Monica Faulkner, PhD, MSW

Research Associate Professor, Steve Hicks School of Social Work, University of Texas at Austin

Dr. Monica Faulkner is a Research Associate Professor at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work at The University of Texas at Austin and the Director and co-founder of the Texas Institute for Child & Family Wellbeing. Dr. Faulkner holds Bachelor degrees in Government and Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin and a Masters in Social Work from the University of Houston. She received her PhD in Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin in 2010.

Currently, Dr. Faulkner uses her research expertise to build evidence for interventions and policies that improve the lives of marginalized populations of youth and families. She specializes in program evaluations related to child maltreatment prevention, foster care, and adolescent sexual health. She has also conducted original research related to undocumented Latino parents, permanency of foster youth, and educational outcomes of foster youth.

Additionally, Dr. Faulkner consults with non-profits on program design, data management, and general strategic planning. She is a certified Dare to Lead Facilitator and conducts workshops that bring Dare to LeadTM principles into non-profit agencies.

Dr. Faulkner serves as the Chair for the Higher Education Workgroup for the Education Committee of the Children’s Commission, and as a board member for both the Healthy Teen Network and Education Reach for Texas, respectively. She is also one of the foster care liaisons at The University of Texas at Austin, where she co-launched SPARK, a program that works to assist former foster youth on campus. She also provides support to Girasol, a program that helps Texas immigrant children and families to heal from trauma through support, education, and connection.