CAPT Malaysia H. Harrell, MSW ’02 – Alumni of the Year Award
CAPT Malaysia H. Harrell is a licensed Clinical Social Worker and is board certified by the American Board of Examiners in Clinical Social Work. CAPT Harrell is currently detailed to the United States Department of Defense, Defense Health Agency, serving as the DoD Commissioned Corps Liaison. She previously served in the Defense Health Agency, Department of Defense, Defense Health Agency, Human Resources Division, as the Department of Defense Commissioned Corps Liaison where she provided support to over 215 United States Public Health Service officers detailed to the Department of Defense worldwide. In addition, she served in the Behavioral Medicine Branch, as the Director of Addiction Medicine. CAPT Harrell was also appointed by the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs and detailed to coordinate the White House Cross-Agency Priority Goals/Interagency Task Force initiatives to improve mental health outcomes for 9.6 million beneficiaries. She represented the DoD as a member of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy Treatment Committee as well as the Interagency Coordinated Council for Underage Drinking.
CAPT Harrell previously served at the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Secretary, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, Office of the Surgeon General serving as the Special Assistant to the Surgeon General of the United States.
CAPT Harrell has a Bachelor in Science in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a Master of Social Work from the University of Maryland, in Baltimore, Maryland. CAPT Harrell serviced as board member of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Maryland, Suburban Chapter Representative for two terms. CAPT Harrell is dedicated to serving her community and provides mentorship to children, students, and colleagues. CAPT Harrell resides in Upper Marlboro, Maryland with her husband.
Don Vince is a veteran of over 30 years of Child Welfare practice. He has been on the faculty at the University of Maryland School of Social Work as a Clinical Instructor in the Title IV-E for Public Child Welfare Education program for over 20 years. In that role, he has trained several hundred students, primarily at the Baltimore County Department of Social Services as they convert theory to actual practice. Mr. Vince’s students have gone on to have successful careers as front-line Social Workers in the field of public child welfare as well as becoming supervisors and administrators. Mr. Vince has also conducted several training sessions, led numerous seminars and has been a guest lecturer for classes on a variety of topics but has focused on issues related to Culture, Diversity and Race matters.
Julia McGlamary is a licensed clinical social worker and a board-certified supervisor in the State of Maryland. She received a Bachelors of Arts from Washington University in St. Louis in 2005 and a Master’s in Social Work from the University of Maryland School of Social Work in 2009. She has 16 years of experience in working with older adults and adults with disabilities as an Adult Protective Services supervisor, investigator, geriatric case manager, psychotherapist, and researcher. She is currently a supervisor with Adult Protective Services Investigations of Montgomery County, Maryland. She provides clinical supervision to a team of social work investigators, is a liaison with community partners, and provides clinical training to adult services staff, partners, and the community. She has had an integral role in the introduction and application of two integrated case management computer systems for the Aging and Disabilities Service Area of Montgomery County, Maryland.
Jessica Calle has had a steady and extensive growth since her graduation from the School of Social Work. She currently works at Thrive Behavioral Health, an outpatient mental health clinic where she primarily serves the Hispanic community. From the start, she made it her goal to help the Spanish-speaking clients at the clinic. Besides the evident under representation, there is a large demand for therapists who can provide these services in the native language of this community. Not only being bilingual but an immigrant herself, Jessica is able to help children to better process their upbringing as first-generation Americans by connecting the new culture to their inherited culture. It is the rewarding feeling of becoming this bridge that fuels her dedication to the field of Social Work despite the barriers that she may encounter.
Alex Bleiweis is an advanced year student at the University of Maryland School of Social Work. Alex comes from a family of social workers, including his mother and grandfather, and he is thrilled to be entering the social work profession. In fact, Alex’s wife, Rose, is a recent graduate of the University of Maryland School of Social Work and encouraged Alex to pursue his degree. He cares deeply about making mental health services accessible to all people, especially historically marginalized populations, and approaches his work with enthusiasm for helping people become the best possible version of themselves. After graduation, Alex hopes to
As soon as I learned about the Social Work profession, I knew I wanted to be one. I was 12 years old at the time. I graduated from UMBC in 1995 and UMB in 1997. One reason I love Social Work is that you can work in so many different environments, with different populations, including new students, and anywhere in the world. During my career, I have worked throughout the state of Maryland and with clients that ranged from supporting families to end of life care.