Field Liaisons

Joanna Dougherty, LCSW

Tangela C. Sawyerr,  DSW, MA, MSW

Tangela C. Sawyerr,  DSW, MA, MSW, is a field education liaison at the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research. She received her DSW and MSW degrees from the Rutgers University School of Social Work and a Master of Criminal Justice degree from the Rutgers University Graduate School-Camden. Tangela is a licensed social worker with decades of experience engaging the most vulnerable segments of our society, including pregnant and post-partum mothers on methadone maintenance, individuals experiencing homelessness, and abused/neglected children. Her qualitative research has been published in the Journal of Ethnicity in Criminal Justice. Tangela’s research interests focus on adult sibling bereavement, intersectionality, and the impact of structural inequalities on minoritized communities.

Andrew Spiers, MSS, LSW

Andrew Spiers, MSS, LSW (he/him) is the Director of Training and Technical Assistance for Pathways to Housing PA’s training and educational initiative—Housing First University—where he helps social service agencies and communities to end homelessness through embracing the Housing First model, harm reduction, and other evidence-based practices. He received a Master of Social Service from Bryn Mawr College’s Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research in 2014, where he concentrated in Community Practice, Policy, & Advocacy. Since graduating, Andrew has primarily worked in nonprofits serving individuals with serious and persistent mental illness, substance use disorders, and with members of the trans and LGBQ+ communities. He has taught Sociology and Human Services courses at Harcum College and now serves as a Field Liaison for the GSSWSR.