Staff

Project Worth has a energetic and dedicated staff. Read below for more about the individuals behind the project.

Dawn Goddard-Eckrich (Project Director)

  • I am currently Project Director for project WORTH. I also have an opportunity to facilitate some of the women’s groups.
  • I have been working at SIG for over 8 years. I have a Master’s in Social Sciences and over 10 years experience in research.
  • I am a people person and enjoy interacting with our clients. I particilarly enjoy working with Community based organizations to help recruit our participants.
  • Ouside of the office I enjoy spending time with me family and friends and I love to travel.
  • One quote I love: “Forgive your enemies, but always remember their names” John F. Kennedy (1917-1963)

 Claudette Bannerman

  • I have been working at SIG for 4 years.
  • Any women who sign up for WORTH, I will be conducting their initial intake and assessments.
  • I am friendly and a very down to earth woman.
  • The best part of my job is the chance of meeting all the wonderful people I have met over the years.
  • Outside of my job, two of my favorite passions are R&B music & fashion.
  • And something that I always try to live by both at work and in life is to “be the change, you want to see in this world” (Gandhi, 1869-1948).

Omi Gray

  • I have been with SIG for over 20 years.
  • My expertise is in facilitating women groups.
  • On Worth, I facilitate the exciting educational workshops that we offer.
  • I am an excellent listener and am fortunate to have created and maintained strong and powerful bonds with many of the women that I have worked with over the years.
  • In my spare time, I design jewelry.
  • One of my personal philosophies in life is “Each one, teach one” (African Proverb).And to remember to begin each day with gratitude.

Lola Roy

  • I have been with SIG for 10 years.
  • I have my MSSW from Columbia University (class of ‘01).
  • On Worth, I work as a Co-Director, however, also get the fine opportunity working with women on their assessments.
  • I am friendly and compassionate woman who is eager to meet and greet new faces onto Worth.
  • Outside of my work, I am an avid sports fan (NY METS) and good ’ol rock music.
  • One of my favorite philosophies in life is “the best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.” (Mark Twain, 1835-1910).

Bright Sarfo

  • I am a doctoral candidate at the Columbia University School of Social work (CUSSW) and have proudly been on the SIG team for over seven years.
  • On project worth I have had the pleasure of acting as Clinical Supervisor for a talented team of facilitators.
  • Through working with the team it has been both rewarding and humbling to witness worth facilitators demonstrate integrity, professionalism and dedication as they work with the women who
  • come into our doors.
  • In what little spare time I have between working and studying for my PhD, I indulge in my love of
  • football, Films and the latest in interactive gaming.
  • One quote I believe that applies strongly to worth was spoken by Martin Luther King Jr, “Faith is taking the first step even whenyou don’t see the whole staircase.” The work of research does require a
  • level of faith on the part of everyone involved.

Denise Blackwell

  • I have been with WORTH for over 1 year as a recruiter for the WORTH Project.
  • Meeting women with similar backgrounds in need of resources is my experise, and the best part of my job. I don’t mind going above and beyond the call of duty to find resources willing to address women’s immediate needs.
  • I believe WORTH is an excellent way of teaching women how to live healthier lives also women have choices today. I believe we create our our destinties with positive thinking and believing in oneself as well as others.

Tim Hunt

  • I have been working with SIG for 4 years.
  • As an addiction’s specialist with 22 years of clinical work in HIV care and prevention, I provide research assistance and weekly clinical support for the research team.
  • I enjoy working with people and appreciate sharing in their successes as they improve the quality of their lives. Community participation in our studies helps us learn about how to improve services and assist people in making healthier choices.
  • Being around animals and nature, especially my horse Pokey, helps me stay grounded and is a way to cope with the stresses of life.
  • Staying curious about life helps keep me moving forward and engaged in the next chapter

Cheryl Wilkins

  • I have extensive experience as a facilitator and coordinator for self-help groups.
  • I work closely with assisting incarcerated, formerly incarcerated, and children who have an incarcerated parent gain access to college.
  • I am an advocate for issues concerning unfair parole practices, and policies that affect urban communities.
  • I assist women who suffer with mental illness and substance abuse overcome homelessness.
  • I’m apart of a group called, Theater for Social Change, where we write about issues that have affected our lives or topics that need to be brought to theforefront. We then create a production where we perform our writing.
  • I hold a Master of Science degree in Urban Affairs from Hunter College.
  • One quote that I believe in is “We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give”

Dr. Nabila El-Bassel

  • Dr. Nabila El-Bassel is a Professor at the Columbia University School of Social Work, the Director of the Social Intervention Group and the Director of the Global Health Research Center of Central Asia.
  • Dr. El-Bassel has designed and tested a number of epidemiological and intervention studies on women and men in drug treatment programs, criminal justice systems, and other settings. She was one of the first social scientists to conduct research on behavioral HIV prevention for couples in the US and Central Asia. Dr. El-Bassel has also made a significant contribution on the co-occuring issues of HIV, drug abuse, partner violence and trauma.
  •  More recently she has been involved in implementation studies on HIV prevention research. She has published more than 160 papers. Dr. El-Bassel has been funded extensively by NIDA, NIMH and the CDC.

Louisa Gilbert

  • Louisa Gilbert is a Co-Director of the Social Intervention Group and Co-Director of the Global Health Research Center of Central Asia.
  •  She has designed and implemented epidemiological studies on the relationship between intimate partner violence (IPV) and HIV risk among drug-involved women and gender-specific intervention studies that address IPV and other traumas. Her research on IPV and HIV among women who use drugs has made a significant contribution to the field.
  • She has served as an Co- Investigator on multiple NIMH and NIDA-funded studies and has co-authored over 90 articles.  Dr. Gilbert has mentored a number of faculty and students from the US and Central Asia