Our Team
The Workforce for Student Well-being (WSW) Initiative is dedicated to empowering the next generation of school social workers to address the mental health needs of K-12 students in high-need public and tribal schools. Through scholarships, advanced training, and a supportive community of practice, WSW equips professionals with the skills to foster social-emotional learning and provide critical mental health services. Together, we’re building a brighter, more inclusive future for students and their communities.
Jenn Stuber, Ph.D., is a graduate of Cornell University with a B.S. in Biology and a minor in philosophy with a Ph.D. in healthcare policy from Yale University’s School of Public Health.
At first, she really didn’t want to become an academic as she feared being locked away in the ivory tower or irrelevance. Her research interests zeroed in on mental health disparities and necessary policy and systems changes when she completed a postdoctoral Robert Wood Johnson Population Health Fellowship at Columbia University. UW’s School of Social Work called to her as a place that would recognize her desire to do evaluation and research on programs and policies that can have positive impact on communities impacted by mental health disparities. In relocating to Washington state, Jenn and her young family soon faced the suicide of her life partner, Matt, in 2011. Since then, Jenn has worked on policies, programs, and trainings in the arena of the suicide prevention, focusing most recently, on students and parents/ caregivers in school-based settings because of the urgency posed by the public health problem of youth suicide and the lack of sufficient resources available in many communities.
Jenn founded and Directed Forefront Suicide Prevention at the UW School of Social Work for a decade. She is thrilled to join the SMART Center to focus on youth suicide. SMART understands programming on youth suicide prevention in schools will not endure without the necessary policies and systems being in place. She looks forward to helping the SMART Center support school districts as they work to integrate further the voices of students and parents and as they strengthen their suicide prevention safety nets.
Rachel Barrett is a licensed clinical social worker (LICSW) and joins the UW SMART Center as the Program Manager for the Workforce for Student Well-Being following 20+ years in schools, community mental health, and out-of-district placements for students with significant mental health needs.
Rachel is involved in a variety of projects aimed at improving children’s access to quality mental health services in the communities in which they live. Rachel provides consultation to schools, teaches children’s mental health content at the UW School of Social Work, and supports the professional development of the next generation of social workers. She earned her BA in Gender Studies and Politics (2001) from Oberlin College and her MSW (2005) from the University of Washington.
Rachel has expertise in the areas of externalizing behaviors masking internal distress and the requisite therapeutic/school-based interventions needed for student success. Rachel has experience in developing suicide postvention protocols in community mental health as well as public school settings. She is trained in a variety of approaches to suicide intervention and regularly consults on students experiencing high acuity mental health symptoms in schools.
When not working at her main hustles or side hustles Rachel enjoys books about wizards, indulging in questionable television choices, and hanging out with her wife (also a social worker), her three kids, and two dogs.
Vaughnetta J. Barton, MSW is managing the Washington State Behavioral Health Workforce Development Initiative for the University of Washington School of Social Work. As assistant director, Vaughnetta is administering $25 million to 13 private and public universities in Washington state to increase the number of professional clinicians working in the community behavioral health field. Vaughnetta is also working on the Workforce for Student Well-being (WSW) Initiative, a career opportunity for future school social workers.
Vaughnetta J. Barton has more than 30 years of experience in the non-profit sector specializing in program development, grantmaking, finance, community engagement, and public policy. Vaughnetta’s previous work includes external affairs program officer at Rasmuson Foundation, executive director of the Foundation for Early Learning, and membership director at Philanthropy Northwest. Vaughnetta has also held senior leadership positions in the credit union industry.
Vaughnetta J. Barton has served on several non-profit boards and is a board director of Express Credit Union. After serving on The Seattle Public Library’s board of trustees, Vaughnetta chaired The Seattle Public Library’s chief librarian search advisory committee. Vaughnetta is a former German Marshall Fund Fellow and an alumna of Leadership Tomorrow.
Vaughnetta J. Barton earned her Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Washington with a concentration in administration, focused on children, youth, and families. Vaughnetta graduated from Central Washington University with a Bachelor of Science degree.
Casey Ehde obtained a B.A. in Cognitive Science from Berkeley and has over 3 years of experience conducting social/demographic and psychological research across a range of contexts (e.g., community, home, school). Casey’s primary interest is in the development and implementation of evidence-based practices and interventions, primarily those for school aged children and adolescents suffering from mood and anxiety disorders.
Elsa Ferguson is the Digital Content and Graphic Design Specialist for WSW, a program of the University of Washington SMART Center. In this role, she oversees, creates, and develops graphic design projects for both print and digital mediums, crafts social media content and images, and manages web updates to enhance the program’s digital presence.
With over 13 years of experience in the non-profit sector, Elsa has worked across diverse fields, including cancer care, nutrition and food insecurity, public health, event planning, and the tech industry. She holds a B.A. in Nutrition & Public Policy, complemented by a minor in Adult Education from Alverno College in Milwaukee, WI.
Beyond her professional life, Elsa finds joy in spending time with family and friends, exploring new destinations, indulging in ice cream and delicious meals, and passionately rooting for her favorite sports teams—the Kansas Jayhawks, basketball (she lives for March Madness) and the Seattle Seahawks.
Clynita Grafenreed, Ph.D., is a Licensed Psychologist (LP) and a Licensed Specialist in School Psychology (LSSP). She earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology (1993) and Ph.D. in Psychology (1998) from Texas A&M University in College Station. While she is a LP, Clynita considers herself first as an educator, having spent 24 years in education as a School Psychologist.
For 12 years, Clynita worked as a LSSP in several Houston area school districts and then 12 years as an Education Specialist at Region 4 Education Service Center (Region 4) in the Department of Special Education Solutions. While at Region 4, the largest Education Service Center in Texas, Clynita led the Texas Behavior Support Network, a Texas Education Agency sponsored statewide network designed to build capacity in Texas schools through the provision of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) to all students for ten years.
Clynita has expertise in the areas of equity, school discipline, mental health, and behavioral supports and interventions.
Bethlehem Kebede holds a B.S. in Applied Mathematics and Statistics from Stony Brook University. Before joining the SMART Center team, she worked at a small startup where her job was all about data – from crunching numbers and creating dashboards to conducting market research and writing analytical blog articles. In addition to this, she spent time as a K-12 math instructor as she finds it rewarding to support students in their educational journey. Bethlehem is excited to put her analytical skills to good use in the world of school mental health research.
In her spare time, Bethlehem enjoys reading various types of books, especially those in literature, psychology, and history and catching Broadway shows.
Megan Lickhalter (she/her) has a BA in Psychology and a minor in Nutrition from the University of Washington. Megan joins the SMART Center with prior experience working in the Seattle arts and culture sector, as well as in clinical mental health. She is passionate about understanding and implementing mental health interventions for young people, and is excited to contribute to the SMART Center’s efforts to do so.
In her free time, Megan enjoys baking, making pottery, crocheting, and hanging out with her goldendoodle, Mila.
Nikki York is a Program Operations Specialist at the University of Washington’s SMART Center, where she supports the Washington School Social Work (WSW) Initiative.
Nikki’s work focuses on expanding the school social work workforce in Washington state through post-graduation support, policy development, and statewide advocacy.
Previously, Nikki worked at the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), leading efforts in school social work policy and school-based threat assessment implementation. Her current work includes policy initiatives aimed at improving student access to school-based behavioral health services and strengthening systems of support for school social workers.
