Alumni Spotlight Details

Whitney Key Towey ‘02 graduated from Dickinson College in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Bachelor of Arts in History. In 2012, she earned her Masters of Public Health and Masters of Social Work from Washington University in St Louis. She then earned her Doctorate of Philosophy in Social Work from Loyola University Chicago in 2022. She is the Director of Data and Research at the Cook County Justice Advisory Council, the public safety arm under the County President. She lives in Chicago with her 7-year-old daughter, Ann, husband, Ted, and dog, Frank Key. Whitney’s connections to Whitfield run deep with many alumni family members, including her mother, Sally Bebbe Key ‘72; sisters Tory Key ‘04 and Hadley Key Naughtin ‘09; and cousins John Lucas ‘07, Allie (Jostrand) Schweitzer ‘08, Hunt Lucas ‘12, and Carter Desloge ‘12.

Describe how Whitfield prepared you for college and beyond. 

Critical thinking, hands down. Whitfield, purposely or not, has enshrined the person in environment (PIE) theory in its pedagogical approach. Meaning, the school has allowed the coursework to integrate how the environment shapes and influences an individual’s thoughts and behaviors. An example of this was delving into Freud’s psychology of the Id, Ego, Super Ego and how it applies to the literary classics, like Catcher in the Rye and Lord of the Flies. When we read these books in 10th grade English class, it allowed us to think critically and apply different system theories to the characters in the novels. What was the difference between Holden Caulfield and Piggy? Are they really the same, or was it the environment that shaped their behaviors? PIE theory is the cornerstone of the field of social work and has allowed me to critically think about what the root cause of disease is when addressing various determinants of health, especially when working to address community violence. For example,  what contributes to violence: poverty, lack of education/employment, health factors, etc.? In order to solve the puzzle, we need to look at all of the pieces. 

Whitfield also offered a diverse academic experience that has shaped how I have approached my academic career. I was able to double major in biology and history because I was exposed to such an array of fields that fostered a rich environment of curiosity.

What are you most thankful for from your Whitfield experience, both in and outside of the classroom?

I would say that I am most thankful for the mentors and supporters I had along the way: Becky Marsh, Celeste Chapious, Vivi Keefer, Charlie Helbling, Todd Gienke, Joe Brown, and countless others. Whitfield is really intentional in identifying faculty members who also serve as mentors. I don’t think I appreciated it then as much as I do now, but the amount of support I “automatically” had at Whitfield has influenced the relationships that I have sought out throughout my career.

What are some of your favorite Whitfield memories? 

Spirit Week for sure! I loved the bonfire, green and white games, and, of course, the class lip syncs! The best one, and this was supported by anecdotal evidence from faculty and staff, was my senior year’s lip sync to “Had the Time of My Life” from the movie Dirty Dancing. We had it all - our own Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze, backup dancers, and a solo sax performance. It brought the house down. There wasn’t a dry eye in the school!

What were some of your favorite classes at Whitfield? Why? 

There were so many great teachers and classes that were formative during my time at Whitfield. For example, in Mr. Gienke’s biology class, we went to SLU’s medical school and watched the dissection of a cadaver. We also ran our own DNA sequencing - what an experience! Also, Mr. Helbling’s 10th grade English - he was such a storyteller and made complex texts more relatable through his humor.

What advice do you have for alumni, young or seasoned, who are interested in your field? 

VOTE!!! Get involved in government! It's easy to say that your voice doesn’t matter, but it really does, and getting involved is the best way to see tangible change. 

Describe your career.

I am the Director of Data and Research at the Cook County Justice Advisory Council, which is the public safety arm under the County President. I work very closely with the State of Illinois and City of Chicago on the communal investment of Community Violence Intervention, an evidence-based intervention that addresses gun violence, on the Government Alliance for Safe Communities (https://www.ilgovalliance.org/). Through this work, we have standardized how we measure community violence (through definitions and metrics), analyzed the fiscal investments in areas most affected by gun violence and the impact of said investments. I also work with other public safety offices (e.g. State’s Attorney, Cook County Sheriff, Public Defender, Office of the Chief Judge, Cook County Clerk, Cook County Health) on streamlining workflow redundancies to reduce spending and reinvest them into public health efforts. 

I also serve as the Senior Project Lead of a Center of Excellence at Loyola University School of Social Work (LUCSSW) where we train MSW students to work in interprofessional settings to address behavioral health and substance use disorders in medically underserved communities. At LUCSSW, I am an Adjunct Professor teaching health policy; behavioral health with children, youth and adolescents; and SBIRT: Screening Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment to graduate students. 

With growing uncertainty around the future of federal public health infrastructure and ongoing concerns about how crime is portrayed nationally and locally, the importance of my work has only increased. With the significant investment of Community Violence Intervention from the American Rescue Plan Act, violence in Chicago has been reduced by over 30%. However, federal changes affecting agencies that support community-based public health and violence-prevention efforts place this progress at risk. 

With my work at Loyola, the federal restrictions on grants have significantly impacted our ability to continue the work. We have several grants from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) that were not renewed. This has limited our ability to train a more informed, adaptable, and diversified workforce that will address behavioral health issues in underserved communities. Combined with significant reductions in Medicaid funding, these shifts could lead to worsened outcomes for populations that are already vulnerable. These developments underscore just how essential our efforts are—and why continuing this work remains critical.