Jeanette R. Davidson, Ph.D., ACSW, is the inaugural Director of the Center for Societal Impact (CSI) and Professor of Instruction at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work. The work of CSI focuses on changing lives, through aligning interdisciplinary efforts in research and instruction with local, national and global partnerships, aimed at solving critical social problems.
Davidson has a BA (Honors) 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.
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.
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 and at present is a member of a working group for Glasgow City Council, in Scotland. Currently she also 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.
Davidson is Professor Emerita of 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, 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.