Lauren M. Barrow, Ph.D.
Lauren M. Barrow, Ph.D. is currently Chair of the Center for Education, Advocacy & Social Justice, and an Associate Professor of Justice Studies at Chestnut Hill College. She began her criminal justice career at the National Victim Center (NVC) in Arlington VA. While working at NVC, she was a team-member for the Looking Back—Moving Forward: A Guidebook for Communities Responding to Sexual Assault and the Focus on the Future: A Systems Approach to Prosecution and Victim Assistance projects. She left Washington DC to pursue graduate studies at CUNY Graduate Center, John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. During her career, she worked on several federal and national research projects, including assessing Federal Drug Treatment Evaluation in NYC (Urban Institute), and surveying AAC Board users regarding victimization (Inst. For Excellence, Temple University).
Dr. Barrow has been teaching criminal justice courses for over 20 years and has taught undergraduate, graduate, and online students. She first taught as an adjunct instructor for undergraduates at John Jay College and Queens College in New York, then as a graduate instructor at Monmouth University, NJ before joining Kaplan University as a full-time online instructor. She joined the full-time faculty at Chestnut Hill College in 2011, and since then, has taught a wide range of criminal justice courses and is regionally recognized for her innovative course designs
Nancy DeCesare, IHM
Sister Nancy DeCesare has over thirty years of experience in administration, social work, and teaching. As a frontline social worker on the streets of New York City, a supervisor and executive director, and is now a professor of Human Services at Chestnut Hill College, Philadelphia, PA. She holds a bachelor's and master's in social work from Marywood University and a Master's in Public Administration from the Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service at New York University. Sister received her Ph.D. in Clinical Social Work from the Silver School of Social Work, New York University. She is a member of the National Association of Social Workers, the Academy of Certified Social Workers, and a Board Certified Diplomate in Clinical Social Work. She is a licensed clinical social worker in both New York and Pennsylvania.
Sister has received many honors for her work with marginalized populations, including the National Jefferson Award, an award founded by Jackie Kennedy for outstanding public service, the No Time to Lose Award, presented by the Governor of New York, and the Beloved Award for her work with street children.
Sister is the former Executive Director of Boys Hope Girls Hope of New York, an international program for homeless youth. In addition, Sister is a grant writer, teacher, and author. She has served on boards including Marywood University, Friends of the Poor, the Philadelphia Children's Foundation, and the Governor's Advisory Board for People with Disabilities for Pennsylvania.
Sister Nancy's professional life has complemented her desire to make a difference. Her research centers on improving personal and educational opportunities for young people and veterans.
Ryan Murphy, Ph.D.
Ryan P. Murphy, Ph.D. holds a PH.D. in sociology from Temple University. As a sociologist, Dr. Murphy teaches courses that examine how social structures shape human behavior and how social institutions influence individual choices. Dr. Murphy’s research focuses on structural inequalities in the Catholic Church, with particular emphasis on how women religious respond to gendered constraints in the day-to-day. Dr. Murphy has published articles in peer-reviewed and non-academic journals and has presented papers at both National and International conferences. Dr. Murphy is married to his loving partner, Krista, and the couple have one son, William “Liam.” In his spare time, Dr. Murphy enjoys traveling, cooking, baking, running, and playing guitar.
Stephen Stunder, Ed.D
Dr. Stunder has worked in the Human Services field for over 17 years. Stephen has worked as an Outpatient Therapist, Case Manager, Occupational Therapist, Social Worker, and School Psychologist, in addition to holding an Administrative position in Human Services for the last 12 years as either a Director or Assistant Director. He is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the State of Pennsylvania, as well as a Board Certified Counselor (NCC).
He has worked for several large mental health providers in the Philadelphia area, including Woods Services, Penndel Mental Health, Merakey, Aldie Counseling Center, and Melmark. He worked as the Director of Counseling at Holy Ghost Preparatory School in Bensalem, PA for 9 years. Stephen has also taught in the Counseling Psychology Graduate Program at Rosemont College. Stephen teaches in both the School of Graduate Studies, and the School of Undergraduate Studies at Chestnut Hill College.
Stephen's research has focused on the development of learning difference programming for independent secondary schools, as well as the development of curriculum for students with learning needs and adults with developmental disabilities. He has published an Intervention Workbook for Recovery Centers of America, as well as in the Interdisciplinary Journal for Advances in Research in Education (IJARE), where he also serves on the Journal Editorial Board.
