Samantha Burgett

Sam was hired as Valparaiso Police Department’s first police social worker in 2021. As of May 2023, Sam is the police social worker at the Porter County Sheriff’s Office, where she is expanding the police social work program at the county level and working to create a more trauma-informed jail system. In addition to her work with law enforcement, Sam runs a local nonprofit, the Community Change Center, which provides reentry services to incarcerated and formerly-incarcerated individuals in Northwest Indiana. Sam also serves as an adjunct professor in Valparaiso University’s Sociology department, teaching courses such as Juvenile Delinquency and Restorative Justice. She is a foster parent through the Villages of Indiana and enjoys having the opportunity to help create a stronger, healthier community through all of her work.

Sam attributes much of her professional opportunities and successes to Valparaiso University’s social work and sociology departments. The supportive culture, rich education, and community connections that she was able to form through the program allowed her to start her nonprofit while still in school. The internships, leadership development opportunities, and policy work that Sam engaged in while in undergrad equipped her to work effectively at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels as she continues working to create transformation with the justice system. Additionally, Sam says the connection and collaboration that she maintains with VU continues to help her strengthen the police social work program that she is building for Porter County.