Jeanette R. Davidson, Ph.D., ACSW is Professor Emerita of the University of Oklahoma and Professor of Instruction at the University of Texas Steve Hicks School of Social Work. She was previously the inaugural Director of the Moritz Center for Societal Impact (MCSI). She currently focuses on special international research projects and initiatives, as well as projects related to housing and homelessness for the Steve Hicks School of Social Work.
Davidson has a BA (Hons) in English literature from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, and an MSSW and Ph.D. in Social Work from the University of Texas at Arlington. Prior to beginning her career in the academy, Davidson worked in clinical practice, and has continued her practice focus with many years of engagement as a consultant and trainer for child welfare supervisors and practitioners.
Jeanette Davidson has published extensively in the areas of African and African American Studies, and on race and competency in social work practice and education, and on ethical issues related to managed care. She is the editor of African American Studies (1st and 2nd editions), published by Edinburgh University Press in 2010 and 2021 respectively, and is currently writing a book, Black Lives in Scotland: Telling Our Stories, to be published also by Edinburgh University Press.
Jeanette Davidson is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Council for Black Studies (NCBS) and is a member of the Executive Board of the Southwest Center for Human Relations in Education, home of the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity (NCORE). She has also served on numerous boards in Oklahoma and Texas. At present she a member of the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO) Board of Directors in Austin Texas and is a member of a working group for Glasgow City Council, in Scotland. She serves on the editorial board of The International Journal of Africana Studies, and previously on the editorial boards of Health and Social Work; Journal of Childhood and Religion; Rural Caregiving: (Rosalyn Carter Institute for Caregiving/Johnson & Johnson Caregivers Program); The Southwestern: The Journal of Aging in the Southwest; and Clinical Sociology Review. Davidson is a faculty member of the Annual Summer School on Black Europe, Center of Study and Investigation for Global Dialogues, Amsterdam, Netherlands and is a Fellow of the Molefi Kete Asante Institute, Philadelphia, PA. She was selected by the publication Diverse: Issues in Higher Education as one of 25 outstanding women in higher education in 2018. She was also highlighted as one of nine women in “Inspiring Stories of Women Empowerment” by Knowledge Review in 2018.
Prior to coming to the University of Texas, Davidson was a Professor at the University of Oklahoma, where she taught African and African American Studies and social work, serving as Director of African and African American Studies for fifteen years. Prior to teaching at the University of Oklahoma, Jeanette Davidson was Associate Professor at Columbia University School of Social Work, New York, and at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas. Jeanette Davidson was born and raised in Scotland.