Capstone Handbook

Dr. Todd W. Rofuth has been Chairperson of the Social Work Department for 21 years, a professor at Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) for 31 years and was the former Director of the Urban Studies Program for 10 years. He has taught at both the doctoral, masters and undergraduate levels including many courses in management, leadership, research, social welfare policy, ethnic realities and the thesis clinical practicum seminar. Prior to working in academia he served in appointed leadership/management positions in Maryland and Pennsylvania state government, serving as the Director of Maryland’s Welfare to Work Initiatives, as Director of the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare Office of Client Rights and as a Special Assistant to the Secretary of Public Welfare in Pennsylvania. He also worked as a policy analyst in the Office of the Administrator of the General Services Administration in President Carter’s Administration redesigning procurement regulations to provide greater opportunities to women and people of color. While in the doctoral program at Penn he worked as a Senior Research Associate at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School studying the Impact of Economic Development on Job Creation for Low-Income Populations. While at the University of Minnesota Duluth he completed a master’s thesis on the Impact of Child Neglect Legislation and Regulations on Native American populations. In 2013 he completed two three-year terms as Vice President and Program Chair of the National Association of Deans and Directors (NADD) for Graduate Social Work programs. He has had 40 years post MSW social work practice experience primarily in social welfare policy analysis, research and supervisory positions in federal and state government and private consulting. He has presented at over 50 international, national conferences and state conferences and workshops. He recently co-authored a textbook -  Leadership and Management in Social Work: A competency based approach (Springer Publishing, 2019). Dr. Rofuth has obtained over 60 grants in a variety of areas including child welfare, drug courts, community housing, Ryan White, child care and welfare reform. For over two decades Dr. Rofuth has been a yearly site visitor for CSWE. He also has served as an external promotion and tenure reviewer for six universities. He is active in the New Haven community currently serving as the Secretary on the Boards of Gather New Haven, the New Haven Occupational Industrial Corporation and Treasurer of the Board of Governors of the New Haven Lawn Club.

Julie M. Piepenbring is an Assistant Professor at the College of St. Rose in Albany, New York and has taught as an adjunct professor at Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) for almost ten years. She has experience teaching across BSW, MSW and DSW programs, and also has extensive clinical practice and leadership experience in nonprofit social service organizations. Prior to entering academia full-time, Julie served dual positions of Chief Clinical Officer and Executive Vice President in a 600 Plus person nonprofit and applied her social work knowledge and skills in both the clinical and administrative arenas to successfully lead large teams and expand multiple clinical programs. Additionally, she provided clinical therapy for more than twelve years in a private practice setting.  Her teaching interests include Social Work Practicum and Thesis, Leadership and Management, and clinical practice courses.  Research and academic interests include Autism Spectrum Disorder and the impact of ASD on family systems; Cultivating cultural mindfulness and cultural humility through supervision, and within organizational cultures and leadership teams; Leadership and management in social work practice. Julie co-authored the textbook -  Leadership and Management in Social Work: A competency based approach (Springer Publishing, 2019) and has presented on ASD, cultural humility, leadership and management topics at a number of national and local conferences.