About the Author | Joanne Riebschleger, PhD, LMSW, ACSW is an Associate Professor at the School of Social Work at Michigan State University. She grew up in northern rural Michigan. For over two decades, she practiced rural social work with children and families. She is a consultant to a national child welfare workforce development project and served as past vice president to the National Rural Social Work Caucus. She has been a social work educator for nearly two decades. Barbara Pierce, Ph.D., LCSW, ACSW is an Associate Professor at the Indiana University School of Social Work. She has over 30 years of social work experience working with children, youth, and families. Despite her city upbringing and education, she practiced for most of her career in small towns and rural communities in Indiana and Louisiana and has developed a deep respect for those communities and the people who live in them. She has been a social work educator for 17 years. Read more |