Matthew Toms, MSW, LADC, received his MSW from the University of New Hampshire.  He has been working for 15 years in direct practice in private high schools, residential treatment centers, community mental health agencies, chemical dependency and dual diagnosis day treatment centers, wilderness programs, and primary prevention programs. In addition, he has research and professional, volunteer, and activist experience throughout Latin America and the Caribbean in development, human rights advocacy, and relief work in impoverished communities.  Matthew teaches a course focusing on human rights, social development, service learning, and social action in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, including a 9-day experiential component based in Santo Domingo.