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), Criminal Justice MS, Gerontology MS, and Play Therapy Certificate 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

Associate 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

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, Field Education

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

Larry Ortiz, PhD, MSW

Larry Ortiz, PhD, MSW

Professor, Social Work and Social Ecology
Director, Doctor of Social Work (DSW) Program

Areas: race and ethnic studies; critical theory; Latino/a issues; community practice; program evaluation; social justice practice
Email: larryortiz@llu.edu
Phone: 909-379-7585

Administrative Staff

Doreen Flores
Administrative Assistant Senior
Email doflores@llu.edu
Phone 909-379-7572

Sheri Ryder
Administrative Assistant Senior
Email sryder@llu.edu
Phone 909-379-7590

Board-Appointed Faculty