Social Work Faculty

Ms. Lisa Climer is Assistant Director of Practicum Education in the Department of Social Work. In this capacity, she advises graduate and undergraduate students entering practicum, teaches field seminar courses, and collaborates with community agencies and faculty to support and develop field placements and partnerships.

Evelyn P. Tomaszewski, MSW, ACSW, is MSW Program Director and an assistant professor in the Department of Social Work. Tomaszewski brings over 25 years of experience as a public health social worker practicing in in the US and globally.

Dr. Waithaka is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Work. His research focuses on intergenerational social and economic mobility during young adults’ transitions to adulthood, with a particular focus on the role of family capital (resources & processes) and public policies influence on young adults’ life outcomes.

Katherine Cornejo joined George Mason University’s Social Work Faculty as the Child Welfare Stipend Program Coordinator in April, 2017.

Dr. Tompkins, Associate Dean for Faculty and Staff Affairs and Professor, teaches human behavior, research, and gerontology courses in the Social Work Department. She is interested in developing new programs for undergraduate students and developing innovations in distance education.

Holly Matto, PhD, LCSW-C is a Professor in the Department of Social Work in the College of Public Health at Mason. Dr. Matto values interdisciplinary collaborations and has established research relationships with colleagues in social work, bioengineering, mathematics, visual and performing arts and others at Mason that have resulted in grant-funded projects.

Dr. Inoue is an Associate Professor in the Department of Social Work. Her research focus is primarily on older adults with declined health who are vulnerable to losing autonomy and dignity.

Dr. Carol Cleaveland is an Associate Professor of Social Work at George Mason University. She teaches SOCW 674 Psychopathology, SOCW 645 Community Clinical Practice and SOCW 653 Immigration Policy. Dr. Cleaveland also serves as a training coordinator for Mason’s VA SBIRT grant.

Dr. Emily S. Ihara is a professor and chair of the Department of Social Work. Ihara’s research interests focus on interventions, policies, and system changes necessary to eliminate health inequities for vulnerable populations across the life course.

Vicki Kirsch, MSW, MA, PhD is a Clinical Associate Professor of Social Work at George Mason University. Her interests and practice focus on trauma and recovery, gender and sexualities, and issues of spirituality and religion.