Image of Dr. M. Sebrena Jackson
Award: Distinguished Recent Contributions to Social Work Education Award
Sebrena Jackson, PhD, MSW, BSW, is a strategic-thinking, servant leader with over 25 years of social work practice and leadership experience. Over the span of her career, she has worked with diverse populations with the goal of inspiring them to do the healing work that leads to living on purpose and reaching their fullest potential.
Dr. Jackson’s diverse career in academia has spanned from Title IV-E Coordinator/Instructor of a BSW program at an HBCU, to Director of Field Education for the first fully online university to receive CSWE accreditation for an MSW program, to her current role as a tenured Associate Professor and Associate Dean of Educational Programs and Student Services at a Research I university, The University of Alabama.
As a first-generation college student and former CSWE MFP Fellow, Dr. Jackson is passionate about education. This passion has guided her practice, research, and scholarship. Her two lines of education research include: (1) post-secondary education access and success for youth transitioning from foster care and (2) online education. She has published and presented on these topics at state, national and international conferences. The pre-college program she founded, the National Social Work Enrichment Program (NSEP), provides a 4-week college experience for foster youth. NSEP seeks to encourage foster youth to consider social work as a college major, while inspiring youth to graduate high school and enroll in college.
As a licensed clinical social worker in both Georgia and Alabama, Dr. Jackson has practiced in a variety of settings, including medical social work, crisis intervention, child welfare, community organizing, and private practice. She has received numerous awards and honors for her work. She was honored as the Social Worker of the Year in two states, NASW-GA in 2009 and NASW-AL in 2017, for her work with transition-age foster youth. She was recently appointed as a co-lead for the Social Work Grand Challenge: Harnessing Technology for Social Good.
She obtained her BSW from Tuskegee University and her MSW and PhD from Clark Atlanta University. Dr. Jackson is a trailblazer in the profession, and through her leadership, practice, and research, a college education has become a viable option for hundreds of youth transitioning from foster care.
Dr. Jackson’s diverse career in academia has spanned from Title IV-E Coordinator/Instructor of a BSW program at an HBCU, to Director of Field Education for the first fully online university to receive CSWE accreditation for an MSW program, to her current role as a tenured Associate Professor and Associate Dean of Educational Programs and Student Services at a Research I university, The University of Alabama.
As a first-generation college student and former CSWE MFP Fellow, Dr. Jackson is passionate about education. This passion has guided her practice, research, and scholarship. Her two lines of education research include: (1) post-secondary education access and success for youth transitioning from foster care and (2) online education. She has published and presented on these topics at state, national and international conferences. The pre-college program she founded, the National Social Work Enrichment Program (NSEP), provides a 4-week college experience for foster youth. NSEP seeks to encourage foster youth to consider social work as a college major, while inspiring youth to graduate high school and enroll in college.
As a licensed clinical social worker in both Georgia and Alabama, Dr. Jackson has practiced in a variety of settings, including medical social work, crisis intervention, child welfare, community organizing, and private practice. She has received numerous awards and honors for her work. She was honored as the Social Worker of the Year in two states, NASW-GA in 2009 and NASW-AL in 2017, for her work with transition-age foster youth. She was recently appointed as a co-lead for the Social Work Grand Challenge: Harnessing Technology for Social Good.
She obtained her BSW from Tuskegee University and her MSW and PhD from Clark Atlanta University. Dr. Jackson is a trailblazer in the profession, and through her leadership, practice, and research, a college education has become a viable option for hundreds of youth transitioning from foster care.