Sociology & Social Work Faculty & Staff
Department Chair
- Jolene Sanders, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Sociology
Faculty
- Catherine Breneman, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Social Work - Elizabeth Kiester, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Sociology - Susan Pace, Ph.D.
Social Work Program Director, Assistant Professor of Social Work - Maria Taylor, Ph.D.
Social Work Field Director, Assistant Professor of Social Work - Kristen E. Tzoc, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Sociology
Staff
- Kelly Mehaffie, Executive Assistant
Ruth Whitaker Holmes School of Behavioral and Health Sciences - Email: mehaffie@hood.edu
Faculty Emeritus
- Roger Reitman, Ph.D.
Visiting Professor Emeritus of Sociology
Recent Faculty Achievements
Dr. Susan Pace was awarded the Board of Associates McCardell Professional Development (BOA) grant, summer 2026, to further advance her qualitative study examining culture and equity in Narcotics Anonymous.
Dr. Kristen Tzoc was awarded the Board of Associates McCardell Professional Development (BOA) grant, summer 2025, to further advance her research on how health, social status, and social inequality impact retirement planning and behavior.
Recent Faculty Publications
Ahmed, Saleh, Elizabeth Eklund, and Elizabeth Kiester. 2025. “Small and mid-sized cities at the center of climate adaptation in the Global South: Planning and Policy Responses.” International Development Planning Review 47(2):141-151. https://doi.org/10.3828/idpr.2025.2
Kiester, Elizabeth. 2025. “Gender, Family, and Work” in Handbook of Research on the Sociology of Work eds C. Rees, Ö, Bozkurt, S. Limoncelli, and J. Preminger. UK: Edward Elgar Publishing
Sanders, J. 2025. A Qualitative Cohort Analysis of Older Women in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly. Vol. 33, No. 1, 13-26. https://doi.org/10.1080/07347324.2024.2420793
Pace, S.R. (in print). “There were people like me there that used like I did, but yet had found a way out.” A Qualitative study of long-term Narcotics Anonymous participants. Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment.
Pace, S.R. & Gatenio-Gabel, S. 2025. Evidence for the impact of the human rights-based approach in social policy and programming: A scoping review. International Social Work, 68, 786-801. https://doi.org/10.1177/00208728251336086
Pace, S.R. 2025. Health insurance and use behaviors contributing to outcomes for people who use drugs in the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health study. Addiction Research and Theory, 33(6), 571-578. https://doi.org/10.1080/16066359.2025.2520304
Lilly, J.M., Almanzar, D., Pace, S.R., & Bryant, D.D. 2025. Digital zines as health communication tools among Latina teens: Format and content acceptability and initial findings. Health Promotion Practice, 26(5), 926-945.doi:10.1177/15248399241300570
Lilly, J.M., Emerick, M.C., Tice-Brown, D., & Pace, S. 2024. "How to make it out alive:" A strengths-based analysis of Latinas' adolescent sexual health experiences. Community Health Equity Research and Policy, 45(2), 153165. doi.org/10.1177/2752535X241260444
Lilly, J.M., Pace, S.R., & Emerick, M.C. 2023. “¿Y tu novio? Where’s your boyfriend?”: A cultural-ecological analysis of Latinas’ narratives of teen dating experiences. Journal of Adolescent Research,40(6),1352-1379.https://doi.org/10.1177/07435584231207627
Pace, S.R., Lilly, J.M., & Emerick, M.C. 2023. Latina young people's perspectives on healthy romantic relationships: A strengths-based, qualitative inquiry. Journal of Couple & Relationship Therapy, 23(2), 79-96.https://doi.org/10.1080/15332691.2023.2292020
Kiester, Elizabeth. 2023. “Chapter 10: Health and Immigration” in Introduction to Health Inequalities: A Social Science Perspective 2nd eds. M. Reiter and A. Reiter. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall Hunt Publishing
Kiester, Elizabeth. 2022. “Derailed by the Mommy Track: Organizational Policies, Institutional Expectations, and Emotional Labor on Mothers” in The Reproduction and Maintenance of Inequalities in Interpersonal Relationships eds. Tyler Flockhart, Abigail Reiter, and Matthew Hassett: IGI Global Publishing
Ahmed, Saleh, Elizabeth Eklund, and Elizabeth Kiester. 2022. “Adaptation Outcomes in Climate Vulnerable Locations: Understanding How Short-term Climate Actions Exacerbated Existing Gender Inequities in Coastal Bangladesh” at Journal of Environmental Planning and Management. 1-22. doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2022.2082928
Sanders, Jolene. 2021. “A continuum of older women’s experiences as members of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA): A qualitative analysis,” Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 39(1), 30-46. doi.org/10.1080/07347324.2020.1824598
Recent Faculty Presentations
Pace, S.R. “Narcotics Anonymous affiliation: Direct and indirect effects on polysubstance use.” Poster presented at the College on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD) 88th Annual Scientific Meeting, Portland, OR. June 2026.
Kiester, Elizabeth. “From Headlines to Laws: The Social Construction of Climate Havens through Media and Policy Narratives.” Eastern Sociological Society Annual Meetings. Washington, DC. March 7, 2026.
Kiester, Elizabeth. “The Narrative of Safety and Resilience: How Climate Havens in the U.S. Frame Their Efforts to Prepare for Climate Migrants.” American Sociological Association Annual Meetings. Chicago IL. Aug 8-13, 2025.
Tzoc, Kristen. “The intersecting impact of gender, health, and marital status on retirement planning.” American Sociological Association Annual Meeting. Chicago, NY. August 2025.
Tzoc, Kristen. “Unequal Retirements: The role of occupational stratification and intersecting gendered, racialized, and health-related inequalities on retirement planning." Population Association of America Annual Meeting. Washington, D.C., April 2025.
Tzoc, Kristen. “Status inconsistency: Does it matter for retirement expectations and planning behaviors?” Eastern Sociological Society Annual Meeting. Boston, MA. March 2025.
Tzoc, Kristen. “Occupational stratification, retirement expectations, and planning strategies: Variations by gender, race/ethnicity, and health status.” Population Association of America Meeting. Columbus, OH. April 2024.
Tzoc, Kristen. “The impact of occupations, gender, and health status on retirement planning." Eastern Sociological Society Annual Meeting. Washington, D.C., March 2024.
Kiester, Elizabeth. “Small and Mid-Sized Cities as the Heart of Climate Migration Decision-Making.” Eastern Sociological Society Annual Meetings. Washington, DC. Feb 29-Mar 3, 2024.
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