Social Work Appoints 3 as Associate Deans

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Three faculty members in the University at Buffalo School of Social Work have been appointed associate deans.

Howard J. Doueck, Ph.D., professor of social work, has been named associate dean for research, Kathleen A. Kost, Ph.D., associate professor of social work and director of the Institute for Not for Profit Agencies, has been named associate dean for academic affairs, and Barbara Rittner, Ph.D., associate professor of social work, has been named associate dean for external affairs.

A member of the social work faculty since 1986, Doueck is a nationally recognized expert on child abuse and risk assessment. Widely published in the field, he has contributed to a number of books, chapters, edited volumes and training manuals, including the "Encyclopedia of Social Work."

Doueck has given more than 60 presentations on topics ranging from adolescent maltreatment versus child abuse and neglect, to helping children testify about abuse to interpersonal skills training. He is a member of the editorial board of Children and Youth Services Review.

His professional memberships include the Society for Social Work Research, Association for the Advancement of Social Work with Groups, Inc., Council on Social Work Education and National Association of Social Workers.

Doueck, who received his doctorate and master of social work degrees from the University of Washington, is a resident of Snyder.

Kost, whose research focuses on strengthening the planning and management skills of non-profit agencies, has been a member of the social work faculty since 1994. She also works in the area of poverty and its impact on families, and substance abuse and employment.

Kost's work has been published in a number of journals, including the Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, Families in Society and the Journal of Social Service Research. She has presented at numerous conferences and workshops, including the annual conference for the Association on Research Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action and the Annual Conference of the Society for Social Work and Research.

Her research has received funding from a wide range of sources, including a three-year, $435,000 grant from the John R. Oishei Foundation to support the planning, development, management and evaluation of the UB Institute for Nonprofit Agencies.

Her professional memberships include the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management, the Association for Community Organization and Social Administration and the Council on Social Work Education.

A resident of North Tonawanda, she holds a doctorate, two master's degrees and a bachelor's degree, all from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Rittner's work focuses on child welfare, interventions with individuals, group work with adults, children and families and health, mental health and disability.

Director of the School of Social Work's doctoral program and a member of the faculty since 1999, Rittner is the author of numerous articles that have appeared in scholarly publications that include Children and Youth Services Review, Journal of Gerontological Social Work, Social Work and Journal of Social Work Education.

She co-edited the book "Working from Strengths: 12th Annual Association for the Advancement of Social Work with Groups" co-authored "The Women's Guide to Surviving Graduate School" and has written or co-written a number of book chapters.

Rittner has presented at more than 40 juried national and international conferences. Her professional memberships include the Society for Social Work and Research, American Orthopsychiatric Association, Council on Social Work Education, National Association of Social Workers and Association for the Advancement of Social Work with Groups.

She holds a doctorate and master of social work degree from Barry University.

Rittner is a resident of Buffalo.