CLARKSVILLE, TN − Dr. Phillip Mongan has been named the new chair of the Department of Social Work at Austin Peay State University – but long before jumping into university administration, he was jumping out of planes with the Army’s 501st Infantry Regiment in Alaska.

At the time, Mongan was chasing adrenaline, purpose, and a future he hadn’t quite figured out. “I was that 17-year-old kid who wanted excitement,” he said. “The pitch was: jump out of planes, go to exotic places … At the time, that sounded like a dream.”

But after an injury led to an honorable discharge, Mongan faced a different kind of mission: finding new direction. With the help of his grandmother, a trailblazing Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) commander, he connected with a vocational rehabilitation counselor through his local Veterans Affairs (VA) office. That conversation changed everything.

“I thought social work was just child welfare,” he said. “But the VA showed me something different – clinical work, therapy, the ability to make a real impact on people trying to rebuild their lives. I realized that was something I wanted to be part of.”

Mongan enrolled in college in northern Minnesota and earned his bachelor’s degree near Red Lake Nation just as the community endured a devastating school shooting.

That tragedy deeply shaped his interest in trauma recovery and prevention, and from there his passion grew. He earned a master’s degree in Georgia, worked full-time in Alabama, and went on to make weekly commutes to the University of Kentucky for his Ph.D … 80,000 miles over four years, to be exact.

“That’s just who I am,” he said. “I’m competitive. I set goals, and I get after them.”

Mongan’s tenacity is precisely what made him stand out to APSU leadership as they searched for someone to chair the department.

“We are incredibly lucky to have Dr. Mongan joining our team,” said Dr. Dlynn Williams, dean of the College of Behavioral and Health Sciences. “Social workers are in high demand, and a veteran like Phillip is just the kind of leader who can help APSU meet the growing needs of our region.”

As a highly driven person, Mongan’s vision includes not just meeting, but exceeding, community needs.

“I want this program to punch above its weight,” he said. “There’s no reason a department our size can’t compete with the biggest names in the region when it comes to preparing outstanding social workers.”

Mongan sees APSU’s large military-affiliated student population as a major advantage for the department. He said veterans are uniquely equipped to become exceptional social workers, especially in high-need areas like mental health, trauma, and family reintegration.

“Veterans bring a different kind of empathy,” he said. “They’ve experienced separation, stress, reintegration, and loss. They understand what it means to navigate hard transitions. And that gives them a special ability to meet people where they are, especially populations that are harder to reach – like older men or troubled teens.”

At his previous post at Radford University, Mongan developed a “social work with military populations” emphasis area and helped place many graduates at Veterans Affairs facilities.

“By the time I left, dozens of the regional VA social workers were my former students,” he said. “That’s the kind of impact I want to have here.”

At Austin Peay, Mongan sees enormous potential. With the university’s strong ties to Fort Campbell and a growing need for mental health professionals, he hopes to build a program that trains excellent clinicians and serves as a trusted pipeline for agencies across the region.

“My goal is simple,” he said. “When someone in the community needs a social worker, I want them to say, ‘Let’s call Austin Peay.’ Because they know our graduates are prepared, passionate, and ready to lead.”

To learn more about Austin Peay’s social work bachelor’s and master’s programs, visit https://www.apsu.edu/socialwork/.