Aug. 14, 2019
Chris Woodley • cwoodley@mailbox.sc.edu 

After serving in an interim role during the spring 2019 semester, Clinical Assistant Professor Rhonda DiNovo was officially named permanent Master of Social Work program coordinator in July. In addition to her teaching and MSW program coordinator duties, she is also coordinator for the Graduate Certificate in Drug and Addiction Studies.      

Prior to working at the College of Social Work, DiNovo was a prevention specialist for the Lexington/Richland Alcohol and Drug Abuse Council in Columbia and the project director for the Rise Above It Drug Free Coalition at the West Columbia Police Department. Her first association with the College of Social Work was in 2010, when she served as a field instructor for undergraduate and graduate students completing their field education at her work locations.  

DiNovo began teaching at the College of Social Work in 2011 as an adjunct instructor for the MSW program. A year later, she began a new position as director of the University of South Carolina’s Substance Abuse Prevention and Education office.     

“It’s been nearly a decade since I taught my first course as an adjunct instructor. I can still feel the excitement as I remember meeting our students and being inspired by their eagerness to learn and experience our social work profession,” DiNovo says. “It was a great reward to participate in a classroom environment where I could encourage students to learn and grow from one another.” 

After working at SAPE for three years, DiNovo joined the college’s full-time faculty as a clinical assistant professor in 2015. 

“When I became part of the College of Social Work faculty, I felt fortunate to join a spirited team of talented and dedicated colleagues,” DiNovo says. “They were all committed to providing our students with opportunities to gain the values, knowledge and skills necessary to promote well-being and social justice for a variety of vulnerable populations. It’s a privilege to contribute to an important mission.” 

Now as MSW program coordinator, DiNovo said she is honored to serve the college in overseeing the implementation of the MSW curriculum.

“I feel humbled to be entrusted with the leadership of our collaborative efforts to achieve the program's goals and objectives,” DiNovo says. “It’s exciting to work towards improving and enhancing our program to be its very best for our students and communities.”