Faculty and Staff
Maria Paradiso, MSW
Online MSW Program Field Coordinator and Assistant Instructor
Curriculum Vitae
Maria Paradiso, MSW serves as the Field Coordinator and Assistant Instructor for the Online MSW Program at the School of Social Work at the University of South Florida. Maria earned a Bachelor in Social Work (BSW) from LaSalle University (‘87) and a Master in Social Work (MSW) from Rutgers University (‘89). Maria currently possesses social work licensures from New York (LMSW), New Jersey (LSW), and Pennsylvania (LSW).
Maria’s primary interests center around working within trauma-informed approaches and creating inclusive environments within educational and human service settings. Maria has a deep commitment to providing evidence-based services to LGBTQ+ communities as well as implementing antiracist and anti-oppressive practices.
Prior to joining USF, Maria served in nearly every capacity within field education departments, notably supervising numerous BSW and MSW students spanning a 30+ year career. She has served as Director of Field Education at Bryn Mawr College Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research and served as field liaison and field advisor at Rutgers University and the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College. Maria has taught across the curriculum in BSW and MSW programs online and in-person and within other undergraduate disciplines throughout her career. She also designed and delivered professional development trainings to staff serving all organizational levels in shelters and housing programs.
In Maria’s post-MSW practice, she has provided direct services to individuals and families in the fields of substance use and mental health treatment as well as in school and community-based settings. Maria later developed an interest in providing macro-level social work practice focusing her efforts on non-profit management with particular attention to improving systems of care and ensuring the strategic implementation of trauma-informed approaches. Maria served as Director of Supportive Services for the Hetrick-Martin Institute, one of the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ youth-serving agency, and Director of Permanency Planning at the Graham-Windham Services for Children and Families in New York City. While employed at Rutgers University, Maria served as a program administrator overseeing innovative programs serving university students aging out of the foster care system in New Jersey and throughout the United States.