Karen Countryman-Roswurm
Countryman-Roswurm in 2018
Born
Karen Countryman

1980
Wichita, Kansas, US
EducationWichita State University (BSW, MSW, PhD)
Occupation(s)Social worker, professor, academic administrator

Karen Irene Countryman-Roswurm (born June 5, 1980) is a Native American (Blackfoot)[1] social worker, professor, and academic administrator who specializes in the field of human trafficking and other forms of exploitation.[2] She is an associate professor in the school of social work at Wichita State University and the founder and executive director of the Wichita State University Center for Combating Human Trafficking (CCHT).[3]

Early life and education

When she was 13, Countryman-Roswurm's mother died and she subsequently spent her adolescence on the run, on the streets, and in and out of foster homes, and a children's home.[4] Despite this, Countryman-Roswurm completed her GED and successfully became an emancipated minor from state custody at age 16. She is the only Kansas child to do so to this date.[3][5] Following her emancipation, she was hired to be a street outreach peer counselor through the same children's home she had previously received services from.[3]

Countryman-Roswurm received her undergraduate degree in social work in 2005, her masters social work degree in 2006, and her doctorate in community psychology in 2012, all from Wichita State University.[3]

Career

Countryman-Roswurm began working as a peer counselor in street outreach services and has since worked across the country as a therapist, in youth programs, community organizing, and advocating for vulnerable populations. Currently, Countryman-Roswurm serves as a tenured associate professor in the Wichita State University School of Social Work and as the Founding Executive Director of the Wichita State University Center for Combating Human Trafficking.[3]

Much of Countryman-Roswurm's recent work has been advocating for survivors of sex trafficking in Kansas, and across the country, who have been unjustly criminalized.[6][7][8][9][10][11][12]

Honors and awards

  • 2014: Inaugural Pat Ayars Mentoring Award given by the Wichita Business Journal[13]
  • 2015: The National Convening on Trafficking and Child Welfare in the White House[2]
  • 2017: Martin Luther King Jr., Education Award given by The Kansas African American Museum[14]

References

  1. ↑ Countryman-Roswurm, Karen (January 2015). "Rise, Unite, Support:Doing "No Harm" in the Anti-Trafficking Movement". Slavery Today Journal. 2 (1): 26–47. doi:10.22150/stj/VPCM7780.
  2. 1 2 Wenzl, Roy (9 June 2015). "Wichita State expert part of national training to fight human trafficking". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Wenzl, Roy (23 March 2013). "WSU setting up center to aid youths ensnared in human trafficking". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  4. ↑ Wenzl, Roy (7 May 2000). "Karen Lost and Found Part 1: Reenie and Mom". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  5. ↑ Wenzl, Roy (12 May 2000). "Karen Lost and Found Part 6: A 16-Year-Old Asks the Court to Grant Her Freedom". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  6. ↑ Wenzl, Roy (22 March 2016). "Wichita child-trafficking victim, now 18, may soon be released from jail". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  7. ↑ "Kansas tries to stop human trafficking". Kake news. 14 February 2017. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  8. ↑ Shine, Tom (23 January 2018). "WSU's Center for Combating Human Trafficking to Host Love Not Lockup Event". KMUW 89.1. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  9. ↑ Burgess, Katherin (16 February 2018). "Runaway foster kids raise sex-trafficking fears in Kansas". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  10. ↑ Smith, Sherman (9 July 2018). "In sex trafficking fight, Kansas officials want more people talking about victims". Topeka Capital Journal. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  11. ↑ Lowe, Peggy (14 October 2019). "Kansas made this sex trafficking survivor a criminal - she wants another chance". KCUR 89.3. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  12. ↑ Lowe, Peggy (15 October 2019). "Kansas Foster Care Instability led to Surge in Runaways, Left Children Vulnerable to Sex Traffickers". KCUR 89.3. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  13. ↑ "Inaugural Pay Ayars Mentoring Award Given to Karen Countryman-Roswurm". Wichita Business Journal. 31 July 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  14. ↑ Boese, Chandler (6 January 2017). "2017 Martin Luther King Day Events Planned". The Wichita Eage. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
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