Student Health & Wellness Staff
Dean for Health and Wellness
Email: perlmanb@grinnell.edu
Beth (she/her) serves as the Dean for Health and Wellness. She provides strategic leadership and management of SHAW and oversees SHAW's dedicated leadership team. Prior to this position, she was the Director of Counseling Services at SHAW. Beth is also a licensed psychologist. She received her MA in...
SHAW Part-Time Post-Doctoral Therapist
Birant (He/Him) joins ¹û¶³ÊÓƵ as a post-doctoral therapist. Throughout the therapy process, Birant works to create a nonjudgmental, collaborative, and trust-based relationship, which helps support clients in vulnerable self-reflection of thoughts and feelings, foster self-worth, and improve quality...
Training Director
Email: bermingh@grinnell.edu
Charles (he/him) is a licensed counseling psychologist and health service provider and holds the positions of training director at SHAW and clinical associate professor in the counseling psychology PhD program at the University of Iowa. At SHAW he oversees a team of advanced level graduate students...
Administrative Assistant II
Email: brennank@grinnell.edu
Kelly Brennan grew up in ¹û¶³ÊÓƵ. She attended Marshalltown Community College. She previously worked at New Century FS and prior to that at the Poweshiek County Mental Center. Kelly enjoys spending time with family and reading. She loves to travel and her favorite places to visit have been Austria...
Staff Nurse
Email: clineshe@grinnell.edu
Shelley Cline is from ¹û¶³ÊÓƵ. She attended Central College in Pella, IA and went on to Mercy College of Health Sciences in Des Moines where she earned her Associate's in Nursing. Shelley is currently a Registered Nurse and hopes to continue her education with a focus on psychology. Shelley moved...
Staff Counselor II
Email: craighea@grinnell.edu
Teague Craig ’09 claims dual status as a Midwesterner and Californian. Teague grew up in Omaha, Nebraska and enjoyed living and working in the San Francisco Bay Area from 2011 to 2020. Teague received their M.A. in Education from Mills College in Oakland, California in 2014 and their M.A. in...
Staff Nurse II
Email: criswellt@grinnell.edu
Tiffany has 12+ years of nursing experience split between the Intensive Care Unit and Long Term & Skilled Care Nursing. She began work at ¹û¶³ÊÓƵ College in 2023 providing health care to students at SHAW. Her and her husband Jeff have 3 children, Hadley, Clayton, and Hudsyn. They live on a small...
Administrative Assistant II
Email: denhaman@grinnell.edu
Angela Denham grew up in small town Gilman, Iowa. She attended Marshalltown Community College where she earned her AA in Business. Before making the switch to the College Angela could be found at UPH ¹û¶³ÊÓƵ Family Practice. When not working she is chasing four children around, from High School...
Lecturer
Associate Dean for Health and Wellness and Director of Student Health Promotion
Email: HAMMONDT@grinnell.edu
Tim Hammond is in his 18th year at ¹û¶³ÊÓƵ College. He is currently the Associate Dean for Health and Wellness and Director of Student Health Promotion. From 2021-2023 he served as Interim Lecturer and Director of the ¹û¶³ÊÓƵ Outdoor Recreation Program. In the first 14 years he served as the...
Director of Health Services
Email: herberska@grinnell.edu
Kasey (she/her) is a Physician Assistant and the Director of Health at SHAW. She holds administrative responsibilities for Student Health Services including supervision of SHAW's medical staff. As a PA, she also provides patient care for students. She received her BS in Biology from Iowa State...
Doctoral Trainee Therapist
Email: mendietaca@grinnell.edu
Carlos is originally from Southern California, where he studied Psychology and worked as an applied behavior analyst. Now joining ¹û¶³ÊÓƵ as a graduate assistant, Carlos offers counseling with an Adlerian lens, which utilizes a collaborative and holistic approach to supporting students' well-being...
Staff Counselor II
Email: moellerd@grinnell.edu
Derrick (he/they) strives to create an environment that invites all parts of a person into the therapy space. He recognizes how intersecting identities can shape and inform experiences, as such, utilizes different interventions based on the individuals needs. His main clinical areas of focus include...
Staff Nurse
Email: grifesar@grinnell.edu
Sarah Newell grew up in Newton, Iowa. Sarah attended Mercy College of Health Sciences in Des Moines, and earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing. During nursing school, Sarah found her passion and drive to help those with mental health concerns. Sarah moved to Toronto, Ontario after finishing...
Doctoral Practicum Therapist
Alex Persons (he/him/his) is a fourth-year Counseling Psychology doctoral student at the University of Iowa. Alex is originally from Atlanta, Georgia, and received his undergraduate degree in psychology from The University of Georgia (go Dawgs! 🙂) and his master's degree in Mental Health Counseling...
Staff Nurse
Email: petersle@grinnell.edu
Lesa Peters is a registered nurse new to Student Health and Wellness. Her previous 30+ years in nursing was split between Obstetrics and the Emergency Department. Lesa and her husband Rick live on a farm just outside of ¹û¶³ÊÓƵ where they grow the usual Iowa crops of corn, soybeans, hay and oats...
Part-Time Third-Party SHAW Dietician
Michelle Russell, RD, LD, CEDS-C Michelle Russell (she/her) is a registered dietitian and the owner of Food Freedom, LLC, a private nutrition therapy practice located in Burlington, IA. She provides telehealth nutrition therapy services. Michelle supports individuals struggling with eating disorders...
Manager of SHAW Operations
Email: steeleal@grinnell.edu
Alexis Steele (she/her) grew up in ¹û¶³ÊÓƵ, Iowa. While she loves ¹û¶³ÊÓƵ, Alexis decided she needed to leave the nest for college. She attended Furman University in South Carolina for two years and completed her degree at Central College in Pella, Iowa. Alexis earned her Bachelor of Arts in...
Senior Staff Counselor
Email: valencic@grinnell.edu
Paul Valencic grew up in Marion, Iowa, a city located just north of Cedar Rapids. Paul received his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Iowa. He then earned his MA and EdS degrees in Counseling Psychology from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Paul enjoys hanging out with his...
Part-Time Third-Party SHAW Counselor
William Walker, MSW, LISW, is the Owner and Clinical Director of the local private practice, Thriving Families. Mr. Walker provides in-person services at SHAW on Tuesdays and Thursdays. He is a highly qualified mental health professional holding a master’s degree in social work from the University...
Doctoral Practicum Therapist
Tianxin Wang (she/her/hers) is a third-year doctoral student and trainee in the Counseling Psychology Ph.D. program at the University of Iowa. Originally from China, Tianxin is an international student who obtained a master’s degree in psychology from the University of Indianapolis. Prior to...
Doctoral Practicum Therapist
Luis is originally from Arizona. He traveled to Iowa for his undergrad where he studied psychology and kinesiology. Joining ¹û¶³ÊÓƵ as a practicum student, Luis offers counseling with an existential lens, which focuses on collaborative and humanistic approach to help students where they are at...