Lesly Sanchez-Villar, LCSW

Assistant Professor in Residence

Lesly Sanchez-Villar, LCSW, is an assistant professor-in-residence at the University of Connecticut School of Social Work.

Ms. Sanchez-Villar brings experience in direct practice with individuals, groups, and families across home-based and community agency settings, with a particular focus on serving Latinx communities and other historically marginalized populations. She is fluent in Spanish and integrates language access and cultural competence as central components of her professional practice.

At the UConn School of Social Work, Ms. Sanchez-Villar teaches in the Individuals, Groups, and Families Practice (IGFP) concentration. Her teaching draws on her direct practice experience and emphasizes skill development in clinical engagement, culturally responsive intervention, and strengths-based work with diverse populations. She is committed to preparing students to work effectively with individuals and families in complex community and practice settings.

Ms. Sanchez-Villar also teaches and advises students in Connecticut ¡Adelante!, where her work focuses on supporting Spanish-speaking students in strengthening their clinical skills in Spanish and enhancing bilingual service delivery capacity within the social work profession. Through this role, she contributes to expanding linguistic and cultural responsiveness in social work education and practice.

Ms. Sanchez-Villar has served as a field instructor for the School since 2017 and is actively engaged in supporting the professional development of future social workers. She earned her MSW degree from the UConn School of Social Work, where she concentrated in administration and completed focused studies in Puerto Rican and Latin@ studies in social work. She also holds a BS in social work from the University of Saint Joseph and an AS in social service from Capital Community College.

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