Jacob Eikenberry is an Assistant Professor for the Master of Social Work program at Colorado Mesa University. Previously, Eikenberry served as the Director of Research and Evaluation at the national non-profit “From Prison to Professionals.”
Beginning in his youth, Eikenberry experienced mental health and substance use issues, homelessness, incarceration in several jails and prisons, and the exacerbation of trauma following each period of incarceration. In 2009, he embraced healing through engagement with mentorship and multiple community-based resources. The following year, Eikenberry enrolled in a community college. The extensive peer support he received while pursuing stability and college was pivotal in his life.
Over the previous 13 years, Eikenberry has worked in various social work roles, including researcher, instructor, residential counselor, advocate, coalition builder, and community consultant and collaborator. He has worked with individuals and communities, non-profit agencies, prison education programs, drug treatment courts, state prosecutors’ offices, law enforcement and first responders, and jail/prison administrators. Eikenberry's lived experience guides his scholarship, practice, and approach to equity and teaching. He uses his lived experience and knowledge to spearhead innovative research and help prepare master’s Social Workers to move toward creating a socially just society. Eikenberry holds a Bachelor of Psychology from the University of Illinois in Springfield and a Master of Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis. He is a doctoral candidate in the School of Social Work at St. Louis University. Eikenberry currently teaches Advanced Macro SW Practice, and Human Behavior in the Social Environment while supervising generalist foundation practicum students.
Eikenberry's philosophy of teaching is rooted in the creation of an environment conducive to the exploration and actualization of each student’s personal and professional potential. His classrooms are a space where student ideas are welcome, encouraged, developed, explored, analyzed, and refined through critical thinking, reflection, and the application of tools learned. Eikenberry champions and provides materials that illustrate a variety of diverse thoughts, experiences, and knowledge as this helps individuals and cohorts of students expand and grow through seeing issues, problems, and solutions from multiple perspectives. He has found social work students to be full of passion and incredible ideas about promoting social justice, addressing systemic oppression, and working with individuals, communities, and organizations. Eikenberry's goal is to wholly encourage their passion and ideas while helping to refine, encourage and direct their work toward meaningful and actionable thought, dialogue, and research that influences their micro, mezzo, and macro practice approaches. He assesses learning by looking at the student’s capacity to utilize items learned in classes in real-world situations.