Personal Summary
Amanda was born and raised in Montana. Amanda loves to travel, read, and spend time with her partner, Paul (also a social worker) and their two children, Bridger (8) and Anamarie (5).
Amanda serves as the Chair of the Montana Food Security Council, a group that addresses food security across the state. She has also served on her local Aging Services board and as a liaison with the school district to work on nutrition policy.
Amanda joined the Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ as an adjunct instructor and more recently as a Clinical Assistant Professor/MSW Director—a job she loves as it connects her favorite things—igniting Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ interests and ability to engage thoughtfully in social justice. She will push you to think critically about the policies that are a part of our day to day lives and work towards more equitable solutions.
Education
Amanda has her Bachelor of Social Work degree from the Ñý¼§Ö±²¥, and her Master of Social Work degree from California State University in Long Beach.
Courses Taught
SW 530, History of Social Policy, Justice and Change
SW 531, Social Policy Analysis
SW 505 Foundations
Affiliations
NASW
Montana Food Security Council
Alliance for a Healthy Montana
Professional Experience
Medical Social Work
Hospice Social Work
Macro Social Work; Policy and Advocacy - Issue Specialty: Healthcare, Food access, tobacco prevention, income inequality, equity, other social justice related topics.
Amanda has been a social worker for more than 15 years. She started her career as a medical social work in one of Montana’s largest hospitals and then spent time as a hospice social worker. Amanda spent the 9 years as a government relations director (aka, a lobbyist) fighting for policies that protect Montanans. Her areas of policy practice are food security, healthcare, tobacco-related disease and prevention, public health, and protecting local democracy. Amanda believes that civil discourse is the only viable path forward on many policy solutions and focuses much of her teaching on empowering social workers to be deep listeners in their communities.
Hobbies
Reading, spending time in the mountains, yoga, dinner parties, and travel.