SOCIAL WORK - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor
- Assistant Professor of Sociology at Mississippi State University
- Division
Aimee Imlay is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Mississippi State University. She joined the faculty in August 2023 after receiving her PhD from the University of Kentucky. Aimee is a rural sociologist and poverty scholar who focuses on the political economy of rural poverty. Her research interests include rural poverty, class analysis, agriculture, food security, and the impact of policy on rural community well-being. Aimee is co-author of the book, Empty Fields, Empty Promises: A State-by-State Guide to Understanding and Transforming the Right to Farm (University of North Carolina Press, 2023).
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor of Sociology and Gender Studies Program
Job Titles:
- Assistant Teacher Professor
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor
- Division
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor
- Division
Dr. Diego Thompson received his Ph.D. in Sociology and Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University. Prior to joining the faculty at Mississippi State University, he was a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Middlebury College. His teaching and research interests are in rural and environmental sociology. His research has focused on immigration and social disparities in agri-food systems, and community perceptions and adaptations to agri-environmental challenges in the U.S. and Latin America. His work can be found in journals of sociology, community development, rural and environmental sociology, and agri-food systems, such as Sociological Spectrum, Journal of Rural Studies, Community Development, Local Environment, the International Journal of the Sociology of Agriculture and Food, and Agriculture and Human Values.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor
- Assistant Professor of Sociology and Research
- Division
Dr. Dustin Brown is an Assistant Professor of Sociology and Research Fellow at the Social Science Research Center. He has a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Texas at Austin.
Prior to joining the faculty at Mississippi State University he was a National Institutes of Aging Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Michigan Population Studies Center.
He is a social demographer with research interests in population health, aging and the life course, family demography, and social stratification. His research broadly examines the effects of social inequality and social relationships on adult health outcomes.
His recent research primarily focuses on educational and marital status differences in morbidity, disability, and mortality risk among older adults.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor and Social Work Program Director
Job Titles:
- Division
- Professor and Head
Dr. Nicole E. Rader joined the faculty at Mississippi State in 2005 after completing her PhD in the Department of Sociology at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Her research and teaching interests focus on criminology, gender, and qualitative methods. Her current research examines gender and crime issues, specifically investigating fear of crime, sexual victimization, and the influence of the media. Her works have been published in a variety of sociological and criminological outlets such as Sociological Spectrum, Sociological Focus, Women and Criminal Justice, and Criminal Justice and Popular Culture.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor and Graduate Coordinator
- Division
- Graduate Coordinator
Rachel Allison joined the faculty at Mississippi State University in 2014 after receiving her Ph.D. from the Department of Sociology at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Her research focuses on gender and intersectionality across societal institutions characterized by women's increased representation, including education, medicine, and sport. Dr. Allison's past research has examined racial and gender stratification in medical specialization and college students' participation in "hook up" culture.
Her current project explores how owners and staff of women's professional soccer in the U.S. craft goals and strategies for selling the league. Dr. Allison has used survey, interview and ethnographic methods in her research, which has been published in journals such as Social Science Research and Sociological Forum.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor and Undergraduate Coordinator
- Division
- Undergraduate Coordinator
Dr. Barranco joined the faculty at Mississippi State University in 2012 after receiving his Ph.D. in Sociology from Louisiana State University. His scholarly interests are in the areas of race/ethnicity, immigration, and crime. His past work has focused on how immigration policy has affected race/ethnicity and homicide - especially in relation to Latinos. These works can be found in some of the top journals in sociology and criminology, including Social Forces, The Sociological Quarterly, Homicide Studies, and Deviant Behavior.
Job Titles:
- Division
- Instructor and Social Work Field Coordinator
Initially an adjunct lecturer for the Social Work Program, Johnson joined as a full-time member of the Social Work Faculty in 2012. Her areas of teaching interests include micro and mezzo practice courses, along with those focused on health care and aging. In 2013, she assumed the roles of Field Coordinator and Assessment Coordinator for the program. An alumnus of Mississippi State University, Johnson graduated in 2000 with a Bachelor of Social Work, followed by a Master of Science in Social Work from the University of Tennessee in 2002.
Jada Johnson's most recent practice experience entails the provision of clinical services, specifically individual, family, and group psychotherapy to geriatric clients at a hospital-based outreach center. Additionally, she has consulted for a psychiatric management company in the areas of regulation compliance and intervention training. She has served in capacities such as volunteer coordinator, department director, community educator, and patient liaison. Other areas of practice include work with veterans, foster care recruitment, and serving as a medical social worker. While currently a Licensed Certified Social Worker (LCSW), she has attained all three levels of social work licensure. She has maintained membership with the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) since 2000.
Job Titles:
- Administrative Assistant
- Division
- Staff
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor
- Assistant Professor of Sociology
- Division
Kecia R. Johnson is an Assistant Professor of Sociology. She received her Ph.D. from the Department of Sociology at North Carolina State University. Her research focuses on issues related to the collateral consequences of incarceration, prisoner reentry, women's imprisonment and racial disparities and crime. Dr. Johnson is the co-director of the Mississippi Food Insecurity Project, which is an interdisciplinary research team that examines food insecurity across the state and works with communities to address issues pertaining to food insecurity and food access. As a result of this work, Dr. Johnson has developed an interest in how food insecurity affects formerly incarcerated individuals and their families. Her research has appeared in publications such as the American Journal of Sociology, Youth & Society, Journal of Quantitative Criminology, and Social Science & Medicine. Dr. Johnson teaches courses on race and crime, gender and crime, policing and criminological theory.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor
- Director of Gender Studies
- Division
- Professor and Director of Gender Studies
Kimberly Kelly is Associate Professor of Sociology and Director of Gender Studies at Mississippi State University. She studies the intersections of religion and reproductive politics, specifically abortion activism in the United States. Her previous work addressed the crisis pregnancy center movement, ‘post abortion syndrome,' and the diffusion of religious ideology into public policy. More recently, she is working on a book project about abortion activism in Mississippi, tentatively titled Bible Belt Abortion: Race and Religion in Mississippi. Her work can be found in academic journals such as Gender & Society, Signs, and Social Science & Medicine. Dr. Kelly teaches courses on gender, religion, stratification, and theory.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor
- Division
Laura D. Boltz is an Assistant Professor of Social Work. Dr. Boltz graduated from Samford University in 2007 with a double major in Psychology and Journalism/Mass Communication. After graduating with her B.A. degree, she completed a dual-degree master's program. In that program she earned a Master of Social Work degree from The University of Alabama and a Master of Public Health degree from The University of Alabama at Birmingham. While in graduate school, Dr. Boltz worked with clients in her field placements at the Tuscaloosa County Public Defender's Office and Children's Harbor at Children's Hospital of Alabama.
After earning her master's degrees in 2009, Dr. Boltz worked for the Jefferson County Department of Human Resources in the Child Welfare Division. Dr. Boltz worked primarily with children in foster care, with a special focus on adolescents and teenagers. Dr. Boltz's work in child welfare is what influenced her decision to return to The University of Alabama to earn her PhD in Social Work.
Dr. Boltz completed her PhD in 2020. She is a qualitative researcher, and her area of interest is the health of children in foster care. During her doctoral education, Dr. Boltz published in several academic journals and was a member of the editorial board for Best Practices in Mental Health. She is also a member of the Council on Social Work Education and National Association of Social Workers, and she holds a social work license in Alabama as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) and a Private Independent Practitioner (PIP).
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor
- Associate Professor of Sociology at Mississippi State University
- Division
Margaret A. Hagerman is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Mississippi State University and holds faculty affiliate positions in both the African American Studies and Gender Studies programs. She is a nationally recognized expert on white racial socialization. Using qualitative, child-centered methods, Dr. Hagerman explores how aspects of children's social contexts-from families to neighborhoods to schools to geographic regions to the larger political landscape-shape how and what they learn about race, racism, and racial privilege, and what this means for racial inequality more broadly.
Dr. Hagerman is the author of two books including Children of a Troubled Time: Growing Up with Racism in Trump's America (NYU Press 2024) and White Kids: Growing Up with Privilege in a Racially Divided America (NYU Press 2018). Her research can also be found in publications such as Journal of Marriage and Family, Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, Equity and Excellence in Education, and Ethnic and Racial Studies as well as in various edited volumes, including a recent publication by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Her work has been featured by a range of mainstream media outlets including PBS Newshour, Good Morning America, The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Guardian, Time, Good Housekeeping, Libération, L.A. Times and on acclaimed radio programs including NPR's Marketplace, BBC World News, and CBC's The Current.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor
- Division
Margaret Ralston joined the faculty at Mississippi State University in 2014 after receiving her Ph.D. from the Department of Sociology at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Her research focuses on understanding patterns of health and wellbeing in relation to social policies, community resources, and social relationships. Dr. Ralston's past research has examined the intersection of health, the built environment, and social capital in the US context. Her current project explores concepts of health and social wellbeing in aging populations in the Global South. Dr. Ralston uses primarily secondary data sources and survey data in her research, which has been published in journals such as Research on Aging, Social Science & Medicine, and Population Research and Policy Review.
Job Titles:
- Academic Coordinator
- Division
- Staff
Job Titles:
- Business Manager
- Business Manager I
- Division
- Staff
Job Titles:
- Division
- Professor of Sociology
Robert L. Boyd is Professor of Sociology and teaches courses in introductory sociology, urban sociology, and racial minorities. His research examines how the "Great Migrations" of blacks to cities in the early twentieth century transformed the character of black business enterprise and urban black communities in the United States. His recent studies have explored the following topics: 1) the influence of residential segregation by race on the development of black-owned businesses, 2) the emergence of urban subcultures in northern black communities during the Great Migration, 3) historical changes in the characteristics of eminent black entrepreneurs, and 4) the rise of the northern "Black Metropolis" of the early twentieth century. The author of over 50 articles in refereed journals, his recent publications include: "Race, Self-Employment, and Labor Absorption: Black and White Women in Domestic Service in the Urban South during the Great Depression," The American Journal of Economics and Sociology (2012); "The Organization of an Ethnic Economy: Urban Black Communities in the Early Twentieth Century," Journal of Socio-Economics (2012); and "The 'Black Metropolis' Revisited: A Comparative Analysis of Northern and Southern Cities in the United States in the Early Twentieth Century," Urban Studies (2012). He received the Clinton Wallace Dean's Eminent Scholar Award of the College of Arts and Sciences for the 2010-2011 Academic Year.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor
- Division
- Instructor of Sociology at Mississippi State University
Sanna is an Instructor of Sociology at Mississippi State University. Her scholarly interests are in the areas of race/ethnicity, gender, colonialism, criminology, racialized punishment, and juvenile justice. Her research broadly focuses on the intersectionality of racialization and gender in youth punishment. Her current research examines youth punishment in Hawaiʻi, specifically focusing on the connection between schools and jails.
Stacy Hoskins Haynes joined the faculty at Mississippi State University in 2008 after receiving her Ph.D. from the Department of Sociology and Crime, Law, and Justice at Pennsylvania State University. Her research focuses on issues related to victimization, sentencing, juvenile justice, and criminal justice policy. Dr. Haynes's previous research has examined offenders' and victims' experiences in the criminal justice system, particularly with regard to restitution, and the effects of contextual factors on sentencing outcomes.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor
- Division
Tara Sutton has recently joined the faculty at Mississippi State University Fall 2018 after receiving her Ph.D. from the Department of Sociology at the University of Georgia. Dr. Sutton's research is focused on the social and family contexts of intimate partner violence, sexual assault, child abuse, and other criminal, violent, and deviant behavior among adolescents and young adults. She is particularly interested in violence against women and children, the intergenerational transmission of violence, and youth deviance. She is also proficient in several advanced statistical techniques.
Veronica H. Knowles received a B.S.W. from the University of Mississippi and a M.S.W. from the University of Alabama. After two years as an adjunct lecturer in the Social Work Program, Veronica Knowles joined the program as a full time faculty member in fall 2017. Veronica is a Licensed Certified Social Worker. In the past she has held positions in both the public and private sectors of practice. Some of her experience include: Community Mental Health, Child Welfare, Nephrology, Health Care, Gero-Psychology, Supervision, and Management. Veronica has held professional memberships in organizations such as National Kidney Foundation, National Association of Social Workers, American Association on Intellectual and Development Disabilities. Currently, she is a volunteer with American Red Cross and Special Olympics.