Biography

Kristen Selleck, DSW, is an Assistant Professor of Instruction at Temple University’s School of Social Work in the College of Public Health.

Dr. Selleck has more than two decades of macro practice experience, primarily in child welfare and gender-based violence sectors. Having started her career serving adult and child survivors of interpersonal violence involved in multi-systemic interventions, her focus shifted towards systemic change efforts. Working first in Connecticut to improve the Department of Children and Families’ practice and policy with domestic violence, Dr. Selleck began training, coaching, and informing policy across the U.S. as well as Australia, Ireland, and England, as a director at the Safe and Together Institute. In 2015, she began working to improve outcomes for children and families nationally through federally funded contracts, including the Capacity Building Center for States and the National Child Welfare Center for Innovation and Advancement.

As a macro practitioner, Dr. Selleck led teams of experts delivering technical assistance across the country, developed equity-driven practice models on how to build capacity, and supported systems to implement policy and practice changes. As a practitioner dedicated to political Social Work, she has run for office (Connecticut General Assembly 103rd district) and worked on numerous campaigns as a volunteer. Prior to joining Temple University, she taught as an adjunct at Western Connecticut State University focusing on Social Welfare Policy. Dr. Selleck’s practice and academic interests center on macro Social Work and the impact of systemic and political change.
Dr. Selleck’s scholarship has focused primarily on how policy shapes outcomes in child welfare, including through an anti-racist policy lens and in looking at the provision of concrete goods and cash transfers as an intervention to reduce child harm and systems involvement. Additionally, Dr. Selleck has researched adoption competent practice.

Dr. Selleck holds her Doctorate in Social Work from Tulane University and her Master of Social Work from the University of Connecticut with a concentration in policy practice.