Melissa Batalden Mendez, MSW, LICSW

Melissa joined the University of Minnesota School of Social Work’s Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare (CASCW) in February 2013 as the Title IV-E Child Welfare Field Coordinator. In this role, she works directly with the IV-E MSW scholars who are focusing their studies and field experiences in child welfare practice, and with public and private agencies that provide child welfare services.

Before coming to the School of Social Work, Melissa worked at Children's Home Society & Family Services from 2001-2013 as an adoption social worker mostly in post-adoption services and training. Previous to this, Melissa worked in Chicago at a child welfare agency working with birth families involved in child welfare at all stages of permanency planning. During and shortly after obtaining her MSW degree, she worked as an adoption social worker at Lutheran Family and Children's Services in St. Louis, Missouri.