Biography

Dr. Rebecca Hoffman is an Associate Professor in the Social Work Department at Bemidji State University. Prior to coming to Bemidji State University in 2014, she worked as a social work practitioner for nearly two decades. Her career centered on developing successful partnerships to create macro-level community and social policy development.

At BSU, Dr. Hoffman is a member of two intra-campus collaborations centered on student resiliency.  She serves as a co-principle investigator on a $2.5 MM S-STEM grant from the National Science Foundation with the College of Business, Math, and Sciences– supporting the development and implementation of the Resilience-Focused Systemic Paradigm for Education– centered on Social Emotional Learning (SEL). Dr. Hoffman also serves as an SEL evaluator on BSU’s Noyce Scholars Program. with the BSU Math Department  This program provides scholarships, stipends, and co-curricular support to recruit and prepare STEM majors and professionals to become K-12 teachers in high-need rural communities (NSF, 2023).

During her tenure as Executive Director of Ours to Serve House of Hospitality, Dr. Hoffman led a successful campaign to develop Village of Hope– a homeless shelter for families in Bemidji, MN. As the Community Services Program Director at Evergreen Youth & Family Services she spearheaded a successful partnership with a local developer to create a transitional housing center with on-site services for youth experiencing homelessness in rural northern Minnesota.

Dr. Hoffman has been the recipient of several awards and honors including the Bemidji Leads! Organizational Stewardship Award, Ruth Edevold Organizational Excellence Award, and the Eleanor Roosevelt Women for Responsive Government Award. She is a Licensed Independent Social Worker through the Minnesota Board of Social Work. She resides in Bemidji with her husband Brodie and is mom to two college-aged children. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, glamping in Minnesota’s state parks and campgrounds, and pontooning on Lake Bemidji.

Degrees

• Doctorate of Social Work, 2018, University of St. Catherine University – University of St. Thomas School of Social Work
• Master of Science in Social Welfare, 1999, University of Wisconsin—Madison
• Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, 1997, Bemidji State University
  Minor: Women’s Studies

Teaching

• Interpersonal Relations
• Intro to Social Welfare
• Field Experience
• Human Behavior and the Social Environment II (HBSE II)
• Generalist Practice III
• Internship (SWIM)

Research Interests

• Macro social work education
• Community Social Determinants of Health (CSDH)
• Social Emotional Learning (SEL)
• Macro social work practice