Heather Somple Anderson

Heather Somple Anderson, M.A.

Senior Adjunct Lecturer, Department of Sociology

She, Her, Hers

About

Heather Somple Anderson has been a lecturer at California Lutheran University since the 2016-2017 academic year. Her professional background includes over 15 years within social service and international relief where she has worked on behalf of agencies in 11 different nations, serving children and families in crisis. Her work with humanitarian programs and her academic research have brought her to residential care facilities, prison cells, refugee camps, hospice programs and intensive care units, where she has assisted populations who are enduring significant loss or braving transition. Ms. Anderson has a Master's Degree in International Service from Roehampton University in London, England, and a Master's Degree in Sociology from California State University, Northridge. Research she has conducted has been used to evaluate and improve social service programs in four countries, garnering first place honors in qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis. An excerpt of her case study on the transitional services available to HIV-positive adolescents aging out of residential care in Jamaica was recently published by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. In 2020, she was elected to serve on California Lutheran University's inaugural Faculty Senate and University Council, and she served as a member of the Steering Committee for the Center for Equality & Justice. Most recently, she was the recipient of the 2021 College of Arts & Sciences Dean's Award for Innovation in Pedagogy.

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