LEXINGTON, Ky. — The University of Kentucky College of Social Work (CoSW) is pleased to welcome Stephanie Quiring, JD, PhD, as an Assistant Professor.
Quiring brings more than 15 years of experience as an attorney, community advocate, and educator, with a career spanning multiple stages of the criminal legal system. Early in her career, she worked on the successful campaign to abolish the death penalty in Maryland. More recently, she served as Board Chair of the Indiana Abolition Coalition during the resumption of federal executions, after a 17-year hiatus, in Terre Haute, Indiana. As an attorney, her work focused on criminal defense, particularly in cases involving mental health concerns.
Her research and policy interests are grounded in supporting people with lived experiences navigating mental health crises within the criminal legal system. This includes work in police decision-making, community-based mental health crisis response, and mental health law and policy.
“I’m thrilled to join a college deeply committed to social justice and innovation,” shared Quiring. “I look forward to collaborating with students, faculty, and community partners as we work to improve systems that impact people and our communities.”
Prior to joining CoSW, Quiring was on faculty at the Indiana University School of Social Work. In Indiana, she also served as the Research Director for the NAMI Indiana Technical Assistance Center for Mental Health and Justice Programs. There, she worked with communities across the state to strengthen infrastructure for crisis response through Sequential Intercept Model mapping and strategic planning.
“Dr. Quiring brings a wealth of experience at the intersection of criminal justice and mental health,” said Dr. Jackie Duron, CoSW Associate Dean of Faculty Advancement. “Her scholarship and systems-level work reflect our college’s mission to bring positive change through people. We’re delighted to welcome her to our faculty.”
Quiring earned her PhD from Indiana University, her Juris Doctorate from Howard University School of Law, and an Extended Bachelor of Science in Sociology from Northern Arizona University. She is licensed to practice law in Illinois, Indiana, and the Southern District of Indiana.
When she’s not in the classroom or community, you’ll likely find Quiring exploring Lexington with her English Bulldog, Ace. She enjoys spending time with her family, road trips, and trying new restaurants.