Margaret M. Holland, a recent graduate of the Doctoral Program in the College of Social Work, joined the faculty of the University of Wyoming as an assistant professor in the College of Health Sciences Division of Social Work starting fall 2022.

“I am very excited to be joining the faculty in the Division of Social Work this fall,” expressed Margaret. “The University of Wyoming is doing a lot of great things, and I am really looking forward to contributing to the work they are doing.”

Margaret is thrilled to teach Social Welfare Policy: Human Rights and Social Justice, a first year Master of Social Work policy course. She was chosen out of the applicant pool for her expertise in social work policy alongside her work and teaching experience within the areas of human behavior in the social environment and policy.

Margaret feels well prepared for her new role as a social work educator and researcher because of her research assistantship and dissertation. For her assistantship, she also worked alongside the FSU College of Medicine researchers to evaluate the Florida Medicaid Long-Term Care Program. She gained exposure to identifying disparities and implications in service qualities. Her findings were presented to state and national stakeholders which included recommendations for solutions.

Her dissertation titled “Disparities in employment and earnings before and after the implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act: An intersectional approach” also gave her insight into income and employment disparities for persons with disabilities.

“I applied an intersectional framework to evaluate the impact of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on the employment outcomes of people with disabilities,” she said. “I found disparities by disability status, gender, and race that have implications for policy reform.”

Margaret defended her dissertation in the fall and hopes to continue highlighting employment and income disparities with the potential to change policies in this area to improve the lives of persons with disabilities.

In her faculty position at the University of Wyoming, Margaret plans to partner with the community and state stakeholders to promote the wellbeing of Wyoming’s citizens, particularly those with disabilities. “I will continue to advocate for full community inclusion of all people with disabilities in everyday life,” stated Margaret.

Alongside her experiences as a doctoral student, Margaret enjoyed her time at Florida State watching football games, attending events held by Opening Nights and Club Downunder, and most of all meeting lifelong friends and colleagues in the College of Social Work Doctoral Program. She looks forward to new adventures in Wyoming getting to know her campus community, enjoying the outdoors and making an impact on public policy to improve the lives of its most vulnerable populations.