Dr. Rufus Sylvester Lynch, DSW

Dr. Rufus Sylvester Lynch, Professor of Forensic Social Work Education, former Dean of the Whitney M. Young, Jr. School of Social Work (WMYJSSW) at Clark Atlanta University (CAU), and current President and Principal Investigator of the Institute for the Advancement of Working Families (IAWF): a forensic education, behavioral change, and employment services corporation, has over 30 years of experience in transdisciplinary administration and management, teaching, research and community service.

Dr. Lynch has been recognized locally and nationally.  In 1978, he was selected as Pennsylvania's Social Worker of the Year. In both 1978 and 1980, Dr. Lynch was recognized as one of the Outstanding Young Men of America by the U.S. Jaycees; and in 1981, he received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Social Work for excellence in Social Work practice. By March 1991, Dr. Lynch was appointed a Distinguished Scholar in Residence, by the Pennsylvania State University, Department of Social Work. He has served on the Editorial Board of the Justice System Journal, published by the Institute for Court Management (ICM), National Center for State Courts; and currently serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Forensic Social Work, published by the National Organization of Forensic Social Work (NOFSW).

Dr. Lynch's interest and commitment to the revitalization of Urban America extends over several decades.  In that regard, he has founded or co-founded several non-profit charitable corporations including the Center for Studying Social Welfare and Community Development, the Berean Presbyterian Institute for Family Preservation and Policy Development, Fresh Start Community Development Corporation, the Philadelphia Juvenile Justice Center, Inc., and the Institute for the Advancement of Working Families (IAWF). More recently, he served as a Founding Board Member of The Center for Working Families, Inc (TCWFI), in Atlanta, Georgia.  TCWFI began as a project initiated and fully funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. In partial recognition of his political and professional leadership, Dr. Lynch has been invited to the White House on behalf of two United States Presidents (Carter & Clinton). In addition, he has participated by invitation or designation in several White House Conferences and or White House Public Forums, e.g. White House Conference on Aging, White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), White House Roundtable discussion on "Faith-Based and Community Strategies to Promote Healthy Families", and the White House Roundtable discussion on Strengthening Compassion by "Building the Capacity of Frontline Faith-Based and Community Organizations".

Dr. Lynch has served in senior staff positions in the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches of Pennsylvania's State Government, and has held executive positions in private industry, higher education, and non-profit corporations. Significant accomplishments include: Pioneered, through IAWF, the delivery of forensic services to TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) recipients and Low-Income Wage Earners, who desired to reconnect with their children, but were experiencing legal impediments to employment and economic self-sufficiency; Brought energy and excitement to Clark Atlanta University School of Social Work and its new name, "Whitney M. Young, Jr. School of Social Work" by changing the curriculum to add forensic social work and gerontology as areas of graduate study, and managing the successful re-affirmation of its accreditation by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Commission on Accreditation (AOC), which granted re-accreditation until 2014; Increased the annual State (Pennsylvania) welfare-to-work programmatic budget at the Philadelphia Workforce Development Corporation (PWDC) from $30,000,000.00 to $50,000,000.00 within a year and half; Designed, organized and managed a State sponsored transitional welfare-to-work employment and training department within the Private Industry Council (PIC) of Philadelphia, Inc., City of Philadelphia Workforce Investment Fiscal Agency; Founded and served as President (Pro Bono) of Fresh Start Community Development Corporation, a West Philadelphia-University City Initiative; Spearheaded in collaboration with the Constable Association of Pennsylvania and the Administrative Office of the Pennsylvania Courts (AOPC) the development of the first comprehensive legislation in Pennsylvania's history to regulate constables who serve the judiciary. The Legislation was ratified, by both Chambers of the General Assembly, and signed by the Governor on November 29, 1990; Chief Author and Architect of legislation creating the Pennsylvania Department of Aging, which currently still exist; and, drafted the first multi-level educational social work licensure bill ever introduced in the Pennsylvania General Assembly.

Dr. Lynch has taught or lectured at nearly two dozen colleges and universities, authored or co-authored over 21 published manuscripts in professional books and/or scholarly journals, been interviewed in the national press and by national radio, as well as, participated and or presented at over 60 professional conferences, workshops, and training institutes. In that regard, the subjects of aging and care of the elderly were an early theme in Dr. Lynch's research and writing.  He served as a Gerontological Fellow at the Philadelphia Regional Office of the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare.  He has written about educational services for older persons, training for those who work with senior citizens, and organizational improvements in the field of aging.  Dr. Lynch's later writings have been devoted to the empowerment of communities, defining an appropriate role for social workers who practice in justice system settings, and the discussion of ethics which guide the practice of social work. Currently, Dr. Lynch's research agenda includes a commitment to the study and research of full-male development, the successful transition of youth and young adults from America’s Foster Care and Juvenile Justice Systems, and the redefinition of the role of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) in the delivery of health and human services to the African American community.

Presently, Dr. Lynch serves as the National Project Coordinator, for the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Deans and Directors of Schools of Social Work and Interdisciplinary Academic Social Science Programs: A Research, Education, and Service Collaborative dedicated to better health and human service delivery to African American Youth and Families. In January 2009, Dr. Lynch accepted an invitation from the Morehouse School of Medicine/Cork Institute to serve as Chair of its Advisory Committee for the recently established Historical Black Colleges and Universities-Center for Excellence in Substance Abuse and Mental Health. Dr. Lynch is a national consultant to The Whitney Young Film and Leadership Development Project (Los Angles, California); PRWT Services, Inc. (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania); Illinois One Family One Child (Chicago, Illinois); and the National Association of Former Foster Care Children of America, (Washington, D.C.).