The Next Dean of the School of Social Work at the University of Alabama

Schnavia Smith Hatcher has been selected to lead the School of Social Work at the University of Alabama. She will become dean on August 1, 2021.

“I am honored to join the Univerity of Alabama because of the stellar faculty, staff, and alumni committed to preparing social workers to be social change agents who will promote individual and societal wellbeing,” Dr. Hatcher said. “The School of Social Work is highly visible for fostering student success and responding to critical challenges facing our most vulnerable in the region, nation, and globe. I appreciate its unique history and distinctive strengths, and look forward to continuing the momentum of education, research, and service.”

A native of Selma, Alabama, Dr. Hatcher has been serving as director of the School of Social Work at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Earlier, Dr. Hatcher was the founding director of the Center for African American Studies at the University of Texas at Arlington from 2012 to 2016, where she also worked as an associate professor of social work and criminology and criminal justice.

Dr. Hatcher is a graduate of Spelman College in Atlanta, where she majored in psychology. She has earned a master of social work degree from the University of Georgia and a doctorate in social work from the University of Kansas.