New Faces at Grace Abbott School of Social Work

Omaha – The Grace Abbott School of Social Work welcomed a new advisor and two new faculty members in August.

Hilary Bond, MSW advisor, is a Nebraska native who grew up in Lincoln. After earning her Bachelor of Science in Social Work at UNO, Hilary served for two years as an AmeriCorps member at College Possible, and then oversaw college access programming for a year. Hilary has always had a passion for social justice and educational equity. She hopes to continue increasing college access and success for historically underrepresented student populations in higher education. Hilary recently completed her Master of Social Work (MSW) degree at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. As someone who feels strongly connected to social work’s core values, Hilary is very excited to have the opportunity to collaborate with students who are deepening their passion for social justice and strengthening their skill set to be highly effective change agents in our community.

Aaron Banman, assistant professor, earned his MSW at Columbia University School of Social Work in New York and his Ph.D. at the University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration. Aaron is a rural Kansas native (loyalties only to the Royals and Chiefs) but joined UNO from Chicago where he and his family lived for 14 years. Aaron’s wife is a forensic social worker, a violinist, and an unapologetic Wisconsinite. Their three children are nine, six, and very, very two! Aaron’s research interests include fathers and fathering; prevention of child maltreatment; intervention development and adaptation; evidence-based practice; and implementation of evidence-based practice within human services organizations. Aaron can usually be found in his office, in the R stats environment, or in his yard.

Kristina Faimon, instructor, earned her MSW for UNO and expects to earn her Ph.D. from University of Wyoming in May 2018. She is a Nebraska native and is currently an LCSW. Kristina’s research interests include social work student development, supervision in social work, and shame stories of counseling students. She is a Daring Way certified facilitator, based on the research of Dr. Brene Brown, and has worked in many areas of the mental health field. She spent the last three summers as a social worker in Berkley at a civic leadership camp for teens from all over the world. Kristina is an advocate for her community and finds purpose in making a difference in the lives of others. Her favorite job is getting to be mother to her nine-year-old son, Harper. When not in the classroom or writing, she can be found outdoors hiking or swimming.