Curriculum Vitae

Areas of Interest

Research

Systems and organizations
Child welfare and criminal justice policy
Ethics of technology and data use
Black feminist epistemology
Economic and racial justice
Abolitionist praxis

Teaching

Macro Social work practice
Social policy
Community-driven methodologies
Black studies
Qualitative and CBPAR methods
Systems and organizations

EDUCATION

Ph.D, Social Welfare, UCLA. May 2022, Expected.
- Dissertation: Dismantling the Carceral Ecosystem, Investigating the Role of Child Protection & Family Policing in Los Angeles.
- Committee: Todd Franke, Safiya Noble, Amy Ritterbusch, Dorothy Roberts
Master of Social Welfare, UCLA. June 2019.
- Concentration: Child & Family Well-Being
B.A., Psychology, UNLV. May, 2016.
- Minor: Neuroscience

ACADEMIC PUBLICATIONS

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

Copeland, V. (2021). Centering Unacknowledged Histories: Revisiting NABSW Demands to Repeal ASFA. Journal of Public Child Welfare. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15548732.2021.1976349
Copeland, V. (in press). “It’s the Only System We’ve Got”: Exploring Emergency Response Decision-Making in Child Welfare”. Columbia Journal for Race and Law.
Copeland, V. (2021). Book Review: The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped A Nation. Affilia. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/08861099211025585

Under Review

Copeland, V. (2021). Paradoxes & Possibilities: Reflecting on Abolitionist Praxis and the “Counter-Hegemonic” Struggles in Social Work. In Tuck, E., Yang, K.W., Williams, J., Hurd, N., & Doane, L. (Eds.), Theories of Blackness, Indigeneity, and Racialization in Research to Reduce Inequality in the Lives of Young People.
Copeland, V. (under review). Self-Determination, ethical standard or false promise? Addressing Tensions within Child Welfare Services.
Allmang, S., Plummer, J., Copeland, V., Riascos, M. (under review). Addressing Economic Inequities and Uncertainty Magnified by COVID-19: A Commentary on Directions for Social Work Research.

OTHER PUBLICATIONS

Policy Research Reports

Koonse, T., Herrera, L., & Copeland, V. (in preparation). A Blueprint for Transforming Court-Ordered Community Service in Los Angeles County.
Koonse, T., Herrera, L., & Copeland, V. (in preparation). Court-Ordered Community Service and Targeted-Hiring Programs in California.

Opinion Pieces

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

Summer Fellow, UpTurn: Toward Justice in Technology, Washington DC.
Graduate Student Researcher, UCLA Labor Center, Institute for Research on Labor and Employment.
Graduate Researcher Intern, WISE & Healthy Aging, Los Angeles CA.
Summer Research Fellow, McNair Scholar Summer Research Institute, UNLV, Las Vegas, NV.

Funded Research

How Victim-Survivors of Sexual Violence Access Support: A Research Advocacy Project. Bruin Advocacy Grant & Franklin D. Gilliam Jr. Award.

Impact of COVID-19 on Young People’s Labor Market Participation, Political Engagement, & Well-Being. UNAM/Alianza UCMX Binational Committee Covid-19 Funding.

Community Experience

Co-Founding Member, University of California Survivors + Allies, California
- Campaigns: Increased transparency in reporting, trauma-informed syllabi language shifts, improved training on reporting.

Member, Let’s Get Free LA Coalition, Los Angeles, CA.
- Campaigns: Eliminating criminal justice administrative and program fees, elimination of fees for phone calls and commissary for incarcerated individuals and families, SB71 Support for Expanding Community Service Options.

Teaching Experience

Teaching Assistant, Social Problems and Social Change. UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs-Undergrad. Spring 2020 & 2021.
Teaching Assistant, People, Organizations, & Systems. UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs-Undergrad. Winter 2020.

presentations

Guest Lectures

Copeland, V. (2021, May). Abolitionist Praxis is for Collective Liberation. Gerontology Cluster, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs-Undergrad, Virtual.
Copeland, V. (2021, May). Care of Coercion? Questioning Care Ethics of Child Welfare. CHDV Family Stress and Resilience: Cultural Considerations, California State University Long Beach-Undergrad, Virtual.
Copeland, V. (2021, Feb). Surveillance and Data Proliferation in Child Welfare. People, Organizations, and Systems, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs-Undergrad Virtual.
Copeland, V. (2021, Feb). Developing Theory. The Craft of Social Welfare Scholarship. UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs-Ph.D. Virtual.
Copeland, V., Jordan, S., & Mickell, D. (2021, Feb). PAR Methods. Qualitative Methods, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs-Ph.D, Virtual.

Invited Talks

Copeland, V., Speaker, F., Excell, K., Gormley, E., McMillan, J. (2021, June). Child Welfare Justice Panel: A Public Health Abolitionist Approach. University of Chicago—Illinois. Radical Public Health, Virtual.
Copeland, V. & Pendleton, M. (2021, May). Black Feminism & Child Welfare Abolition. The upEND Movement.
Copeland, V., Rodriguez, D., Smythe, S. (2021, May). What does re-imagining community safety mean to me?, Social Justice Seminar Series, UCLA UAW5810, Virtual
Copeland, V., James, K., Kim, M. (2021, Mar). Are Social Workers Abolitionist?, Townhall on Racial Equity, National Association of Social Workers, Virtual.
Copeland, V., Aten, E., Cantu, A., Yeo, V. (2021, Feb). Power, Privilege, & Oppression, “DICE”: Discussions in Culture & Experiences. Pacific Psychology and Comprehensive Clinic, Portland OR, Virtual.
Copeland, V., McMillan, J., Ortiz, D., Gasser-Ordaz, L., Lemmons, J. (2020, Dec). Spotlight on the Foster System Series: “The Carceral Web: How the Foster and Criminal Legal Systems Perpetuate Injustice”. Shriver Center on Policy and Law, Chicago IL, Virtual.
Copeland, V. (2019, May). Youth Advice & Support App. Public Policy Leadership and Management of Non-Profits, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, Los Angeles CA.

Invited Training Presentations

Copeland, V. & Mueller-Williams, A. (2021, Jan). Preparing for and Passing your Written Comprehensive Exam. Second-Year Ph.D Students, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs-Ph.D, Virtual
Copeland, V., Kwan Jin Yao, Brock-Petroshius, K., Jordan, S. (2021, May). Advancing to Candidacy. Professional Development Series, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs-Ph.D, Virtual.

Peer-Reviewed Conferences

Copeland, V., Abdurahman, J.K., Baughman, C., Ismail, T. (2021, June). Family Surveillance. Panel presentation at the Strengthened Bonds: Abolishing the Child Welfare System and Re-Envisioning Child Well-Being Columbia Law School Volume 11 Symposium, Virtual*
Harvey, B. & Copeland, V. (2021, April). Co-Conspirators: Interrogating the Role of Schools within the Foster Care Industrial Complex. Paper presentation at the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Virtual*
Allmang, S., Plummer, J., Copeland, V. (2021, Jan). Covid 19 and Youth Engagement in Politics: An Intersectional Approach. Roundtable at the Society for Social Work Research Annual Conference, Virtual*
Tulley, B., Copeland, V., Mickell, D. (2021, Jan). “I Wanna Give Her Her Space”: An exploration of how young adults exiting foster care navigate living with family after foster care. Paper presentation at the Society for Social Work Research Annual Conference, Virtual*
Zink, D., Barchard, K., San Miguel, L., Copeland, V., Allen, D. (2016, Nov). Factor Structure of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition Spanish in a Clinical Sample of Puerto Rican Children. Poster presentation at the National Academy of Neuropsychology Conference, Seattle WA
Lee, B., Copeland, V., Allen, D. (2015, Nov). Meta-Analytic Investigation of Neuropsychological Performance in persons with Schizophrenia and Co-Occurring Substance Use Disorders. Poster presentation at the National Academy of Neuropsychology Conference, Austin TX

Accepted Peer-Reviewed Presentations

Copeland V., Edwards, F., Fong, K., Raz, M., Dettlaff, A., (2021, Feb). Administrative Burdens in Child Welfare. Russell Sage Foundation Conference: Administrative Burdens as a Mechanism of Inequality in Policy Implementation. New York City, NY.
Copeland, V. (2021, Sept). The Commodification of Black Family Separation. Panel at the IAMAS 2021 Conference: Building Racial Equality In and Across Motherhood, Virtual.
Tulley, B., Copeland, V., Mickell, D. (2021, Sept). “I Wanna Give Her Her Space”: How Young Adults Exiting Foster Care Navigate Living with Family After Foster Care’. Presentation at the European Scientific Association on Residential & Family Care for Children and Adolescents Conference, Virtual*
Copeland, V. (2021, Aug). Countering Carceral Data Infrastructures through a Praxis of Dark Sousveillance. Poster Presentation at the CURIS Conference: Stanford University, Virtual.

professional experience

Community Organizer and South Central Youth Empowered thru Action (SCYEA) Wellness Intern, Community Coalition, Los Angeles CA.
Care Management Intern, WISE & Healthy Aging, Los Angeles CA.
Juvenile Justice Advocate, Youth Advocate Programs, Las Vegas NV

service experience

Guest Peer Reviewer, Special Issue of Child Welfare: Transforming Child Welfare through Anti-Racist Approaches in Child Welfare
Founding Member, SPACE: Survivor Photos: A Collaboration for Empowerment.
Founding Member, Social Work Anti-Racism Committee, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs-Department of Social Welfare.
Panelist & Mentor, Luskin Diversity Fair.
Lobby Days Leader, NASW Lobby Days.
- Bills included: SB10 (Bail Reform), AB186 (Harm Reduction), SB982 (CalWORKs Grants Amounts), AB163 (Group homes), SB568 (Postsecondary Education)
Inaugural Member, NASW 23-Strong Council
Conference Session Chair, The National Academy of Neuropsychology Annual Conference.

Consulting

Research Consultant, UpEND, The Center for the Study of Social Policy and the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work.

FELLOWSHIPS AND GRANTS

2021 — William T. Grant Foundation, Theories of Blackness, Indigeneity, and Racialization in Research to Reduce Inequality in the Lives of Young People Writing Fellowship ($2,000)
2021 — UpTurn: Toward Justice in Technology, Washington DC. Summer Fellowship ($10,200)
2021 — Black in Artificial Intelligence Grant Program, Black in AI, ($1,500)
2021 — Alisa Bierria Graduate Fellowship in Black Feminist Research, UCLA Center for the Study of Women, Black Feminist Initiative ($1,000)
2021 — Bruin Advocacy Grant ($1250)
2020 — UCLA/Alianza UCMX Binational Committee Covid-19 Funding ($5,000)
2020 — UCLA Graduate Council Diversity Summer Fellowship ($8,000)
2018 — Renee & Meyer Luskin Summer Funding ($5,000)

HONORS AND AWARDS

2021 – Franklin D. Gilliam, Jr. Social Justice Awards
2019 – UCLA MSW Thesis Award for Outstanding Research
2019 – UCLA Public Policy Leadership and Management of Nonprofits Competition Winner
2017 – UCLA Senior Fellows. Mentor: Judge Nash, Office of Child Protection
2016 – UNLV Research Showcase Outstanding Presentation Award, 3^rd Place
2016 – UNLV Psi Chi International Honors Society Poster Competition Outstanding Presentation, 2^nd place
2016 – UNLV Roosevelt Fitzgerald Outstanding Scholar and Leadership Award
2016 – UNLV Alliance of Professionals of African Heritage Outstanding Student Award

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

2021 American Educational Research Association
2021 Society for Social Work and Research
2017 – 2019 National Association of Social Workers
2013 – 2016 National Academy of Neuropsychology
2014 – 2016 Psi Chi International Honor Society

CERTIFICATIONS

Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBTWeb2.0) Certification
MANDT Certification