Biography and expertise
She received a Ph.D. in Social Welfare from University of California, Berkeley, and a Master of Science in Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to getting her doctorate, Dr. Benton worked for 10 years in the non-profit sector.
Education
Doctorate Degree
PhD in Social Welfare
Univ of California, Berkeley, 2010
Master's Degree
MSSW in Social Work
University of Texas at Austin, 1995
Bachelor's Degree
BA in Psychology
Vassar College, 1991
Teaching Interests
Research Interests
Featured grants
- Benton, Amy D. Diversity and retention in the child welfare workforce, Research Enhancement Program Grant, $8000. (Funded: December 2010). Grant.
- Shamrova, Daria P (Principal), Benton, Amy D (Co-Principal). What do child welfare workers think and do about children and youth participation in decision-making?, Texas State University, $14100. (Submitted: October 2023, Funded: January 1, 2024 - Present). Grant.
- Benton, Amy D (Principal), Clary, Kelly Lynn (Co-Principal), Tufano, Virginia Emma (Co-Principal). Project SOW (Strengthening Our Workforce), Federal, $1885787. (Funded: January 2022 - June 2025). Grant.
- Benton, Amy D. Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training for Professionals, Federal, $1920000. (Funded: September 2017 - December 2021). Grant.
- Benton, Amy D (Principal). Health Resources and Services Administration: Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training for Professionals: I-3 Project, $480000. (Funded: 2016 - 2017). Grant.
Featured scholarly/creative works
- Shamrova, D. P., Lampe, J., & Benton, A. D. (n.d.). Exploring Conceptualization of Children and Youth Participation in Decision-Making among U.S.-based Child Welfare Workers. Journal of Public Child Welfare.
- Benton, A. D., Allen, A., Anderson, L. N., & Nason, E. E. (2023). Increasing social work’s stake in interprofessional practice: Effectively preparing MSW students for integrated care settings. Advances in Social Work, 22(3), 976–992.
- Benton, A. D., Feinman, E., Gonzalez, E., Rosen, A., & Anderson, L. N. (2020). Outcomes of a bundled intervention approach: Analyzing an enhanced MSW training project for integrated-care settings. Journal of Social Work Education. https://doi.org/doi.org/10.1080/10437797.2020.1841698
- Hansel, T., Benton, A. D., & Clary, K. L. (2025). Social and workforce development: Methods to increase self-care to reduce burnout among critically important social work and education professionals. TPM – Testing, Psychometrics, Methodology in Applied Psychology, 32(S2), 1358–1363.
- Choi, S., Weng, S. S., Feliciano, G., Benton, A. D., & Kim, Y. (2025). Environmental Justice and Vulnerable Populations: Perspectives of Environmental Activists. Journal of Social Work and Social Welfare, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.25082/SWSW.2025.01.001
Featured awards
- Award / Honor Recipient: Excellence in Teaching, College of Applied Arts. August 2025
- Award / Honor Recipient: Excellence in Scholarly/ Creative Activities, College of Applied Arts. 2023
- Award / Honor Recipient: College Achievement Award for Excellence in Service, College of Applied Arts. 2020 - 2021
- Award / Honor Recipient: College Achievement Award for Excellence in Service, College of Applied Arts. 2020
- Award / Honor Nominee: Teaching Award of Honor, Texas State University Alumni Association. 2018
Featured service activities
- Member
College Tenure & Promotion Review Committee
- Member
University Lecturer Committee
- Chair
Student and Community Engagement Committee
- Member
Piper Professor Selection Committee
- Reviewer / Referee
Journal of Community Practice
- Reviewer / Referee
Child and Family Social Work