by The School of Social Work
May 12th 2023
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We are happy to announce that Jennifer Blakeslee has been hired as the Ph.D. Program Director in the School of Social Work at Portland State University beginning July 1, 2023.
Jennifer first came to PSU in 2005 for her MSW, after spending a few years as a youth worker in the child welfare field. She then continued on to get her PhD in Social Work and Social Research at the SSW, after discovering a love for research and evaluation designed to improve social work policy and practice.
Jennifer has been a research professor in the SSW’s Regional Research Institute since 2013, where she conducts both federally-funded research and local and state-level evaluation projects to develop and improve services and programming for adolescents in foster care. She is primarily interested in services for youth transitioning from foster care and similar systems, with a broader interest in social support networks and youth mentoring relationships and programs.
Since 2017, she has also taught and mentored MSW and PhD students around the application of social work research methods, which she truly enjoys. As a proud graduate of both of these SSW programs, Jennifer does her best to provide students with the individualized learning, advising, and support that she received.
Outside of work, Jennifer enjoys spending quality time with family and friends, long walks with her dog, reading, hiking, and watching too many British detective shows.
Please join me in welcoming Jennifer to her new role in the School of Social Work!
Jose E. Coll, MSW Ph.D.
Dean & Professor
School of Social Work
Portland State University