The Zeta Gamma Chapter of the Phi Alpha Honor Society for Social Work inducted 30 new student members and two honorary faculty members on Wednesday, April 29, 2020. Phi Alpha was formed in 1962 and recognized as a member of the Association of College Honors Societies (ACHS) in 2019. The Syracuse University Zeta Gamma Chapter was founded in 1996 as part of the School of Social Work’s 40th-year Anniversary Celebration. This year’s induction class represents the twenty-fourth group of students to be elected as members of the Zeta Gamma Chapter.
The ceremony featured an opening welcome by Dr. Carrie Jefferson Smith, Director of the School of Social Work, and a keynote address by Dr. Ken Marfilius, titled More Empathy, Less Greed, More Respect. Nadaya A. Brantley closed the ceremony by reading an original poem written specifically for this occasion, titled New Beginnings!
Fourteen BSSW students were inducted this year:
Arielle Alford
Iryna Chushak
Amber Deyo
Hayley Feuchs
Sarah Gelfond
Emma Henriksen
Ronni Isenberg
Jennifer Jacobs
Katherine Koehler
Sarah Millward
Jacqueline Peacock
Mark Sukonik
Sally Jo Van Ostrand
Emily Wagner
Sixteen MSW students were inducted this year:
Kaitlyn Dawn Budge
Heather Bell
Melissa Hayes
Caroline Laws Hyneman
Gabrielle Denise Nicolini
Chanelle Peart Jones
Alyssa M. Prawl
Amy O. Redmond
Andie C. Riffer
Gillian Rowan Riggall
Julia Elise Sanders
Danielle S. Smith
Kaeley Anne Spicer
Carmen Viviano-Crafts
Judy Ann Walsh
Nicole Elizabeth Wolpink
Congratulations to all members of the Zeta Gamma Chapter of Phi Alpha honor society in the Class of 2020:
BSSW Graduates:
Elise Bojanowski
Amber Deyo
Hayley Feuchs
Tess Harper
Molly Murphy
Madison Oliva
Julia Pion
Marceli Rocha-Rocha
Alicia Marie Smith
Mark Sukonik
Alexandra Tulowiecki
MSW Graduates:
Kaitlyn Dawn Budge
Heather Bell
Jessica DeLutis
Lisa Dussing
Christina Firnstein
Arlaina Harris
Melissa Hayes
Caroline Laws Hyneman
Haleigh Johnson
Michaela Marotti
Kelly Marriott
Gabrielle Denise Nicolini
Suzanne Parsons
Alyssa M. Prawl
Gillian Rowan Riggall
Desiree Rivas
Ellan Ryan
Julia Elise Sanders
Danielle S. Smith
Kaeley Anne Spicer
Kylene Stevener
Carmen Viviano-Crafts
Cassandra Whitcomb
Faculty members named honorary members of Phi Alpha
Eevie Smith
Eevie Smith studies social work and youth care practice in residential treatment centers for children (RTCs). Her most recent study investigates the unique challenges and opportunities of hiring, training, and retaining an expert workforce in RTCs where client violence, intensive regulatory oversight, and moral distress are an everyday part work. Eevie is leading an effort to design and pilot a supportive group intervention to help youth care workers reduce burnout and turnover and better manage the demands of their important work. Eevie has practiced in a range of social work settings, including residential treatment, harm reduction outreach with substance users, supportive and transitional housing, and therapeutic foster care. She loves teaching courses on social work practice, human diversity, and human/animal interaction, and was the 2019 recipient of the Falk College Faculty of the Year Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Dr. Smith’s devotion to teaching the important yet challenging topics, of human diversity and social justice, is highly respected by her colleagues and students. She successfully engages every student and helps them understand the responsibility of all students, including those of a dominant group, have “to be actively involved in undoing racism and oppression.” In all her courses, Eevie actively listens and seeks to understand her students’ points of view to enhance her teaching while also making changes to reflect the most current, effective and relevant research-based content. Her goal is to prepare her students to make “reasoned practice decisions” that are both evidence-based and consider a client’s reality.
Tracey Musarra Marchese
Tracey Musarra Marchese received her Master of Social Work (MSW) degree from Rutgers University in 1993. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in New York and New Jersey. During her 27 years of experience, Tracey has worked in various health and mental health settings, as well as in private practice. She has developed expertise in trauma, dissociation, and mind-body wellness. She is a recognized expert in the treatment of complex trauma and the use of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) psychotherapy. She is one of only about 120 EMDR trainers in the world. Tracey is an EMDR-certified therapist and EMDRIA-approved EMDR consultant and trainer of EMDR Therapy. She is also a certified perinatal bereavement counselor, has advanced training in Evolving Thought Field Therapy (EvTFT), and is Intermediate Level trained in Somatic Experiencing.
Tracey is a Professor of Practice in the School of Social Work at Syracuse University, where she teaches courses in micro and macro social work practice to senior undergraduate students, and courses in child and adolescent trauma, complex trauma, and death, dying and terminal illness in the MSW program. She also holds a clinical faculty appointment in the Department of Psychiatry at Upstate University Medical Center, and she has a private practice in Syracuse. In 2019, Tracey was honored as the Falk College Faculty of the Year for Excellence in Service. This Award recognized her service to the School of Social Work, Falk College and Syracuse University, as well as to the local Syracuse community.