Valene Baskfield, MSW, LCSW, is a clinical social worker with more than two decades of experience working at the intersection of clinical practice, education and social equity. She holds a master’s degree in social work from the University of Denver and a Bachelor of Arts in anthropology from Western Washington University.
Baskfield brings extensive experience in clinical social work, counseling, education and community advocacy to her teaching. Her clinical background includes work in hospice, private practice, public schools and the nonprofit sector. Her work with students has included supporting academic, personal, social-emotional and career development needs while helping young people navigate complex educational and social systems. Her work is grounded in a commitment to expanding educational opportunity and understanding the ways that social, economic, geographic and institutional systems shape individual experiences.
Baskfield has also served in leadership roles within education and her community, including as an elected school board member and vice president of the Ridgway School District Board of Directors. She has written and secured state grants supporting student health and wellness, participated in statewide educational leadership initiatives and presented regionally on topics including creativity in education, school-based mental health and the experiences of rural first-generation students.
Baskfield is passionate about preparing social workers who are not only clinically skilled but also curious, compassionate, reflective and willing to challenge systems that create inequity.
Baskfield enjoys a wide range of outdoor activities and is grateful to have spent the past 20 years living in western Colorado with her family.
