Mondays and Wednesdays- Office Hours are virtual. Please email to set up an appointment

Tuesdays and Thursdays- Office Hours are in-person on Southern/Dobson Campus. Please email to set up appointment so I don't miss you. 

Shakira Pipher is a passionate social worker dedicated to social justice and serving the diverse communities within Arizona. She received her masters degree in social work from Arizona State University.  Shakira is a licensed master social worker (LMSW) issued by the Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners. She has spent the last 20+ years working in the social services, mental/behavioral health and education fields. She has work experience in the areas of prevention, adult education, community development, program development, in-home case management, child & family counseling and mental health. Mrs. Pipher is also a graduate of Valle del Sols Hispanic Leadership Institute (HLI) and African American Leadership Institute (AALI).

Mrs. Pipher came to Mesa Community College from the nonprofit mental health sector where she focused on healthcare integration and community education. She has served as an adjunct professor for the Maricopa Community College District for 11 years (8 years at Phoenix College and 3 years at Mesa Community College). Shakira is a previous faculty associate for Arizona State Universitys School of Social Work. Shakira has served on a variety of community advisory boards, coalitions, and work groups. She continually seeks opportunities to collaborate and partner with the communities she serves. Shakira stays connected to her alma mater by serving as a field liaison for social work students at Arizona State University. In this role, she mentors and supports student interns in their field placements.

At Mesa Community College, Mrs. Pipher serves as a residential faculty and social work program director. Shakira teaches a variety of social work classes (SWU 171, SWU 183, SWU 291 and SWU 295). She teaches in all modalities (In-person, hybrid, live online and online), but her favorite is in-person. Her personal program goals are to: 1. recruit new social work students to MCC, 2. retain current students and 3. support students as they graduate from MCC and/or transfer to their next educational journey.  She views social work as a versatile career field that focuses on facilitating positive change. In addition to these goals, she hopes to find creative ways to weave social work education into other departments/disciplines across the college. Shakira participates in the Statewide Articulation Task Force for social work and Instructional Council. In 2024, Mrs. Pipher became a fellow in the Maricopa Maricopa Institute for Learning Research Fellowship (MILRF) program. Through this fellowship, Mrs. Pipher is evaluating the use of high impact practices in social work education.

When she is not at work, Mrs. Pipher enjoys volunteering, dancing and spending time with her family.