SUSAN HESS, MSW, LCSW-IL, is an associate teaching professor of practicum education at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. Hess is a transnational speaker specializing in trauma-informed care and healing-centered engagement. Her commitment to healing and resilience focuses on communities experiencing violence, including those affected by intimate partner violence, incarceration, and war. She serves as a faculty advisor to Unchained Scholars, a student caucus composed of formerly incarcerated MSW, DSW, and PhD students working with ally members to dismantle the barriers faced by people impacted by the criminal legal system. Hess is also a faculty advisor to the newly established Jewish Student Affinity Group.

Hess is the co-founder of Trauma Informed Learning Alliance, an organization dedicated to fostering resilient communities that promote healing and well-being through collaboration, education and community engagement. She is the creator and host of Trauma Informed Learning Alliance’s “Our Stories Matter” podcast with a global theme of community healing through storytelling.

In recognition of her dedication, Hess received the distinguished Dr. Marjorie Braude Award from the City of Los Angeles Domestic Violence City Task Force in October 2013 for innovative collaboration in serving victims of domestic violence. Hess sits on the Interfaith Advisory Board for Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office where she aims to contribute strategies to combat antisemitism while promoting inclusive and safe campus environments