The Steve Hicks School of Social Work at The University of Texas at Austin welcomes back Kcie Driggers, LCSW (MSSW ’18) and Anna Finger, LCSW-S (MSSW ‘09) as clinical assistant professors.

Driggers and Finger will resource and support the school’s practicum education program, and Finger will serve as co-director for the Gerontology Resources and the Aging Community in Education (GRACE) Program at SHS. Both are graduates of SHS and the GRACE program, a practicum-based learning program funded by the St. David’s Foundation that is designed to increase social work students’ knowledge of and experience with older adults.

“Professor Driggers and Professor Finger come with exceptionally strong leadership experience, as well as deft practice skills that will add to an already distinguished clinical faculty,” said Allan Cole, dean of SHS. “As graduates of our school and seasoned social workers, they will make vital contributions to our efforts to help shape and equip our next group of bright, passionate, and resourceful students as we continue our School’s mission to develop professional social workers. We were fortunate to garner an outstanding pool of applicants for these positions. I am grateful to the search advisory committee members who led the respective searches for our School and contributed keen insight and wisdom throughout the search process.”

Before joining SHS in a faculty role, Driggers served as the chief program officer for Senior Services of Austin, where she provided comprehensive care management services for older adults with complex health conditions and oversaw the internship program in relation to the organization’s partnership with SHS practicum students. Driggers is also the owner and co-founder of Agency: Navigating Care Consultants, an organization which creates educational resources on care management for non-clinical individuals and care partners.

Finger, served as a senior licensed clinical social worker and team lead for Dell Medical School in the Department of Health Social Work, where she provided patient-centered clinical social work and psychotherapy services. She also served as a guest lecturer at SHS and practicum instructor in the GRACE Program.

“The experience of our students will be deeply enriched because of the knowledge, care, and character that Kcie and Anna bring to our School,” said Rebecca Gomez, associate dean for academic affairs at SHS. “I am thrilled to bring them back as educators onto the Forty Acres and look forward to collaborating with them as we fulfill our school’s mission of enhancing human well-being.”

 “It is gratifying when we have the opportunity to invite to those who have been educated in our School to draw on their years of leadership and success in professional social work to return and teach our current students, and thereby contribute to their professional formation and paths,” added Dean Cole.