Ramona Denby-Brinson, Ph.D., has served as dean of UNC School of Social Work since August 2021 and is the
incoming president of the Society for Social Work and Research. Her academic career to date spans nearly
three decades, including leadership roles at The Ohio State University and Arizona State University. She also
held academic, research, and administrative roles at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, where she served for
nearly 20 years. She began her career at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
She is recognized as one of the preeminent national experts in culturally adapted child welfare services and
a leading scholar in kinship care. She has co-edited or authored five books, including “Child and Family Serving Systems: A Compendium of Policy and Practice” Volumes I and II and “Kinship Care: Increasing Child
Well-Being through Practice, Policy, and Research.”
To date, she has been awarded more than $35.5 million in competitive federal, state and national nonprofit
grants to further her research endeavors.
She is a licensed social worker and, prior to her academic career, she served children and families in various
social service settings, including medical social work, substance use disorders counseling, family counseling,
and public guardianship.