each staff member below. 

Nieves Ayala smiles in front of an ivy covered wall.

Nieves Ayala

Manager of Faculty Support Systems
Nieves Ayala is a chicana, from the intersection of three states, Chihuahua, New Mexico and Texas. After receiving her bachelor of arts degree in creative…
Sarah Bartholomew faces the camera wearing a blue and white button down shirt.

Sarah Bartholomew

Events Coordinator for Professional Education
Sarah is a Massachusetts native, returning to live in Western Massachusetts after living in California for twenty years and Brooklyn, NY for over ten years. She…
Candice Branche smiles at the camera wearing a green top with black dots.

Candice Branche

Assistant Registrar
Before joining the Smith family, Candice Branche worked in Human Resources and in the Registrar’s Office at Mount Holyoke College. When she is not busy with…
Katya Cerar smiles for the camera. She is wearing a black top and scarf and has shoulder length straight hair.

Katya Cerar, M.S.W., Ph.D. '13, LICSW

Senior Director of Practicum Learning
Katya Cerar, is the senior director of Practicum Education at Smith College and has taught and supervised students from various New England schools of social…
Sarah Duey wears a green button down top with a white diamond pattern and smiles at the camera.

Sarah Duey

Senior Enrollment and Information Systems Specialist
Sarah Duey works with the rest of the admission team to guide future Smithies through the process of applying to graduate school. In addition to being an…
Lorelei Erisis smiles at the camera wearing a white and pink flowered dress.

Lorelei Erisis

Assistant Director of Admission
Lorelei Erisis is dedicated to making the application process more personal and stress-free for prospective M.S.W. students. Originally trained as an actor…
Alexis Jack Evwynne sits at a picnic table outside and smiles at the camera wearing a red top.

Alexis Jack Evwynne, LMHC

Office of Practicum Learning Administrative Assistant
Alexis Jack Evwynne is one of Lilly Hall's temp staff, formerly the Interim Coordinator to the Deans' Office, and transitioning into supporting the SSW Office…
Dawn Faucher smiles at the camera leaning against a stone pillar.

Dawn Faucher

Director of Development
Dawn Faucher, a proud first generation college graduate, has dedicated the past ten+ years of her career to making a Smith College social work education…
Megan Harding smiles at the camera

Megan Harding, M.S.W. '07

Senior Lecturer and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
Megan Harding has been teaching at the Smith College School for Social Work since 2009, initially as an adjunct and eventually as a senior lecturer. She has…
Valerie Nguyễn Hooper smiles at the camera.

Valerie Nguyễn Hooper

Interim Director of Admission and Financial Aid
Valerie Nguyễn Hooper is a proud first-generation college (and graduate school) graduate with origins in Western New York and Saigon, Vietnam. As a former…
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Danielle LaVine

Associate Registrar
Danielle LaVine joined Smith SSW in June 2022 as the associate registrar.
Kim Monson sits outside smiling at the camera.

Kim Monson, M.S.W. '08, LICSW

Associate Director of Practicum Learning
Kim Monson, M.S.W., LICSW (she/her) identifies as a Black, cis female from Western MA. She is a private practice clinician, an adjunct assistant professor at…
Arianne Napier-White smiles at the camera wearing white button up shirt.

Arianne Napier-White, M.S.W. '15, LMSW

Director of M.S.W. Practicum Learning
Arianne J. Napier-White, LMSW (she/her) is a clinical social worker with experience working in hospitals, city government, acute trauma settings, outpatient…
Madelyn Neely wears a black top and glasses and smiles at the camera.

Madelyn Neely, M.A.

Special Projects Specialist
Maddy Neely began working at Smith College in 2009 in Development; and has been with the School for Social Work since 2012. A student affairs professional, she…
Laura Noel smiles at the camera wearing a beige sweater and patterned multi-color scarf.

Laura Noel

Director of Communications
Laura Noel began her career working in independent schools, first in admission then in public relations and marketing. After ten years in independent schools…
Janae Peters stands next to a stone pillar in front of a brick building with a white front porch. She is smiling and laughing.

Janae Peters, M.S.W., LMSW

Director of Community Engagement and Student Support | Practicum Seminar Instructor and Sotomayor Fellow
An alum of the Smith School for Social Work, Peters graduated from the M.S.W. program in 2015. Her professional and personal focus has been on understanding how…
Stherlie Petit-frere stands with her arms crossed wearing a plaid blanket scarf.

Stherlie Petit-Frère

Operations Manager
Stherlie Petit-Frère began her career in operations over 10 years ago while working in healthcare. During those years, she oversaw several large ambulatory…
Katie Potocnik Medina sits at a table with her chin resting on her hands.

Katie Potocnik Medina, LCSW

Director of Alumni Engagement | Practicum Faculty Advisor | Practicum Seminar Instructor
Katie serves as the director of alumni engagement for Smith College School of Social Work. Her goal is to increase alumni connections and build a dynamic…
Photo of Ash Sabripour sitting on the steps to Seelye Hall with a green scarf wrapped around her.

Ash Sabripour

Assistant Director of Admission and Outreach
Ash Sabripour has worked in higher education since joining Smith College in 2021. In her role as assistant director for admission and outreach at the School for…
Simone Stemper wears a red top and looks at the camera.

Simone Stemper

Digital Marketing Coordinator
Simone Stemper is part of Smith College SSW’s small-but-mighty communications team, where she works as the digital marketing coordinator. Her role includes…
Dean Marianne Yoshioka smiles at the camera.

Marianne R.M. Yoshioka, M.S.W., MBA, Ph.D., LCSW

Dean | Elizabeth Marting Treuhaft Professor
Dean Marianne Yoshioka arrived at the Smith College School for Social Work in 2014. Prior to Smith College, Yoshioka spent 18 years on the faculty of the New…
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Sharyn Zuffelato

Administrative and Systems Manager, Ph.D. Program
Sharyn Zuffelato graduated from University of Maryland with a degree in Business Administration. She joined the Smith College School for Social Work in 2007…