Team

Rachel Hernandez received her Bachelor’s in Social Work from the University of Nevada, Reno. During her time in Reno, she helped run a food pantry dedicated to supporting unhoused veterans, which sparked her passion for advocacy within this community. Following this,…

Anna Mastryukova is currently pursuing her Master’s of Science in Social Work from the Steve Hicks School of Social Work at The University of Texas at Austin. She is interning at the Travis County Health and Human Service department providing social…

Jamela Davis graduated from Grambling State University with her undergraduate degree in psychology. She earned her Masters degree in Early Childhood Education from Northcentral University and is currently working towards her Masters in Business. Jamela has taken her love for…

Emily Neimeyer received her Bachelor of Science in Integrative Neuroscience from the State University of New York at Binghamton, and her Master of Public Health with a concentration in Epidemiology from The State University of New York at Albany. Emily…

Katherine Gower received her Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from the University of Vermont, and her Master of Social Work from Texas State University. In May of 2022 she graduated with her Ph.D. in Social Work from the University…

I have 30 years of experience in designing and implementing large clinical trials to test interventions based on the transtheoretical model and motivational interviewing (MI) with at-risk populations in special settings. I have been a principal investigator or Co-Investigator responsible…

Laurianne Rodriguez serves as the VSN Program Manager. Laurianne is a veteran, having been commissioned as a personnel officer and serving on active duty in the United States Air Force (USAF) at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia.  While on active…

Ashley Craig is a graduate of the University of Houston in Curriculum & Instruction, specializing in Learning, Design, and Technology. During her studies, she grew an insightful analysis of content and graphic design to create value-added learning programs that achieve…

Captain Jose “Joey” Velasquez Jr. is a United States Army Social Work Officer.  He is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and American Board of Clinical Social Work (ABCSW) Certified Diplomate (BCD).  Joey has 14 years of active federal service…

Major Jean Paul “JP” Hare, LCSW, BCD, PhD, currently serves as Director of Training at the Evans Army Community Hospital in Ft. Carson, CO. He is a board-certified Licensed Clinical Social Worker and interventionist researcher. JP has 14 years of…

Molly Platz, LMSW received her Master’s of Science in Social Work from the Steve Hicks School of Social Work at The University of Texas at Austin in 2016. Throughout her social work experience, Molly has worked with survivors of domestic…

Lataya Hawkins, LCSW-S, PhD, LCSW, BCD, LTC, MS, is a Lieutenant Colonel, in the U.S. Army. She holds a Master of Social Work from University Houston and a PhD in Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin. She…