The editorial team of Transforming Communities (TC) is a multidisciplinary group of academic researchers, students, practitioners, and community leaders.
Editor-in-Chief
Jayme Walters, Utah State University - Assistant Professor, Department of Social Work; Director of Transforming Communities Institute
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Dr. Jayme Walters is an Assistant Professor and Director of the Transforming Communities Institute (TCI) in the Department of Social Work at Utah State University. She was awarded her PhD from the University of Tennessee, College of Social Work. She earned her MSW and a certificate in Non-profit Organizations: Development and Management from the University of Georgia and BSW from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. Dr. Walters' main research regards quality of life in rural communities. She engages in community-level and organization-level research in the areas of poverty, social service provision, nonprofit capacity and management; fundraising and philanthropy; and social worker education and well-being. Professionally, Dr. Walters worked in nonprofits for nearly ten years prior to shifting into academia. Her roles included management, program development, fundraising, and grant writing.
Reviews Section
Saeed Ahmad
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Saeed Ahmad is graduate research assistant at department of sociology and anthropology, Utah State University. His research interests include gender-based violence, political participation, persuasion and perceived integrity among youth, coping strategies against adverse experiences, migration, reintegration, remittance and household consumption strategies among immigrants, etc. His work has been published in journals including Computers in Human Behavior, Journal of interpersonal violence, Journal of Religion and Health, Marriage & Family Review, Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, Journal of Family Issues, etc.
Rachel Wishkoski
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Rachel Wishkoski is an associate reference and instruction librarian at Utah State University. In her role, she serves as liaison to several departments in the arts and social sciences. Her research interests include information literacy and research methods pedagogy, faculty development initiatives, and peer learning programs in academic libraries. Journals in which her work appears include portal: Libraries and the Academy, Communications in Information Literacy, Reference Services Review, and Higher Education Pedagogies.
Research Advances Section
Cris Meier
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I am an Assistant Professor of Social Work and Extension Community Resource and Economic Development Specialists at Utah State University. I work in rural communities in Utah to enhance existing resources and increase the capacity of the community to address their health and wellness concerns. I also serve as the co-Editor for Outcomes and Impacts Quarterly, an Extension Journal housed at Utah State University.
Janice Snow
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Janice works as a clinical therapist specializing in substance use disorder and trauma recovery. She has a passion for research and has been a primary student investigator on several studies dealing with higher education equity, mental health, intersectional gender and LGBTQ+ challenges, and rural nonprofit equity. She has presented over 20 research presentations and has published three academic journal articles with more in the works. Her long-term plan is to pursue a Ph.D. in social work and contribute to research and advocacy for LBGTQ+ individuals.
Community Voices Section
Emily Ross
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Emily Ross works in her community as a school social worker. She has a bachelor's degree in Health Education & Promotion, with an emphasis in health sciences. Emily graduated with an MSW from Utah State University in 2022. As a graduate research assistant, she worked on projects related to Social Work and Special Education & Rehabilitation Counseling. Emily has spent most of her social service career working with youth. Though, she hopes to put her public health background to further use in the future. She is particularly intrigued by macro work, and understanding how larger systems affect individuals and communities.
Mehmet Soyer
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I am an environmental sociologist with an interest in social inequality. My research agenda consists of examining the critical link between community response and the impacts of energy development through collective behavior, activism, and environmental inequality. I am also interested in pedagogical research to work on how to enhance safe and brave spaces for exploring perceptions of marginalized groups.
Multimedia Works
Jeff Spears
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Dr. Jeff Spears is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Work at Utah State University. He completed his MSW degree at the University of Kansas and PhD in Social Work at the University of Utah in 2018. His dissertation explored the importance of the Internet in developing self-efficacy in the areas of socialization, financial, and medical literacy for baby boomers. Dr. Spears teaches social policy and seminar classes. He works as a part-time therapist at Pinnacle High School providing individual and family therapy. His research interests include community organizing, cyptocurrencies, aging issues, and undergraduate mentorship. Dr. Spears currently serves on the steering committee and also the faculty chair for the Price campus at USU.
Maureen Boyle
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Maureen Boyle (she/her) is an MSW student in the Department of Social Work at Utah State University. She received her PhD in Anthropology from Indiana University in 2021 with a concentration in Archaeology & Social Context. She is a social work practicum student at the Transforming Communities Institute and serves as a Multimedia Editor for the Transforming Communities journal. Her future direction is in community social work and policy practice. Her research interests are in community-based participatory research, environmental justice, and LGBTQ+ community health and well-being.