Communications

Associate Professor; Practicum Coordinator

College of Business and Public Management - Criminal Justice

Bio

Before%20entering%20academia,%20Dr.%20Michele%20Bratina%20held%20several%20positions%20in%20the%20State%20of%20Florida,%20including%20Forensic%20and%20Children's%20Mental%20Health%20Coordinator%20for%20the%20Florida%20Department%20of%20Children%20and%20Families%20(FL-DCF)%20in%20the%2019th%20Judicial%20Circuit,%20Systems%20Integrator%20for%20the%20Southeastern%20Florida%20Behavioral%20Health%20Network%20(SEBHN),%20and%20Criminal%20Justice%20Program%20Director%20for%20a%20small%20university%20in%20West%20Palm%20Beach.%20She%20is%20a%20Past-President%20of%20the%20Northeastern%20Association%20of%20Criminal%20Justice%20Sciences%20(NEACJS),%20the%20recipient%20of%20the%202021%20NEACJS%20Founders%20Award,%20and%20a%20three-time%20award%20recipient%20of%20the%20Academy%20of%20Criminal%20Justice%20Sciences%20(ACJS)/SAGE%20Junior%20Faculty%20Professional%20Development%20Teaching%20Award.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%0AIn%202020,%20Bratina%20and%20several%20students%20co-founded%20the%20first%20NAMI%20(National%20Alliance%20on%20Mental%20Illness)%20chapter%20at%20WCU.%20Currently,%20Bratina%20serves%20as%20the%20co-advisor,%20and%20she%20is%20the%20advisor%20for%20Nu%20Beta,%20the%20WCU%20Chapter%20of%20Alpha%20Phi%20Sigma%E2%80%94the%20national%20criminal%20justice%20honor%20society.%20She%20is%20currently%20the%20Region%20One%20Trustee%20for%20the%20Academy%20of%20Criminal%20Justice%20Sciences%20(ACJS).%20Bratina%20endeavors%20to%20advance%20mental%20health%20awareness%20and%20advocacy%20in%20the%20criminal%20justice%20system%20and%20in%20the%20community.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%0AIn%20her%20spare%20time,%20Bratina%20enjoys%20playing%20acoustic%20guitar%20and%20making%20memories%20with%20her%20munchkin.

Education