Social Work 20th Anniversary Panel

Dr. Maxine Davis MSW/MBA ’13 is a second-generation activist who is passionate about discovering how to end violence perpetration in romantic and intimate relationships. She currently serves as an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at Arlington in the School of Social Work. Most of her research uses a community-engaged approach, centering the voices of historically excluded populations. Her independent and collaborative work has been published in several highly regarded academic journals. She recently had a worldview article accepted into Nature, entitled “Danger, Anti-Black Practices take a Heavy Toll on Mental Health” which will be published soon.

Samantha Acosta MSW ’16 is a Licensed Social Worker. Samantha is currently a full-time Child and Adolescent Therapist at the Kenneth Young Center and is Field Faculty at Dominican University. Prior to working as a Child and Adolescent Therapist and Field Faculty, Samantha was the Behavioral Technician focusing on utilizing Applied Behavioral Technician, while supporting families and individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and was a Program Coordinator at Willow House, a Chicagoland Grief and Bereavement Center for children, teens and their families. Samantha’s passion is to bring healing to individuals who have experienced a vast amount of trauma and difficult life transitions and experiences. Samantha works with children, teens, young adults and families to find healthy and positive perceptions of themselves to assist in strengthening their relationships and achieve personal goals.



Samantha’s educational background includes her master’s in social work from Dominican and a BA in sociology and anthropology from Lake Forest College in Lake Forest, Illinois. Samantha has extensive work with individual and group therapy, expressive arts, healing circles, ABA therapy; specializing in working with children who have been diagnosed with Autism, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Attachment Therapy and Death, Dying and Grief.

Carina H. Santa Maria, MSW ’11, LCSW, was appointed Executive Director and member of the Board of Directors of Shelter, Inc, in June 2018. She was previously Director of Field Education with Dominican University's School of Social Work where she managed and coordinated internship experiences for master's-level social work students while maintaining relations with community organizations to address the needs of clients needing social work intervention. While at Dominican, she also served as an adjunct instructor, teaching various graduate-level social work classes. Prior to her work at Dominican University, she was a Community Youth Counselor for Memorial Health Care Systems and partnered with the Broward Sheriff's Office and their Juvenile Diversion program. She has also served as the Vice President of Education and Outreach at the Broward Human Trafficking Coalition, and as a residential counselor at Youth Villages in Memphis, Tennnessee. In addition, Carina has volunteered with Kristi House–Project GOLD and served as the Education Director for Traffick Free, a volunteer driver organization in Chicago that combats human trafficking. Carina is also a founding member of a local, Arlington Heights community group called Voices of Community, Acceptance, and Love (VOCAL), whose mission is to bridge differences to create a supportive, connected community that celebrates diversity and practices tolerance and acceptance. She was recently awarded the NASW Illinois Chapter’s Emerging Young Leader Award.



She graduated with her bachelor's degree in psychology and criminology from the University of Tampa in 2007. In 2011, she received her master's degree in social work from Dominican University. She resides in Arlington Heights, Illinois with her husband and two sons.

John Netherly MSW ’10 has had an amplitude to serve others and an empathy to help the Chicago street homeless get services for treatment of drug abuse, mental health issues, needed medical treatment and access to clean and safe housing since childhood after seeing homeless residents in his Garfield Park neighborhood that slept on the cement ground near train tracks. John for sure knew one day he would help them by becoming a social worker, minister and community advocate.



John graduated from Dominican University with a master's in social work. He also has a master's in urban ministry from Moody Theological Seminary, a master's in business from National Louis University, and is currently studying for a master's in community development at Northern Seminary.



John has been recognized for his work with The Bedrock Movement, which assists the Chicago and suburban street homeless by The Red Cross. He received the Young Mazzuchelli Award for Social Justice Advocacy, and was Alumni of the year in 2018 from Dominican University School of Social Work, and was keynote speaker for upcoming class of social workers.



John serves as a social worker at The Bedrock Movement, which he founded in 2012, a 501(c)(3). John has been employed at Amita Health for 17 years, and is currently a mental health social worker where he has received such honors a Certificate of Excellence in the Behavioral Health Department, and an award for Most Valuable Employee.

Jane Cho MSW ’20 is a Korean-American who grew up in Chicago, Illinois. She received her undergraduate degree in education at Knox College and a master's in education from Simpson University. Recently, she graduated from Dominican University with a second master's from the School of Social Work in May 2020. Currently, Jane works for Exceptional Learners Collaborative as a school social worker for special education students. As a former school teacher and now social worker, Jane believes in the importance of pairing quality education and social emotional supports to help every child thrive in their classrooms, relationships and communities.