Faculty

Kimberly R. Freeman, PhD, MSW

Kimberly R. Freeman, PhD, MSW

Executive Associate Chair, Department of Social Work and Social Ecology
Professor, Social Work and Social Ecology
Director, Master of Social Work (MSW), Gerontology MS, and Doctor of Social Work (DSW) Programs

Areas: child mental health; assessment; childhood trauma; adolescent self-harm; community based wellness
Email: kfreeman@llu.edu
Phone: 909-379-7589

Qais Alemi, PhD, MPH, MBA

Qais Alemi, PhD, MPH, MBA

Professor, Social Work and Social Ecology

Areas: psychosocial needs of populations affected by political violence; stigma, prejudice, racial, and religious discrimination; immigrant and refugee acculturation, adjustment, identity, and resiliency; mental health help-seeking behaviors
Email: qalemi@llu.edu
Phone: 909-379-7592

Kelly Baek, PhD, MSW

Kelly Baek, PhD, MSW

Assistant Professor, Social Work and Social Ecology

Areas: mental health; culturally-grounded interventions; program development and evaluation; community-based research
Email: kbaek@llu.edu
Phone: 909-379-7583

Christi Bell, MSW, LCSW

Christi Bell, MSW, LCSW

Assistant Professor, Social Work and Social Ecology
Director, Field Education

Areas: child welfare; child abuse and neglect; LGBTQ+ youth in the foster care system; trauma-informed parenting; trauma-informed practice with children; trauma-informed management in the workplace; preventing burnout and compassion fatigue in social work settings
Email: cebell@llu.edu
Phone: 909-379-7572

Talolo Lepale, MSW, MBA, LCSW

Talolo Lepale, MSW, MBA, LCSW

Assistant Professor, Social Work and Social Ecology
Director, Criminal Justice MS Program
Assistant Director, Master of Social Work (MSW) Program

Areas: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT); Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR); Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT); individual psychotherapy; team building; psychosocial oncology; medical social work; working with adults and older adults; trauma, anxiety, depression, grief, and end-of-life
Email: tlepale@llu.edu
Phone: 909-379-7581

Susanne B. Montgomery, PhD, MPH, MS

Susanne B. Montgomery, PhD, MPH, MS

Associate Dean for Research, School of Behavioral Health
Director of Research, Behavioral Health Institute
Head, Division of Interdisciplinary Studies
Professor, Social Work and Social Ecology

Areas: research design and analyses; translational research (clinical and applied); community-involved and -based research; health disparities research; program evaluation and evaluation research
Email: smontgomery@llu.edu
Phone: 909-651-5881

Administrative Staff