Meet Our Team

Elizabeth Palley is  the advisor to the doctoral student program evaluator.  She is a full professor at Adelphi University and teaches primarily in the policy sequence.  Most of her past research and writing has been on special education, child care and pregnancy discrimination.

Dr. Quinn-Beers is a member of the School of Social Work faculty and assists in developing the curriculum for the IDEATE program. She also serves as a Faculty Field Liaison for several of the IDEATE fellows. Her clinical background is in medical social work.

Abby has a Master’s Degree in Social Work, with a concentration in Management of Human Services, from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor’s Degree in Ministry from Palm Beach Atlantic University. She has previously worked in healthcare and public health, working to reduce the health disparities among people living with chronic illnesses and LGBTQ+ identified individuals. She has also worked in finance and continually strives to improve financial literacy among immigrant communities like her own. Recently, Abby served as the NYC Senior Program Manager at a national nonprofit working to bring food and nutrition education to young people in grades K-12 and as an adjunct professor at CSI. Abby has an extensive background serving youth and is passionate about food and water justice, social entrepreneurship, and partnering with communities to ensure that all people are treated justly. A fun fact about Abby is that she has been a part of numerous choir groups which have won state competitions.

Andrea Connelly

Andrea Connelly is a graduate assistant for the IDEATE fellowship, and an OMSW student with expected graduation in 2025. She brings clinical research experience in hospital and academic settings. She is currently in her generalist year of field placement in Health Home services within her community. She started her career as a Biochemistry Major and has held several positions across her 8 years at Northwell Health. She is currently the Clinical Research Coordinator for Pediatric Critical Care, Neurology and Rheumatology departments. She is also enrolled in the Master of Science program at Adelphi University. Andrea is passionate about using both the fields of Social Work and Clinical Research to help achieve greater health equity.

Roman Salwa

Roman Salwa is a licensed clinical social worker and a PhD student in the social work program at Adelphi University. He has 12 years of clinical experience in hospital social work, outpatient mental health, and teletherapy. Roman works from the strength-based perspective utilizing modalities such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Mindfulness, Motivational Interview, Focusing Psychotherapy, and EMDR (Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing). He is a certified EMDR therapist and Consultant In Training. Roman’s dissertation is on social work and spirituality and its applications across the various social work roles.

Ashley Blanchard-Miller

Ashley Blanchard-Miller is a dedicated social science researcher with a passion for data and evaluation as a doorway to advancing social justice. Ashley’s work focuses on addressing systemic biases and turning data into actionable insights to improve the lives of children, families, and communities. She uses her expertise to educate and train individuals on how to apply real-time data to enhance programmatic outcomes. Ashley has quantitative and qualitative research experience on issues such as civic engagement, socioeconomic well-being, and is a national and international presenter.

Ashley is actively involved in NASW, serving as Chair of the Political Action for Candidate Election Committee (PACE) for the Connecticut chapter. Ashley holds a master’s degree in political social work from the University of Connecticut and a bachelor’s degree in social work from Florida Gulf Coast University. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at Adelphi University, where her work focuses on researching critical theory-driven interventions aimed at reducing crime and violence in disenfranchised communities.