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carol.bakke@outsidethewire.org
Dr. Carol Meza Bakke
Dr. Carol Meza Bakke is an Army combat veteran and Purple Heart recipient with 12 years of military service. She joined the faculty in the School of History, Philosophy, and Social Sciences at Pittsburg State University in the fall of 2022, and began teaching as an adjunct at the University of Kansas School of Social Welfare in the summer of 2024.
In October 2023, Dr. Meza Bakke was appointed to the Governor’s Military Council in Kansas. She is also the co-founder of Outside the Wire Veterans Organization, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and is an accredited VA Claims Agent.
Dr. Meza Bakke earned her associate degree from Fort Scott Community College, her bachelor's degree from Pittsburg State University, and her master’s degree in social work from the University of Kansas. She holds a Ph.D. in social work from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, Texas. Her dissertation focused on active-duty women who were sexually assaulted while serving in the military and sought mental health services within the civilian sector.
Prior to joining Pittsburg State University, she worked at the Veterans Benefits Administration Regional Office in Fort Snelling, St. Paul, Minnesota, serving veterans and their families. She also has extensive experience in child welfare in the state of Kansas and has served as a court interpreter.
Dr. Meza Bakke’s research interests include military sexual trauma, intimate partner violence, best practice mental health modalities for service members, gun violence prevention, and preparing social work students to address gun violence.
In her spare time, Dr. Meza Bakke enjoys spending time with her husband and two children, tending to their hobby farm, and serving her community and the veteran population. She is passionate about rescuing homeless cats and dogs, fishing in the lakes and strip pits of Southeast Kansas, and participating in trapping, hunting, and camping.
Chris.Bakke@outsidethewire.org
Dr. Chris Bakke
Dr. Chris Bakke is an assistant professor of criminal justice and one of the main advisors for the Student Veterans Organization at Pittsburg State University, and co-founder of Outside the Wire Veterans Organization 501(C)(3). Chris was born and raised in Coon Rapids, Minnesota and is also an Army veteran who served as an infantryman with the Minnesota Army National Guard from 2005 to 2013. His overseas service included training in Norway (2006) and Germany (2007), a peacekeeping deployment to Kosovo (2007-2008) in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, and a combat deployment to the Middle East (Kuwait and Iraq, 2011-2012) in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation New Dawn. After completing his military service, Chris earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice with a minor in fraud examination from Pittsburg State University. He then served as a patrol officer with the Pittsburg Police Department, then went on to work for the US Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Benefits Administration at Fort Snelling in St. Paul, Minnesota. Chris went on to complete a master’s degree in criminal justice at the University of Oklahoma (OU). Upon graduating from OU, Chris worked as a Child Protection Specialist for the Kansas Department for Children and Families, investigating reports of child abuse and neglect for the Crawford and Cherokee county areas before joining the Crawford County Sheriff's Office as a deputy sheriff in 2020. Chris earned his PhD in Criminal Justice with a concentration in Intelligence from the University of North Georgia. Chris also currently serves as a Crawford County Mental Health Advisory Board Member.
In his free time, Chris enjoys exploring the outdoors and spending time with his two kids. Chris also enjoys outdoor activities around their hobby farm, teaching his kids about the outdoors by taking them hiking, fishing, camping, and hunting on their property as well as throughout the 4-state area.
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