BSW Program Director, Clinical Assistant Professor
Contact Information
Email: skwilkes@ua.edu
Office: Little Hall 1011
Phone: 205-348-4750
Departments
- BSW Program
Areas of Interest and Expertise
- Community Engagement and Development
- HIV/AIDS
- Macro Social Work Practice
- Organizational Administration and Leadership
- Program Planning and Development
- Student Engagement and Retention
Education
- BSW, MS Valley State University, May 2004
- MSW, Jackson State University Advanced Standing, May 2005
- DSW, University of Alabama School of Social Work, December 2022
Bio
Dr. Sherron Wilkes has a zeal for student engagement and retention, leadership, and macro social work practice just to name a few. Dr. Wilkes has assisted college students with organizing both campus and community service-learning projects, thus empowering students to develop their own leadership skills and affect change. Dr. Wilkes teaches numerous social work courses such as Introduction to Fields of Social Work Practice, Social Work Practice in Communities and Organizations, and Human Behavior in the Social Work Environment I & II. In addition, she has taught electives and practiced in the areas of mental health, HIV/AIDS, and community development. Some of her greatest macro accomplishments were leading sustainable communities’ initiatives with Mid-South Delta Local Initiative Support Corporation (LISC), Mississippi Action for Community Education, Inc., and the Economic Development Center in Mississippi.
Since 2019, Dr. Wilkes has spearheaded the annual Social Work Month activities and received signed proclamations from Mayor Walt Maddox proclaiming March as Social Work Month in Tuscaloosa. In addition, Wilkes has coordinated NASW Advocacy Day events for social work students to attend in Montgomery, AL.
Dr. Wilkes’s research focuses on “A Qualitative Inquiry into the Use of a Virtual Platform during a Crisis to Boost Social Work Competencies.” Noontime Knowledge virtual learning series were started in response to COVID and the resulting restrictions on in-person continuing education. Dr. Wilkes envisioned and implemented Noontime Knowledge in August 2020 as part of a study on the benefits, challenges, and experiences of a virtual learning series. The growing popularity of the series has allowed its continuation to the present day. Noontime Knowledge is offered as a monthly continuing education series, where each month, current topics are addressed that are relevant to the social work profession. Its virtual format allows anyone with an internet connection to register and attend these sessions for continuing education units at no cost. Noontime Knowledge has become one of the School’s premier continuing education offerings and made a significant impact, particularly for social work practitioners who needed continuing education units during the global pandemic. In 2022, Noontime Knowledge reached 2,203 participants. To review past virtual learning series and learn about upcoming series, please visit Noontime Knowledge – socialwork.ua.edu | The University of Alabama. To learn more about the Noontime Knowledge qualitative study, visit University of Alabama Institutional Repository: A Qualitative Inquiry into the Use of a Virtual Platform during a Crisis to Boost Social Work Competencies.
Awards
- 2019 Innovator Scholars Award
- 2019 Jean Rayfield Award
- 2021 DSW Leadership Award
- 2023 Social Work Pioneer Award, Alabama-Mississippi Social Work Education
- 2024 Faculty Award for Service, UA School of Social Work
Selected Publications
- *Johnson, K. A., *Wilkes, S., & Alameda-Lawson, T. (2013). Capacity building. In Encyclopedia of Social Work.
- *co-first authors
- Cheatham, L. P., Smith, S., Siler, M., Johnson, K., Turner, C., Wilkes, S., Shah, A., Johnson, L., Swails, P., Lopaczynski, L.*,. (2020). “Own Your Vote”: A Novel Approach to Teach Social Workers about Voting Rights. Professional Development: The International Journal of Continuing Social Work Education, 23(2), 55–60.
- Johnson, K. A., Binion, S., Waller, B., Sutton, A., Wilkes, S., Payne-Foster, P., & Carlson, C. (2022). Left behind in the US’Deep South: Addressing critical gaps in HIV and intimate partner violence prevention efforts targeting Black women. Frontiers in reproductive health, 4.
- Wilkes, S., Davis, C., Cheatham, L.P., & Trosper, P. (2024). One Click Away: Establishing a Virtual Platform to Amplify and Learn from Marginalized Voices during Crises. Professional Development: The International Journal of Continuing Education, 27 (1), 03.
- Johnson, K. A., Perkins, A. J., Obuya, C., & Wilkes, S. K. (under review). Enhancing HIV prevention efforts in the criminal legal system: A comprehensive review and recommendations. Current HIV/AIDS Reports.