Humanities and Social Sciences Names Lorraine Taylor Executive Director for Extension and Engagement

NC State’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences has named Lorraine Taylor executive director for extension and engagement, effective June 1.

Currently, Taylor serves as executive director of the Juvenile Justice Institute, in the Department of Criminal Justice at North Carolina Central University.

“With an impressive record of extension and engagement, scholarship, teaching and administration, and abundant experience securing external grant funding, managing research programs, and conducting research, Lorraine has the expertise to help move our college forward,” says Deanna Dannels, dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. “Her dedication to supporting interdisciplinary research and collaboration, extension and  engagement with campus and community partners aligns with our strategic priorities around innovation, collaboration and inclusion. 

“I am excited to welcome Lorraine to NC State and look forward to her leadership as we nurture the impact of our college on campus, across North Carolina and beyond.” 

Taylor, a developmental psychologist, was executive director of North Carolina Central University’s Juvenile Justice Institute for eight years (from 2016 to 2024). During that time, she secured $1.2 million in grant funding, published numerous articles, and established partnerships with local community organizations, state-level juvenile justice leaders and national research collaborations. 

At the Juvenile Justice Institute, Taylor also initiated faculty and student development activities. They included a research incubator, which offered workshops on grant writing and proposal development; and a faculty fellows program, a year-long research fellowship that included research mentoring for two assistant professors. 

Her career also includes previous roles as a senior research associate and investigator for several area institutions. In addition, she was an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she also served as a faculty fellow and a research assistant professor in the School of Education and as an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at Duke University. Taylor also served as an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of South Carolina. 

Taylor’s research in the juvenile justice and criminal justice fields focuses on social policy, criminal and juvenile justice reform, and broader social dynamics around poverty and race. Her earlier work in developmental and community psychology focused on parenting behaviors, family-school relationships, and the risk and protective factors shaping children’s academic and social adjustment. 

She has written articles for various publications, including the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health and Journal of Applied Youth Studies. Additionally, she is a member of the American Psychological Association, the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD), and the Black Caucus of SRCD. 

Taylor holds a Ph.D. and master’s degree in developmental psychology from the University of Virginia and a Bachelor of Psychology and a minor in political science from Howard University.  She completed a post-doctoral fellowship at UNC’s Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, funded by the National Center for Early Development and Learning.