Dr. Branden A. McLeod

For over 20 years, Dr. Branden A. McLeod has demonstrated commitment, compassion, and leadership in human services and social work. For the past 16 years, Branden has proven outcomes in policy advocacy, policy analysis, performance management, research, and program evaluation. Dr. McLeod’s rich expertise and outcome-driven achievements led him to a career in translating and publishing his knowledge in higher education settings since 2011.

In 2016, Dr. McLeod joined Jane Addams College of Social Work at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), where he currently serves as an Associate Professor. Branden teaches social welfare policy, policy practice, and research methods at M.S.W. and doctoral levels. Dr. McLeod’s primary research area examines how social policies and systems of social control shape Black men’s well-being and relationships with their families, focusing on how these systems shape their roles as fathers.

Given the overrepresentation of Black males within the criminal legal system and its impact on their families, he dedicates his research to understanding the experiences and outcomes of Black males who’ve had contact with the criminal justice system with particular attention to their roles as fathers. His research has been published in several respected peer-reviewed journals, including Children and Youth Services Review, Corrections, Criminal Justice and Behavior, Family Relations, Journal of Child and Family Studies, Journal of Human Rights and Social Work, Journal of Public and Nonprofit Affairs, Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, Social Work, and Urban Social Work. In addition to his published research, Dr. McLeod conducts program evaluation and performance measurement for state and nonprofit agencies providing permanent supportive housing and behavioral health services.

Before joining UIC, Branden was a Clinical Assistant Professor and Director of Policy Initiatives at the University of Maryland Baltimore (UMB) School of Social Work. During his five years at UMB, Branden executed various roles, including teaching, field instruction, and evaluation. During this time, he served as the Program Director for ReServe Maryland—an innovative program that matched continuing professionals (age 55+) with social sector organizations. One of his most salient roles while working at UMB School of Social Work was co-facilitating fatherhood groups at the federal Chesapeake Detention Center.

From 2008-2011, Branden carried out various duties as Associate Director of the Maryland Center for Economic Policy (formerly Maryland Budget and Tax Policy Institute). He led the Center’s budget and policy analysis of human services programs, coordinated the outreach and advocacy programs, and assisted with special projects. In this role, Branden served as Chair of the Maryland Alliance for the Poor (MAP) during the 2010 and 2011 Maryland General Assembly sessions—preventing vital social safety net programs from state budget reductions during the aftermath of The Great Recession.

Before joining the Center, Branden was government affairs associate with the Child Welfare League of America in Washington, DC. There he provided analysis and advocacy work on federal policy related to youth in foster care. Additional positions which Branden held included serving as a Youth and Education liaison for the Baltimore City Council President, Treatment Coordinator for Pressley Ridge Treatment Foster Care Program, and Jail-Diversion Case Manager for “You Are Never Alone,” Inc.

Branden holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Social Work from Morgan State University, a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Maryland Baltimore, and a Bachelor of Science in Human Services with a minor in Criminal Justice from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. Branden was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA, has professionally developed in Baltimore, MD, and is spreading his wings in Chicago, IL.