Tonya Perry

Dr. Tonya E. Perry was selected and has agreed to serve as Interim Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs & Dean of the Graduate Studies effective June 1, 2021. Dr. Perry has been at Alabama A & M University for 14 of the 21 years she has spent in graduate education. She is professor and chairperson of the Department of Social Work, Psychology and Counseling at Alabama A & M University, where she is responsible for curricular and operational oversight of Graduate and Undergraduate multi-site programs in social work, graduate and undergraduate programs in psychology, the Title IV-E Child Welfare Training Program, the Bulldog LIFE Program and the HRSA Behavioral Health Workforce Training Program.

Having formerly taught at Fordham University and Howard University, Dr. Perry has more than 20 years of graduate teaching experience. She earned her Doctor of Philosophy degree in social work from the University of Alabama, where she also completed a minor in community health. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Social Work degree from Tulane University.

A former Johns Hopkins International AIDS Research Fellow and Fulbright-Hayes Scholar (China), Dr. Perry is a seasoned international researcher who has extensively investigated the socio-cultural aspects of HIV/AIDS among women of African ancestry throughout Africa and the African Diaspora. Dr. Perry formerly served as a consultant to the Global Health Council, for whom she investigated the role of faith-based organizations in providing HIV prevention, care and support services in South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, India, Thailand and Haiti. Dr. Perry has also served as a research and training consultant for The Balm in Gilead, an international faith-based non-governmental organization (NGO) for whom she has researched and documented HIV/AIDS-related faith community mobilization activities in Tanzania, Kenya, Corte d’Ivoire, Nigeria and Zimbabwe.

Since her initial appointment as chairperson of the Department of Social Work, Psychology and Counseling in 2017, Dr. Perry has led the reaffirmation of accreditation of the BSW and MSW programs and the establishment of Dora’s House: Title IV-E Child Welfare Training and Simulation Laboratory; led the expansion of social work program enrollment at AAMU’s Lawson State Community College (LSCC); led an increase in the Department’s external funding from approximately $75,000 annually to approximately $4,000,000 in 4 years; and she has been instrumental in the execution of Memorandums of Understanding (MOU’s) with partnering agencies which serve as experiential training sites for counseling psychology and social work students.

Companies

• Chairperson, Department of Social Work, Psychology & Counseling Alabama A&M University (2017)
• Professor of Social Work Alabama A&M University (2010)
• Interim Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs & Dean of Graduate Studies Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University (2021 — 2022)
• Associate Professor of Social Work Alabama A&M University (2006 — 2009)
• Assistant Professor Fordham University (2004 — 2006)
• Assistant Professor Howard University (1998 — 2003)

Education

• The University of Alabama - Ph.D., Social Work 1993 - 1998
• Tulane University - Master of Science, Social Work 1990 - 1990
• PennWest Edinboro - Bachelor of Arts, Social Work 1985 - 1988