Dr. Leslie Sattler

As an athlete (a catcher from Babe Ruth leagues to D-I softball), a resident assistant in college and the sixth child of seven, Dr. Leslie Sattler is the product of group membership and great mentors. She learned the importance of observing, listening, identifying priorities and teamwork. Because of these experiences, it is only natural that she became a social worker interested in how people and environments influence one’s growth. Her undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees are all in social work, and she focused her career on adolescents involved in the juvenile justice system. Before coming to BSU, Dr. Sattler worked for 25 years in residential treatment centers and held many positions from clinician to agency president; her most exciting role involved providing adventure and wilderness-based therapy. Dissatisfied with limiting her work to the individual, she focused her doctoral studies towards understanding how social justice-related structural issues of the community interact with one’s genes to influence the development of violent behavior. Now, as a social work educator, Dr. Sattler integrates these life experiences into her teaching. Committed to giving back, she works hard to help students incorporate what they are learning into their practice. To do this, she uses experiential teaching methods designed for hands-on learning and mentor students whenever the opportunity arises.