Faculty and Staff Grants From February 2021

Congratulations to the following faculty and staff members who received grants and awards in February 2021.

Charmaine Brittain, director of practice innovation, and Ashley Brock-Baca, senior research associate at the Butler Institute for Families at the Graduate School of Social Work

• Grant from Granite State College for "Competency Based Training System Structure for New Hampshire's Child Welfare Training System"

Brittain and Brenda Lockwood, senior program associate at the Butler Institute for Families

• Grant from Granite State College for "Supervisor Core Academy Curriculum Development for New Hampshire's Child Welfare Training System"
• Project abstract: Butler will revise the New Hampshire Child Welfare Training system's supervisor curriculum based upon a needs assessment conducted through a document review and focus groups. The revised supervisor curriculum will improve New Hampshire's effectiveness in preparing supervisors for their important jobs of managing, coaching and mentoring frontline staff.

Elysia Clemens, deputy director and chief operating officer of the Colorado Evaluation and Action Lab

• Grant for "Family First: Evaluation Support for Colorado's Prevention Services Plan"
• Project abstract: The Colorado Lab will continue to support the state of Colorado in preparing for implementation of the Family First Prevention Services Act. This federal act is a sweeping change to child welfare practice and funding. The Colorado Lab work will inform Colorado's phased approach to implementing evidence-based services intended to reduce the need for foster care.

Jenalee Doom, assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

• Grant from the Mental Research Institute for "Testing a Brief Social Belonging Intervention to Improve Social Relationships and Well-being During the COVID-19 Pandemic"
• Project abstract: The goal of the project is to examine the long-term effects of a brief online intervention we have adapted to the current COVID-19 context to improve youth social relationships, social well-being and mental health. This intervention will be delivered in high schools and will test students' ability to normalize struggles occurring during the pandemic, including online learning, family conflict and navigating peer relationships. The intervention is designed to show adolescents that they are not alone in their struggles and that other students are struggling in these same areas and that there are ways that they have learned to cope and feel better over time.

Samantha Galvin, associate professor of the practice of taxation and director of the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic at the Sturm College of Law

• Grant from the Internal Revenue Service for "Low Income Taxpayer Clinic 21-23"
• Project abstract: The University of Denver Graduate Tax Program's Low Income Taxpayer Clinic has provided representation to taxpayers with IRS controversies throughout all of Colorado continuously since 2008. Services provided have included representing taxpayers with audits, audit reconsiderations, lien and levy releases, innocent spouse matters, collection alternatives, working with IRS appeals and representation before the U.S. Tax Court.

Cullen Hendrix, professor at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies, and director of the Sié Chéou-Kang Center for International Security & Diplomacy

• Grant from Hiroshima University for "Cross Appointment with Hiroshima University"
• Project abstract: Are climate change and declining productivity of fisheries likely to lead to a future of fish wars, or can existing fisheries management institutions evolve to help prevent large-scale fisheries conflict? While a future of fish wars is one potential path, there are other, more peaceful possibilities. Multilateral governance structures; creating coordinated, multinational maritime response teams; and regional fisheries management organizations could help avoid fish wars.

Suzanne Kerns, research associate professor at the Graduate School of Social Work and executive director of the Center for Effective Interventions, Chris Mason, multisystemic therapy expert, and Andie Uomoto, assistant director of the Center for Effective Interventions

• Grant from Faith + Grace Therapeutic Services and Consultation for "Faith + Grace Annual Contract"

Brenda Lockwood, senior program associate at the Butler Institute for Families

• Grant from the State of Minnesota, subaward from the Department of Human Services, for "MN Supervisor Coaching for CWTS"
• Project abstract: Butler will develop a coaching and introductory training class for supervisors in the public/tribal child welfare workforce. Specifically, Butler will develop and deliver an integrated series of learning and practice opportunities using a cohort model, with the goal that learners will understand the core content knowledge, practical strategies for implementation and be able to demonstrate fundamental coaching skills in practice.

Jonathan Moyer, assistant professor at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies and director of the Frederick S. Pardee Center for International Futures

• Grant from the Atlantic Council for "China-Latin America Trade 2035 report"
• Project abstract: The Pardee Center will provide analytical input and co-author a 15-page Atlantic Council paper to analyze the evolution of China-Latin America trade relations from the present to 2035.

Galena Rhoades, research professor in the Department of Psychology at the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences 

• Grant from the University of Miami for "Evaluation of Nationwide Online Relationship Education for Underserved Couples"
• Project abstract: Rhoades will serve as the local evaluator for this project. As such, her duties will include developing measures for use in the randomized controlled trial that will be conducted, overseeing data collection, supervising the graduate research assistant and data entry specialists hired at the University of Denver, and running the analyses outlined in the application.

Tom Rowe, associate professor at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies

• Grant from the Open Society Institute for "International Career Advancement Program 2020-21"
• Project abstract: The fundamental aim of the International Career Advancement Program (ICAP) is to improve the quality of the leadership of the United States in international affairs by helping to ensure that it reflects the full diversity of the U.S. population. ICAP seeks to accomplish its aim by assisting highly promising mid-career professionals in the U.S. in international business and public affairs to have a more effective voice and to achieve senior administrative and policy-making positions in government agencies, nonprofit groups and the private sector. This assistance takes the form of providing leadership training; career advising; assistance in policy analysis and implementation; wider social networks; career contacts; and a strong support group for these mid-career professionals, thus helping them to achieve their full potential.