Faculty

Brenda Safford, M.A.

Coordinator for Human Services
508.854.2841
bsafford [at] qcc.mass.edu

BrendaSafford is currently a Tenured Professor at Quinsigamond Community College. Before accepting this appointment, she served as a Coordinator of Admissions and was an Adjunct Faculty at the college for more than nine years. Previously, Brenda worked at YWCAof Central Massachusetts as the agency’s first Director of Women’s Economic Empowerment where she oversaw programing that empowered women to achieve economic independence. Previously she served as the Director of Multicultural Affairs at Assumption College. Brenda is active volunteer having served on the board of directors YWCA, Worcester Youth Center, Board of Trustees at QCC, President, League of Women Voters Worcester and serves on the League of Women Voters Sate Board of Directors. She also recipient ofnumerous awards for her community service and leadership including the National Institute for Staff&Organizational Development (NISOD) for Teaching Excellence, Commonwealth Citation for Outstanding Performance, YWCA’s Katharine F. Erskine Award, CommunityBuild Youth Institute Volunteer Award, Girl Scouts of Central/Western Mass Women of Distinction Award, YMCA Minority Achiever, City of Worcester Advisory Board for Affirmative Action, the Greater Worcester Community Foundation Scholarship Committee and theRegional ACE Inaugural Award. Brenda received her Associate Degree from Quinsigamond Community College and her Master’s and Bachelor’s degree in Human Services and Rehabilitation Counseling from Assumption University.

TonyYeulenski, M.A, CRC 

Assistant Professor
Practicum Fieldwork Coordinator
508.854.2879
ayeulenski [at] qcc.mass.edu

In 2004, Tony Yeulenski received his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Becker College and continued his education at Assumption College where he received his Master of Arts in Rehabilitation Counseling in 2010.  During his professional career, Tony has been employed at UMASS Medical School, Y.O.U. Inc., and the Bridge of Central MA as a Supervisor providing supports for adolescents. In 2006, Tony started a new work experience serving adults with disabilities at Life-Skills Inc. His supervisory responsibilities included Program Director, Human Rights Coordinator, DOL, grants and fundraising 15 of his total 30 years in the Human Services field. Tony has taught since 2009 as adjunct faculty for QCC prior to being named full time faculty within our department.  Tony has received numerous awards in the Human Service field; including citations from the House Senate and House of Representatives, Employee of the Year Award Life-Skills and Division Diamond award for UMass Medical School and received his NISOD Award for Excellence in Teaching at QCC.  Tony currently serves as the Salvation Army Unit Coordinator for Webster-Dudley and most recently trained for Disaster Relief deployment. He is also a member of the Webster-Dudley Chamber of Commerce. Most recently, he works relentlessly on his nephew’s foundation, Tyler’s Teammates, co-founded by the WooSox.

Jean Kennedy, M.A, LMHC, HS-BCP

Human Services—Board Certified Practitioner
Professor 
508.854.2744
jkennedy [at] qcc.mass.edu

Professor Kennedy has been teaching at Quinsigamond Community College as a full-time faculty since 2002 and as an adjunct faculty since 1999.  She was Coordinator of the Human Services Department (2008-2015) during which time initiated and helped achieve National Accreditation for the human services program.  She has taught in the disciplines of Human Services, Psychology, and Sociology.  Jean holds an undergraduate degree in Music Therapy, a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology and is a Human Services-Board Certified Practitioner (HS-BCP).  She has taught in the QCC Honor’s Program for over ten years.She is a licensed mental health counselor and has worked in the field of human services for over 35 years.  During these years she has held positions as a Director of a Residential Scattered Apartment Site Program (Adult Psychiatric Rehabilitation Model),Group Therapist at a Fountain House Model program, School—Based Therapist (K-6th grade) a Coordinator for an Intensive Family Stabilization (home-based) program for families involved in DCF, and a Director of Healthy Families Program.  She holds a certification Reality Therapy (William Glasser) and certification of completion of Intensive (one-year) training in Family Systems therapy at the Family Institute of Cambridge.She is a level II EMDR (eye movement desensitization reprocessing) clinician and a Master Reiki practitioner.  She has studied and worked with Native Americans in South Western United States, participated in a three-year program on shamanism and is a certified Energy Medicine Practitioner.  She is a life-long meditator and brings mindfulness mediation into her classes, the college campus and to life! Jean has been a member of the New England Organization for Human Services since 2007.  She served as a Board Member on the Council for Standards in Human Service Education (2010-2017).  Jean has a Humanistic, strength-based philosophy in her clinical practice as well as in her approach to teaching.

Doe West, M.S., M.Div., PhD., HS-BCP

Human Services—Board Certified Practitioner
Professor and Chair, Human Services Department 
508.854.2840
dwest [at] qcc.mass.edu

Dr. West enjoys telling her students that she “wears two hats and a collar” as she is a Professor, a Psychotherapist, and a Chaplain! Now a tenured professor at QCC, she prior to that at Boston University, Northeastern, Assumption, Anna Maria, Bay Path and also was an adjunct faculty member here at QCC since 2008. She was the very first full time Professor at QCC’s Southbridge campus and also our primary online instructor for many years. Dr West has taught in Human Services, Psychology, Gerontology, Deaf Studies at QCC as well as Sociology, Social Work studies and Bioethics at other universities and colleges throughout the Commonwealth since 1982. She holds parallel degrees in the social sciences and theology from the Associates through the Doctoral level (a total of 8 college degrees). Her secular undergraduate degrees were in LA/Pre-Med Biology and Speech & Language Sciences with a parallel teaching certification in Special Ed; her master’s degree is in Rehabilitation Counseling and her Doctorate in Law, Policy & Society. Her theological degrees are in Sacred Literature, Religious Arts, Master of Divinity, and Doctorate in Pastoral Care to support her work with hospices and Emergency Rooms care. During her decades in the Human Services she has held positions as diverse as serving as the first Commissioner of Disability Services / 504 (ADA) Compliance Officer for the City of Boston; as Executive Director for non-profit organizations including  Social Action Ministries of Boston and Springboard Inc. for young adults with Developmental Disabilities; as Chief of Staff for a Massachusetts State Senator; as Director of Pastoral Care & Education for Quincy City Hospital and later as Chaplain at Overlook Lifespan Community in Charlton; as well as sustaining a small private practice as a Psychotherapist since 1980.   She is of the Lenape tribe (Algonquin Nation) and was raised in the Native American tradition as a healer by her full blood Grandmother. As an adult she added training in nutrition, herbs and homeopathy and is a Reiki Master, Dr West is a past Vice President of the New England Org for Human Services and passed the national exam as a Board-Certified Human Service Practitioner. She was awarded a NISOD medal for Excellence in Teaching, as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award by Who’s Who in America. Her latest project for QQ was the creation of the national prototype Human Service Apprenticeship model and while on Sabbatical she added a next publication to her list of books and articles specific to our students at QCC. It is entitled: “Searching for Solutions: Case Studies & Discussion Questions for Helping professionals.”

Susan Moriarty

Adjunct Faculty
Program Coordinator, Direct Support Certificate
508.854.7585
smoriarty [at] qcc.mass.edu