Yarneccia D. Dyson, the college’s executive director and head of the School of Social Work, is stepping down. She is taking a new position as dean at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work, where she will also hold the prestigious Maconda Brown O’Connor Endowed Dean’s Chair, effective May 15.
Dyson was named to her current role at the college in 2022 and simultaneously joined NC State as a professor in the School of Social Work.
“Through her support, Yarnceccia has helped our college invest in professional growth, student success and shared learning,” said Deanna Dannels, dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. “Her collaborative leadership philosophy, skill in forging partnerships and advocacy for belongingness have fostered an environment where everyone in our community feels valued and has the resources to succeed.”
During her tenure at the School of Social Work, Dyson has, among other things, led the school in initiating a strategic planning process. Dyson also championed the growth of the school’s academic contributions while equipping students with tools to thrive professionally and make meaningful contributions to their communities.
Before coming to NC State, Dyson served as an associate professor and chair of the Department of Social Work and Gerontology Program at UNC Greensboro (UNCG). Earlier, she served as an assistant professor of social work at UNCG and as a graduate faculty member at the University of Alabama, a visiting scholar at James Madison University, and an assistant professor at Benedict College.
An award-winning thought leader, higher education strategist and subject matter expert, Dyson’s research focuses on improving the health, access, and well-being of historically oppressed communities, mentoring experiences for Black women and women of color, as well as improving the sexual and reproductive health outcomes for communities of color. She also has 20 years of social work practice and leadership experience.
Dyson’s research has appeared in many scholarly publications, including the Journal of Social Work Education, Social Work in Public Health, among others.
Her many awards and recognitions include the prestigious Council on Social Work Education Early Career Faculty Service and Leadership in Social Work Education Award that she received in 2021 as well as being named a 2021 Michigan Integrative Well-Being and Inequity (MIWI) Scholar. She was also selected as a Health Disparities Research Institute (HDRI) Scholar by the National Institutes of Minority Health and Health Disparities.
Dyson holds a Ph.D. in Social Work Policy, Planning and Administration & Social Science from the Whitney M. Young, Jr., School of Social Work at Clark Atlanta University. She earned her MSW from The Florida State University and BSW from Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University.
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