Cassandra Fatouros, MBA, LCSW is a senior lecturer at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, where she teaches and leads multiple courses in the Doctor of Social Work (DSW) and in the Master of Social Work (MSW) programs and is a member of Curriculum Council In addition to her role as an educator, Professor Fatouros provides consulting and pro-bono services to a variety of private and public sector organizations. The focus of this work is on strategic planning, leadership development, program and gap analysis, program and fund development, change management, curriculum development and executive coaching.
Prior to her work at USC, Professor Fatouros held several executive roles in both for-profit and not-for-profit behavioral health and health care organizations. She was the President, Program Operations for Elements Behavioral Health where she oversaw programs across nine states and was responsible for clinical programming, financial performance, and employee engagement. Most notably, she served as the President and CEO of Prototypes, a not-for-profit organization in Southern California. For nearly ten years, she successfully led the organization, building a strong fundraising and grant writing department, developing operations to support the clinical work, and advancing public awareness and advocacy. Here, she took an organization that was nearly 100% funded by government contracts and diversified the revenue streams to also include foundation grants, individual and corporate giving, and fundraising events. Professor Fatouros began her career as a Clinical Social Work in medical social work in the areas of transplantation and oncology. She then transitioned into clinical and executive roles at PacifiCare Health Systems and United Behavioral Health. This vast array of experience has allowed her to understand how behavioral health treatment is financed, the government policies that impact access, and how innovative programs can decrease healthcare disparities for at-risk communities.
Professor Fatouros has a bachelor's degree in social relations from the University of California, Riverside, a master's degree in social work from the University of Southern California, and a master of business administration degree from Pepperdine University, Graziadio School of Business and Management. She has served on the boards of the California Association of Alcohol and Drug Programs Executives, the Network for Social Work Managers, the Association of Community Human Services Organizations, and the Advisory Board for the Center for Leadership and Management at the School of Social Work at Rutgers University. She holds clinical licensure (LCSW) in California and Colorado and is a Certified Executive Coach.