Molly Calhoun, PhD
Distributed Learning Coordinator
Assistant Professor
Molly joined the School of Social Work at Chico State University in the fall of 2020 after completing her doctorate at the University of Minnesota. In her dissertation, Molly explored the impact of state-sponsored gentrification on the social connections of young people who resided in public housing neighborhoods during a mixed income housing redevelopment. Her research interests include the intersection of race, power and privilege on housing policy and innovative models of housing, the impact of neoliberalism on social work practice, and rapid rehousing for college students. Molly has primarily taught courses in social policy, program development and evaluation, and the foundations of social work practice.
Prior to pursing her PhD, she spent over 15 years in community-based practice through out-of-school time work with children, youth and families in both San Francisco, CA and Denver, CO.
Most recently, Molly was the Executive Director of the University of Denver’s Bridge Project, which worked with children, youth and families who resided in and around public housing neighborhoods on access to education, mental and emotional health, and community resources.
Education
BA in Psychology, Colorado College, 1999
Masters in Social Work, University of Denver, 2005
PhD in Social Work, University of Minnesota, 2020
