Waldo E. Johnson, Jr.

Waldo E. Johnson, Jr. is a Professor at the University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice.

As vice provost, Waldo’s work focuses broadly on the lifecycle of University faculty, supporting them at all stages of their careers to help them build and maintain academic excellence. This includes the University’s Faculty Development Program, chair development, dual careers, and recruitment/relocation. Waldo’s portfolio also includes the Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellows Program and the Neubauer Family Assistant Professors Program.

Waldo also leads the University’s Diversity & Inclusion Initiative, working across the institution on issues including (but not limited to) race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, ability status, nationality, veteran status, and politics. In this capacity, he supports the Center for Identity + Inclusion; the Center for the Study of Race, Politics, and Culture; and the Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality. He also works closely with units across campus to foster a climate that supports full participation of the University’s members in the academic and professional life of the campus.

Waldo’s research and scholarship focus on family formation and parenting within African American families. He is leading or co-leading multiple community-based research studies focused on African American male roles within families which examine nonresident African American fathers’ parenting strategies for promoting their pre- and adolescent sons’ health and safety, fathers’ understanding and experiences with food insecurity, and fathers’ supportive parenting roles in preventing maternal perinatal depression.

Waldo serves as Deputy Dean for Curriculum at the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. He previously served as faculty director of the Center for the Study of Race, Politics, and Culture and was recently a member of the Faculty Advisory Committee for the University of Chicago Board of Trustees Presidential Search Committee.

Waldo earned a PhD in Social Policy and Administration from the University of Chicago, a MSW in Community Development and Administration from the University of Michigan, and a BA in Sociology and English from Mercer University.