Rate My Professor Donna Aguiniga

Donna M. Aguiniga serves as Assistant Dean and Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Alaska Anchorage. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin (2010), a Master of Social Work from Boise State University (2001), and a Bachelor of Science in History and Psychology from Eastern New Mexico University (1998). Prior to joining UAA in 2013, Dr. Aguiniga was a faculty member at Western Illinois University for four years. Her professional practice experience encompasses child protective services, community mental health, and case management. She has held leadership roles including Interim Director of the UAA Center for Community Engagement & Learning, where she supported community-based projects and partnerships, and led the UAA Dialogues for Public Life program from 2014 to 2022, training campus and community members to facilitate dialogues and deliberations while organizing events for various organizations.

Dr. Aguiniga's research interests center on child welfare issues, including permanency, adoption, kinship care, and the impact of poverty on family functioning, alongside community development, rural communities, and social work education. She engages in community-based research and collaboration. Key publications include 'Post-adoption contact experiences of birth mothers' (Aguiniga et al., 2023, Adoption Quarterly); 'Homeless youth shelters and services for transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) clients: Results from a nationwide survey' (Bowers et al., 2022, Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Services); 'Perspectives of low-income mothers about their intimate partner relationships' (Aguiniga & Trawver, 2021, Journal of Family Social Work); 'Birth mothers’ options counseling and relinquishment experiences' (Madden et al., 2020, in The Routledge Handbook of Adoption); 'Former foster youth experiences with higher education: Opportunities and challenges' (Tobolowsky et al., 2019, Children and Youth Services Review); 'Foster care placement process and settings' (Aguiniga & Madden, 2018, in Handbook of Foster Youth); 'The relationship between time and birth mother satisfaction with relinquishment' (Madden et al., 2018, Families in Society); and 'Teaching note – Partnering macro social work students with agencies addressing youth homelessness' (Aguiniga & Bowers, 2018, Journal of Social Work Education). She teaches Practice with Individuals, Social Welfare Policy, and Generalist Practicum, and contributes to professional service on the CSWE Council on Conferences and Faculty Development and the Social Welfare Policy & Policy Practice Track.