Shonda Lawrence

My name is Shonda Lawrence, Ph.D. I serve as a Contributing Faculty in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. I am looking forward to learning with you all. I am an Associate Professor in Social Work. I grew up in Markham, Illinois, and completed my undergraduate degree in Law Enforcement Administration at Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois. I received my first master’s degree from Chicago State University in Corrections/Criminal Justice. After graduation, I worked for the Illinois House of Representatives as a Research/Appropriations Analyst. I also spent several years as a juvenile probation officer in Cook County, Illinois. I received my second master’s degree and Ph.D. in social work from the University of Illinois at Chicago, Jane Addams College of Social Work. While completing my PhD, I was the project coordinator for the Jane Addams Center for Social Policy and Research.

I have served as Director for the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) programs at Clark Atlanta University and Jackson State University as director of Master of Social Work Programs at Jackson State University and Jacksonville State University, and as director of Bachelor of Social Work programs at Jackson State University and Clark Atlanta University. I have served on and chaired several dissertations.

I teach research, human behavior, social welfare policy, and cultural diversity courses. I have several peer-reviewed journal articles, and book chapters, and have presented at numerous juried conferences. My research interests include child welfare, the impact of parental incarceration on children and families, and social justice broadly. My most recent publications include Lawrence, S. & Baffour, T. (Eds.). (2023). A Call for Social Work Educators to Confront and Dismantle Systemic Racism Within Social Work Programs [Special Issue]. Reflections: Narratives in Professional Helping, Vol. 29 (2) and Lawrence, S., Watson, J., Currie, N., & Cooper, M. (2023). Social Justice and Black Men’s Health. In Y. D. Dyson, V. Robinson-Dooley, & J. Watson (Eds.), Black Men’s Health: A Strengths-Based Approach Through a Social Justice Lens for Helping Professions. Springer Publishing. I have also received local, state, and federal research funding. My current funding supports the collection of data examining inclusion, diversity, equity, accessibility, and belonging at social work programs across the country.
I have served as a Commissioner on the Membership and Professional Development Commission (CMPD), Accreditation Site Visitor, and member of the Faculty Development Work Group, Anti-Racism Task Force for the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). I was recently named to the Council of Social Work Education, Board of Accreditation. I have also served on several community boards. I enjoy traveling, music, trying new cuisines, and meeting new people.

Courses Taught

HUMN 9001 - Dissertation

SOCW 8610 - Capstone Research

SOCW 8110 - Advanced Social Work Theory and Practice

SOCW 8602 - Building Doctoral Socialization and Competency 2

Education

PhD, University of Illinois at Chicago, Jane Addams College of Social Work

MSW, University of Illinois at Chicago, Jane Addams College of Social Work

MS, Chicago State University, May 1988

BS, Western Illinois University