Stephanie Barca’s journey to a career in social work took many twists and turns. After graduating with an undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, she continued her education by earning a law degree. She went on to practice law for thirteen years in a variety of areas, including criminal defense.
Matthew (Matt) Walsh (MSW ’21) was appointed on August 13, 2025, as the secretary of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ).
Photo: (Top) Jennifer Collins, Bob Sasser, Terrence Williams Jr., Leslie Webber and James “Chef” Barlow. (Middle) Lauren Albaum, Larry Hogan, Mary Katherine “Cricket” Mannheimer, Eduardo Pérez and Andrea Friall. (Bottom) Delores Spearman, Guy Spearman, Ashlee Fontes, Zach Heng and Kenneth Cagnolatti.
Florida State University will recognize 15 outstanding alumni during Homecoming weekend, Oct. 31–Nov. 2.
After twenty-four years as a faculty member of the FSU College of Social Work, Dr. Dina Wilke will retire at the end of the summer 2025 semester.
Throughout Dr. Wilke’s tenure, she served in numerous leadership positions at the college, including as associate dean for academic affairs from 2007 until 2014. She has also been a long-standing faculty affiliate of the Florida Institute for Child Welfare (FICW).
Workplace burnout is a frequent cause of turnover for child welfare workers. Burnout is a multifaceted phenomenon and, research suggests that almost 65% of child welfare workers experience it. Burnout includes co-occurring physical, emotional and mental exhaustion that is often related to organizational, or work-related, factors.
Jenny McCorkle grew up in Indiana with a family legacy in teaching. She went to Ball State University with the intention of following this path laid out for her. “I was in an advanced student teaching program, which gave me the opportunity to realize that I did not enjoy facing a classroom of 25 to 30 young children at eight each morning,” she recalled.
A substantial gift from Florida Blue will establish an endowed scholarship at Florida State University Panama City for students in the Social Work (BSW) program.
“Within health care, social work is so critically important,” said Hong Potomski, spokeswoman for Florida Blue. “In order to support that need, it’s important to us to support workforce development and work with organizations like FSU Panama City.”
Dr. Yarneccia D. Dyson has been selected as the next dean of the University of Houston’s (UH) Graduate School of Social Work, where she will also hold the honor of the Maconda Brown O’Connor Endowed Dean’s Chair. She will step into the role on June 1, 2025.
In light of the recent tragedy at the FSU Student Union, the College of Social Work relocated its Spring 2025 Graduation Event to Opperman Music Hall in the College of Music’s Kuersteiner Building. The event welcomed spring 2025 graduates and their guests, celebrating 51 BSW, 141 MSW and two doctoral graduates.
