Karen K. Kirst-Ashman, BSW, MSSW, and PhD, was a full professor and a former chairperson in the Social Work Department at the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater, where she taught for 28 years. She is certified as a licensed clinical social worker in the state of Wisconsin and has worked as a practitioner and administrator in child welfare and mental health agencies. She received the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater's Excellence in Teaching Award in 1986 and its Outstanding Teaching Award in 2007. She has been a member of the board of directors of the Council on Social Work Education in addition to being an accreditation site visitor, and is a current member of BPD and NASW. She has served on the editorial board of Affilia: Journal of Women and Social Work, and as a consulting editor for many social work journals, including the Journal of Social Work Education. She is the author of numerous publications, articles, and reviews concerning social work and women's issues. Other books she has authored or coauthored include INTRODUCTION TO SOCIAL WORK AND SOCIAL WELFARE: CRITICAL THINKING PERSPECTIVES (5th ed); HUMAN BEHAVIOR IN THE MACRO SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT: AN EMPOWERMENT APPROACH TO UNDERSTANDING COMMUNITIES, ORGANIZATION, AND GROUPS (4th ed); GENERALIST PRACTICE WITH ORGANIZATIONS AND COMMUNITIES (5th ed); THE MACRO SKILLS WORKBOOK (2nd ed); and UNDERSTANDING GENERALIST PRACTICE (8th ed).
