The New Mexico Team
Megan Finno-Velasquez, PhD, LMSW
Research Partner
Dr. Megan Finno-Velasquez is an Associate Professor in the School of Social Work at New Mexico State University. Her research centers around reimagining culturally responsive support systems for immigrant families and improving the child welfare service system response to the needs of immigrants. Dr. Finno-Velasquez uses mixed methods and community-based participatory research approach to ensure that the voices of immigrant families directly shape the development of more accessible and culturally appropriate social services.
Dr. Finno-Velasquez is director emeritus and current advisor to the Center on Immigration and Child Welfare, a national peer membership organization that aims to reshape how the U.S. child welfare system serves immigrant families. Under her guidance, the Center became a crucial hub for research, training, and cross-sector collaboration, bridging the gap between immigration policy and child protection practices.
Sophia Sepp, LMSW, MPH
Research Partner
Sophia Sepp, LMSW, MPH, currently serves as a Program Manager in the School of Social Work at New Mexico State University, supporting grant-funded research and training development around improving the relevance and access of social services for immigrant families with young children in the New Mexico borderlands. She has practice experience working with immigrant serving organizations in the border region as well as with the NM child welfare system. Her research interests include understanding the complex intersections of immigration, child welfare system, and child wellbeing issues, particularly from a cross-disciplinary lens that incorporates both social work and public health perspectives.
Sophia also works with the Center on Immigration and Child Welfare, a national peer membership organization that strives to improve programs and policies for immigrant children and families involved in the child welfare system. She supports research, practice, and policy-related work to increase equity and service access for children in immigrant families, especially those who touch state child welfare systems.
The New Mexico Team
Megan Finno-Velasquez, PhD, LMSW
Research Partner
Dr. Megan Finno-Velasquez is an Associate Professor in the School of Social Work at New Mexico State University. Her research centers around reimagining culturally responsive support systems for immigrant families and improving the child welfare service system response to the needs of immigrants. Dr. Finno-Velasquez uses mixed methods and community-based participatory research approach to ensure that the voices of immigrant families directly shape the development of more accessible and culturally appropriate social services.
Dr. Finno-Velasquez is director emeritus and current advisor to the Center on Immigration and Child Welfare, a national peer membership organization that aims to reshape how the U.S. child welfare system serves immigrant families. Under her guidance, the Center became a crucial hub for research, training, and cross-sector collaboration, bridging the gap between immigration policy and child protection practices.
Sophia Sepp,
LMSW,
MPH
Research Partner
Sophia Sepp, LMSW, MPH, currently serves as a Program Manager in the School of Social Work at New Mexico State University, supporting grant-funded research and training development around improving the relevance and access of social services for immigrant families with young children in the New Mexico borderlands. She has practice experience working with immigrant serving organizations in the border region as well as with the NM child welfare system. Her research interests include understanding the complex intersections of immigration, child welfare system, and child wellbeing issues, particularly from a cross-disciplinary lens that incorporates both social work and public health perspectives.
Sophia also works with the Center on Immigration and Child Welfare, a national peer membership organization that strives to improve programs and policies for immigrant children and families involved in the child welfare system. She supports research, practice, and policy-related work to increase equity and service access for children in immigrant families, especially those who touch state child welfare systems.
