Directory | Directions to SSW | Calendar

Preparing Social Workers for Leadership in the 21^st Century

• The School of Social Work
• Prospective Students
• Current Students
• SSW Alumni
• Apply Today

You Are Here: Home > Academics > The Springfield College School of Social Work > Advisory Board

Advisory Board

The School of Social Work Advisory Board, chaired by Lorna Little, meets quarterly to identify issues in need of attention in our graduate and post-master's social work programs to strengthen partnerships with the School.

Next Advisory Board Meeting

Tuesday, February 19, 2013
1 to 1:45 p.m.
Brennan Conference Room

Advisory Board Chair, Lorna Little

Lorna Little has a diverse background that melds into an interesting mix of Human Services and Media. Lorna was born in London, England and has lived in the Greater Hartford, Connecticut region for most of her life. She is a wife and a mother of 2 grown daughters, Alicia and Ashley. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, television producer, community activist, diversity consultant and training professional.

Licensed Clinical Social Worker/Advocate - Lorna earned her Masters Degree in Social Work from Springfield College, but has always felt she was born a social worker, and has worked voluntarily as an advocate and community mediator for years. She is currently the Executive Director of St. Agnes Home, a group home for pregnant and parenting teenage mothers and their babies. She has worked with youth and adolescents in various community programs and utilizes the power of the celebrity to help get the attention of youths that may turn away from adult intervention. Lorna says, “we should all work towards improving the quality of life for those in our community.” Lorna worked diligently to close down an exotic club where violence and drugs were flourishing in the middle of a residential neighborhood, next to a public school in Hartford. She holds a Post Master's Certificate in clinical issues in adoption from the University of Connecticut. Lorna is also a SIFI trained Social Work field instructor for the University of Connecticut, St. Joseph's College and Springfield College. She was previously the President of WHAASCO (West Hartford African American Social and Cultural Organization) and she has served on the board of the CT National Association of Social Workers and Catholic Charities of Hartford's Southside Family Center.

Diversity Professional/Trainer/Adjunct faculty - Lorna had previously served in the role of Director of Diversity for a non-profit company for many years, providing organizational assessment, diversity coaching, mentorship program development, and cultural diversity training. She is a champion for social justice and feels that starting with race relations and other layers of diversity is a good place to make a dent in the barriers to real equality. She has also specialized in delivering professional training in sexual harassment, Hip Hop and Social Work, Customer Service in Social Services, Diversity and the Bottom Line, and many more. She has provided training for Northeast Utilities, NASW, Phoenix Insurance, Catholic Charities, St. Joseph College, Central Connecticut State University, Casey Family Services, and the CT State Department of Children and Families. She became an adjunct faculty member in the School of Social Work at Springfield College in 2009.

Board Members

Name	Affiliation
Lorna Little, Chair	Executive Director, St. Agnes Home, Inc.
Francine Vecchiolla, Honorary Chair	Dean, Springfield College School of Social Work
Teodoro Anderson-Diaz	Natchaug Hospital
Miguel Arce	Springfield College School of Social Work
James Canning	Springfield College School of Social Work
William Dávila	The Gandara Center
Andrew DiFiore	Alumni Representative
Laura Failla-Manship	Holyoke Health Center
William Fisher	Springfield College School of Social Work
Paul Fitzsimmons	MA Department of Children and Families
Deb Folsom	Family Services of Central Massachusetts
Haylie Furhmann	MA Department of Children and Families
Ron Furhmann	MA Department of Children and Families
Glenn Gemma	Springfield College School of Social Work
Joe Gianesin	Springfield College School of Social Work
Margie Gilberti	MA Department of Children and Families
William Gilliand	UCONN Health Center
Claudia Griffith	The Village for Families and Children
John Habif	Springfield College School of Social Work
Tony Hill	Springfield College School of Social Work
Maureen Holland	Elms College
Joan Kagan	Square One
Steven Karp	NASW-CT
Lan Katz	Martin Luther King, Jr. Charter School of Excellence
Marion King	Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center
Efrosini Kokaliari	Springfield College School of Social Work
Kim Lange	Providence Hospital
Christen Maglio	Student Organization Representative
Mary Mastarlerz	Alumni Representative
Hank Mathieu	Robert F. Kennedy Children's Action Corps
Donna Merrill	Mary O. Pottenger School
Walter Mullin	Springfield College School of Social Work
Kathleen O'Malley	Denner Pellegrino, LLP
Brendan O'Neil	Valley View School
Karen Poisson	Clinical and Support Options
Debra Quinn	Behavioral Health Network
John Roberson	Center for Human Development
Ann Roy	Springfield College School of Social Work
Jeffrey Schrenzel	Western New England University
Julie Schwager	Center for Human Development
Linda Smith	Springfield College School of Social Work
Joyce Taylor	Springfield College School of Social Work
Clara Viarengo	MA Department of Children and Families
Katherine Wilson	Behavioral Health Network
Joe Wronka	Springfield College School of Social Work
Elizabeth Young	The Counseling Center in the Berkshires