Dr. Deneca Winfrey Avant
Social Work Faculty, Professor
School of Social Work
Office
RC Rachel Cooper 201
Office Hours
By Appointment
Office Phone
Email
- About
- Education
- Awards & Honors
- Research
Current Courses
337.001Generalist Practice III:Groups
337.002Generalist Practice III:Groups
444.001Promoting Social Justice with Diverse Populations
461.001School Policy
Ph D Educational Organization and Leadership - Educational Administration
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL
Other Leadership and Administration
University of Illinois at Chicago
Chicago, IL
MSW Social Work
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Urbana, IL
Other Bachelor of Social Work
Jackson State University
Jackson, MS
Distinguished Lecturer Award nominee
College of Arts and Sciences
2023
Million Dollar Club
Office of the President
2023
RISE to the COVID Challenge Recognition
Office of the Vice President and Provost
2021
Civic Engagement Ambassador
Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning
2019
First Star Academy Director
First Star Academy
2019
Associate Director of Equity and Inclusion
Center for Child Welfare and Adoption Studies
2019
Administrator-in-Residence
Office of the Vice President and Provost
2019
Design, Align, Refine, and Teach Online Program
Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology
2018
Faculty Fellow, Summer Institute
Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning
2016
Pre-Tenure Faculty Initiative Grant
College of Arts and Sciences
2016
Book, Chapter
Avant, D., Houston, D., & Nesbitt, L. Educators as the Gatekeepers: Promoting a Race Informed, Culturally Competent Pedagogy for Human Service Professionals. T. Puckett and N. Lind (EDs), Cultural Competence in Higher Education. Emerald (2020)
Avant, D. W. (2011). Unwrapping Tradition: Shifting from traditional leadership to transformative action. In C. M. Shields (Ed.), Transformative Leadership: A Reader (pp. 114-130). New York, NY: Peter Lang.
Avant, D., Houston, D., & Nesbitt, L. Educators as the Gatekeepers: Promoting a Race Informed, Culturally Competent Pedagogy for Human Service Professionals. Cultural Competence in Higher Education. Emerald
Conference Proceeding
https://f2e2ac9d-26a5-4f19-81ec-a2e6a0fcadf4.filesusr.com/ugd/6a041f_97f437b0f9d640c6a1262c0824be6023.pdf
Journal Article
Avant, D. When privilege and oppression becomes “real” in the life of emerging social workers.. Journal of Teaching in Social Work 42.1 (2022): 1-14.
Avant, D., Miller-Ott, A. E. & Houston, D. (2021). “I needed to aim higher:” Former foster youths’ pathways to college success. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 30(4), 1043-1058.
doi:10.1007/s10826-020-01892-1
doi:10.1007/s10826-020-01892-1
Avant, D. W. & Swerdlik, M. (2016). A collaborative endeavor: The roles and functions of school social workers and school psychologists implementing multi-tiered system of supports/response to intervention. School Social Work Journal. 41(1), 56-72.
Avant, D. W. (2016). Using Response to intervention/ multi-tiered systems of supports to promote social justice in schools. Journal for Multicultural Education. 10(4), 507-520.
DOI: 10.1108/JME-06-2015-0019
Avant, D. & Bracy, W. (in press). Using Problem-based Learning To Illustrate the Concepts of Privilege and Oppression, Journal of Social Work Education.
Technical Report
Avant, D., & Wiggins, S. First Star Academy FY23 Annual Report Q1-Q4. Center for Child Welfare and Adoption Studies (2023)
Avant, D., & Wiggins, S. First Star Academy FY22 Annual Report Q1-Q4. Center for Child Welfare and Adoption Studies (2022)
Avant, D. First Star Academy FY21 Annual Report Q1-Q4. Center for Child Welfare and Adoption Studies (2021)
Stipp, K.F., Bell, C. & Avant, D.W. (2021). Listening to Middle School and High School Youth: Executive Summary.
Avant, D., & Houston, D. First Star Academy FY19 Annual Report Q1-Q4. Center for Child Welfare and Adoption Studies (2019)
Presentations
Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) Communication Planning. Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) Strategy. Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE). (2022)
Faculty Appointment, Salary, Promotion, and Tenure (ASPT) Anti-Bias Training. College Deans and Academic Chairs and Directors. Office of the Vice President and Provost. (2022)
Anti-Racism and Student Success. Chairs/Directors Retreat. College of Arts and Sciences. (2021)
Postsecondary Pathways for Former Foster Care Youth. Postsecondary Pathways for Former Foster Care Youth. Office of Community College Research and Leadership. (2021)
Beating the Odds: African American Foster Youth Pathways to College. American Association of Blacks in Higher Education Conference. American Association of Blacks in Higher Education. (2019)
It Takes a Village: Why Community Engagement Matters. National First Star Academy Directors Conference. National First Star Academy. (2019)
White Like Me. Student Counseling Services Multicultural Outreach Initiative. First Star Academy. (2019)
A collaborative endeavor: The roles and functions of school social workers and school psychologists implementing multi-tiered system of supports/response to intervention. Illinois Association of School Social Workers Conference. (2017)
Culturally Responsive Teaching. New Faculty Orientation. Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology. (2017)
Former Foster Youth in College: A Needs and Assets Assessment and First Star ISU Academy. Student Affairs Council Meeting. Illinois State University. (2017)
Grants & Contracts
First Star Academy. DCFS. State. (2024)
Administrator-in-Resident. Office of the Vice President and Provost. Illinois State University. (2019)
First Star Academy. Illinois Department of Children and Family Services and Private donor. Other. (2019)
Community Empowerment Health and Wellness Grant. Delta Research and Educational Foundation. Private. (2018)
First Star Academy. Illinois Department of Children and Family Services and Private donor. Other. (2018)