Dorothea Ivey, PhD, MSW, MPA

Dr. Ivey draws from distinguished careers as an Educator, Macro Social Worker, and Public Administrator with major agencies and educational institutions in the geographical areas of Dallas County, TX; Tarrant County, TX; Anne Arundel County, MD; Washington, DC; and Cumberland County, ME. As an educator, Dr. Ivey has experience teaching across several generations from early childhood education and elementary education to higher education. As a macro social worker at the administrative level, she has experience in philanthropic development through grant writing, event planning, program planning, and program evaluation. As a public administrator, Dr. Ivey is a tactful planner and is methodological in integrating various macro strategies to sustain and expand nonprofit programs.

The focus of Dr. Ivey’s research is the exploration of African American individual, familial, societal, and systemic manifestations that highlight ways in which policies and social workers can be more responsive to the needs of grandparents raising grandchildren, Alzheimer’s caregivers, and other marginalized populations. Dr. Ivey’s scholarship is motivated by the strength and resilience of the African American family in the face of generational systemic racism. Representing those stories of struggle and triumph in a historic and contemporary context that often pathologized African American families were inspired in her early scholarship. Her research continues to evolve based on her experience as a professor, administrator, scholar, and artist; however, the common theme of her inquiry is to give voice to those often overlooked with the intention of supporting agency and advocacy. Dr. Ivey is an established artist and family historian concentrating on preserving generational history, genealogy, and by creating legacy statements using encaustic mediums. As an administrator, she aims to provide access, retention, and completion of social work education for students regardless of age, ethnicity, ability, gender, and/or religion. Dr. Ivey embraces the importance of providing a holistic educational experience for all students.