Student Resources

"Interim" Department Chair: Janelle Hinchley, MSW, LICSW
HAB 138
College of Saint Benedict Campus
Phone (320) 363-5811

Janelle Hinchley has been practicing social work for the past 14 years.  During this time, she has worked in many settings including adolescent and adult mental health, child welfare, school social work and private practice as a consultant and therapist. Previously, she has taught in the social work department at St. Cloud State University. Janelle obtained her Masters in Social Work from the University of Denver with an emphasis on mental health with courses both in clinical and administrative social work practices.  Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW).

Janelle believes in the importance of “play and balance” in her personal and professional life. When she is not practicing social work or teaching, she can be found reading, writing, practicing yoga, enjoying good conversations with friends at local coffee shops, listening to folk music, kayaking, biking, and most importantly, taking mid-afternoon naps on her days off.

Department Chair: John Yoakam, Ph.D, LICSW
HAB 129
College of Saint Benedict Campus
Phone (320) 363-5155

(Study abroad and Sabbatical 2007-2008)

Education: Ph.D in Social Work, University of Minnesota; Master of Arts in Religious Studies, Chicago Theological Seminaries, Master of Divinity, United Theological Seminary in the Twin Cities.  Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW).

Dr. Yoakam joined the social work faculty at the College of St. Benedict/St. John's University in the fall semester of 2000. For the past 30 years Dr. Yoakam has worked in social work human services, mental health, chemical dependency treatment, AIDS Prevention and service, and community organization.  He has taught at the University of Minnesota in the Schools of Public Health and Social Work and at the University of St. Thomas.

Dr. Yoakam lives with his partner in Minneapolis. They enjoy travel, gardening, swimming and bicycling. 

Adjunct Assistant Professor: Rena Sespene-Hinz, MSW, ACSW, LISW
HAB 139
College of Saint Benedict Campus
Phone (320) 363-5060

Rena comes with 20 years of direct social work care practice in the clinical setting. Most of her work has been in the health care setting, having worked at the St. Cloud Hospital for the past 10 years as the Perinatal Medical Social Worker on the Parent, Child, and Women’s Center. She has a Bachelors degree in Psychology and Sociology and a Masters Degree in Social Work with an emphasis on Maternal Child Health from the University of Hawaii. She has worked in the Developmental Disabilities field with children and adults and has extensive experience with all areas of medical social work. She currently is the social worker in the hospital’s Pediatric & Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Women’s Health, and Family Birthing Center. Her area of expertise is in Child Abuse & Neglect, Domestic Violence, Perinatal Bereavement Counseling and Community Organization. She is the Chairperson for the St. Cloud Area Child Abuse & Neglect Prevention Council, a member of the Young Parent Program Network Group, a member of the Stearns/Benton Child Protection Team, and on various hospital committees. She has been practicum instructor to many social work students over the past 10 years. Licensed Independent Social Worker (LISW).

Rena has been married to her husband for 23 years, has 1 daughter who is now going to college, 1 son in high school and a dog named Max. She enjoys scrap booking, reading, and vacationing in Hawaii (where she is originally from). Rena will teaches SWRK 343 Generalist Practice I and SWRK 349 Junior Practicum.

Adjunct Assistant Professor: Kerby Plante, MSW, LGSW
ASB 109
College of Saint Benedict Campus
Phone (320) 363-5351

Kerby Plante has been practicing in the social services work field for the past 12 years.  In that time, he has served people in a variety of settings.  They include: teenage foster care and treatment programs, adult mental health, access with managed care and community programming and educational access for low-income and first-generation students. Licensed Graduate Social Worker (LGSW).

Kerby earned a Master's degree in Social Work from Augsburg College. Kerby is currently the director of the Upward Bound program at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University. Kerby has also been an instructor at the Minnesota School of Business. He also has served on various boards for state, regional, and national organizations within TRIO programs.

Kerby enjoys spending time with his beautiful wife, Marla, and his two young boys, Zachary and Jacob. He enjoys many outdoor activities including golfing, fishing, and camping.

Adjunct Assistant Professor: Felicia Washington SY
HAB 139
College of Saint Benedict Campus
Phone (320) 363-5880

Felicia Washington SY returns to CSB/SJU for the 2007-2008 academic year following a three year stay in Denver, Colorado working to complete the requirements of a doctorate in social work at the University of Denver.  Her dissertation work is centered in exploring alternative forms of therapy for child sexual abuse survivors.

Ms. SY obtained undergraduate degrees in theater and sociology at CSB and her Masters of Social Work from the University of Minnesota where she was a child welfare scholar from 1996-1998.  Upon completing her masters degree, Ms. SY gained valuable experience in child protection and treatment foster care and then began teaching full time in the CSB/SJU Social Work Department from 2000-2003.  Her current research interests include: the art and science of yoga in mental health, the feasibility of trans-global social work internships for students, and risk and resilience issues in Senegalese, West African youth.

Ms. SY is a registered yoga teacher and yoga therapist and enjoys camping, bicycling, and knitting in her spare time.  She is also an accomplished performance artist and writer and can frequently be seen performing spoken work poetry around the Twin Cities area.