Michelle's active household includes her husband, three teenagers, four cats, and a dog. She particularly enjoys cooking (and eating) Italian specialties and anything that features chocolate as a main ingredient.
Education
Northwestern University, 1981, B.A. (Psychology)
Iowa State University, 1983, M.S. (Industrial/Organizational Psychology)
Iowa State University, 1986, Ph.D. (Industrial/Organizational Psychology)
Member, Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (Division 14 of American Psychological Association)
Member, International Public Management Association for Human Resources - Assessment Council
Member, National Staff Development and Training Association (Division of American Public Human Services Association)
Chairperson, Institutional Review Board Unit Review Committee, University of Nebraska Lincoln
CCFL Projects
NHHS Child Welfare Training:
Director of team responsible for the development and validation of competency assessments (including written knowledge tests, skills demonstrations, evaluation of probationary work performance) for Nebraska's Protection and Safety Workers. Also responsible for training needs assessment, training program evaluation for PSW pre-service and in-service training, development and validation of a personnel selection system for PSW staff, and related research and consultation on child welfare training and administration issues.
The Community Context of Rural and Urban Child Neglect:
Co-Principal Investigator. This is a four year research project, funded by the National Institutes of Health, examining the community effects on the incidence, identification and response to child neglect across rural and urban communities. The focus is on rural and urban communities and between communities varying in levels of social organization. Included in the study of responses to child neglect is an examination of CPS case decision-making and the influence of community contextual factors on these decision processes. The study is being conducted in partnership with Pennsylvania State University.
Community Change and Response to Social Problems:
Co-Principal Investigator. This is an ongoing longitudinal research project studying the communities of Johnson County, Nebraska. Due to a number of significant events, this county is poised to experience dramatic economic and demographic changes over time. We are investigating how these changes impact residents' definition, identification, and responses to a variety of social problems.
Selected Projects/Presentations/Publications
Paul, M. E., Graef, M. I., Robinson, E. J., & Saathoff, K. I. (in press). Managing performance. In C. Potter & C. Brittain (Eds.), Supervision in child welfare. New York: Oxford University Press.
Graef, M. I., Paul, M. E., & Myers, T. L. (in press). Recruiting and selecting child welfare staff. In Alwon, F., Greenhill, K., Reitz, A., & Schmitt, B. (Eds.), Child Welfare in a Time of Scarcity: Recruiting, Retaining, and Compensating a Competent Child Welfare Workforce . Washington , D.C. : Child Welfare League of America .
Goodvin, R., Johnson, D.R., Hardy, S.A., Graef, M.I., & Chambers, J.M. (2007). Development and confirmatory factor analysis of the Community Norms of Child Neglect Scale. Child Maltreatment, 12(1) , 68-85.
Graef, M. & Potter, M. (2007). Evaluating trainees’ testifying behaviors. Training and Development in Human Services, 4, 161- 167.
Paul, M. & Graef, M. (2007). Strengthening child welfare supervision as a key practice change strategy. Curriculum developed for the National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement, for use nationally as part of their training and technical assistance package for state child welfare agencies.
Graef, M. (2005a, January). Discovering the best person for the job: Using structured hiring interviews. Invited presentation at the Western Regional Recruitment and Retention Project Institute, Denver, CO.
Graef, M. (2005b, January). "What am I getting into?" Using a realistic job preview to improve retention. Invited presentation at the Western Regional Recruitment and Retention Project Institute, Denver, CO.
Graef, M., Potter, M., Wilson, L., & Caplan, P. (2004, November). Planning an organization's future: Creating systems to build leadership capacity. Workshop presentation at the Seventeenth Annual Conference of the National Staff Development and Training Association, Chicago, IL.
Graef, M., & Potter, M. (2004, June). Factors related to turnover and retention of child welfare staff: Research-based implications for practice. Invited presentation at the ACYF Children's Bureau Biennial Child Welfare Conference: Focus on Evidence-Based Practice, Washington, D.C.
Graef, M. I., Rohde, T. L., & Potter, M. E. (2002). An intake in-basket test for child protective services trainees. Training and Development in Human Services, 2, 56-60.
