The Harold R. Johnson Professorship in Social Work is held by Professor Trina Shanks and Professor Robert Taylor. This esteemed position honors the life and legacy of School of Social Work Dean Emeritus Harold R. Johnson (1926-2025). Johnson’s scholarship—spanning gerontology, community practice, juvenile justice, and public policy—shaped multiple fields over several decades.
Professor Robert Taylor has held the Harold R. Johnson Research Professorship in Social Work since 2014. Over the course of his career, Dr. Taylor has published over 215 journal articles, and 40 of these were published during the previous 5-year tenure as Harold Johnson Endowed Professor of Social Work. His work examines the correlates of informal social support networks and supportive ties occurring within Black families and communities. His research is the only work on fictive kin using national data.
Dr. Shanks served as the Harold R. Johnson Collegiate Professor from 2020-2025. She will be installed as the Harold R. Johnson Professor in Social Work in December 2025. Dr. Shanks serves as Director of Community Engagement for SSW and is completing her second 3-year term in this role. Dr. Shanks is the Founding Director of the Center for Equitable Family and Community Well-Being, which has been awarded research grants totaling more than $1.5 million under her leadership. She also serves as the Faculty Advisor for the New Leaders in African Centered Social Work Scholars program.
