Dr. Michelle Curtain Stewart was appointed as the eighth president of the Institute for Clinical Social Work in July 2019. She has spent over two decades in higher education as a faculty member or in administration; first, as the executive director of the International Association for the Study of the Commons at Indiana University and an adjunct faculty member at Indiana University, then as vice president of academic affairs and an associate professor of sociology at Lane College.

Dr. Stewart holds a bachelor’s in political science from Alcorn State University, a master’s in sociology, and a doctorate in educational leadership, both from Indiana University-Bloomington.

Dr. Stewart has more than twenty-seven years of combined experience in business management and higher education leadership. She is an accomplished administrator and a passionate advocate for educational access, social justice, and sustainable community engagement and development.

De’Asia Thompson is a two-time graduate of The Ohio State University, where she earned a B.A in Sociology and an MSW. She is an advanced-standing Ph.D. student at The Institute for Clinical Social Work in Chicago. De’Asia holds clinical licenses in Ohio and Tennessee and has a decade of experience working with children, adolescents, and adults. She enjoys working with people to help improve their mental well-being and health. De’Asia has spent time working across the lifespan with adults and geriatric clients in various settings, such as the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Counseling and Personal Development Center, an inpatient and clinical assessment unit within a hospital, and residential treatment facilities in Columbus and Memphis.

Currently in private practice in Dayton, Ohio, De’Asia is the founder of Rise Counseling Group, which focuses on reducing and alleviating mental health concerns such as anxiety, depression, and other mood disorders in Black women and other women of color. Her team aims to treat the whole woman and not just her symptoms by looking at how the unique intersection of race, gender, culture, and sexuality impacts mental health. She is also trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy.

When not seeing clients or in class, De’Asia provides training, education, and private consultation services to various local and national organizations and small business owners. She presents on mental health, single or student parenthood, clinical practice, grief, and boundaries.

Michael is a passionate mental health professional, dedicated to empowering others to see their potential as they live out their dreams. He has developed mental health programming for a local psych hospital, developed a mental health initiative in Indiana for his fraternity, and helped establish the inaugural regional mental health committee across the Midwest for his fraternity — all with the focus of healing mental anguish, especially in BIPOC communities.

He is currently an advanced standing student in the distance PhD in Clinical Social Work program at ICSW, and a General Partner and clinician in his private practice, Reclaiming Royalty LLC. His aim is to help people rebuild themselves and realize their power to live as their authentic selves, as they heal from traumas, disappointments, and cultural challenges in the face of internal and external adversity.

Ida Roldán is a licensed clinical social worker and psychoanalyst. She is Dean Emerita at the Institute for Clinical Social Work in Chicago. Dr. Roldán received her doctorate in philosophy in clinical social work from the Institute for Clinical Social Work, a master’s in social work from the University of Illinois in Chicago and is a graduate of the National Training Program for Contemporary Psychoanalysis in New York. She has held numerous professional positions including faculty at the Institute for Clinical Social Work, Associate Director of Fillmore Center for Human Services, Therapist and Clinical Supervisor at Scholarship and Guidance Association, Clinical Consultant at Casa Central, Pedro Albizu Campos Alternative High School, Cathedral Counseling, BUILD, RUSH Medical Center, and Depth Counseling Services in Chicago.

Dr. Roldán has published in the areas of HIV/AIDS and mentoring in qualitative research. She has presented in national and international conferences on topics of colonization, immigration, and the impact of the social/political on oppressed populations.