Alumni Update on Samuel L. Bradley, Jr., DSW

The Doctorate of Social Work degree from the Tulane University School of Social Work delivers on its commitment to build professional capacity and provide teaching opportunities. Having received his DSW in 2019, Samuel L. Bradley, Jr. has been hired as an Assistant Professor of Macro Social Work Practice at Boston College School of Social Work, where he will teach nonprofit administration, fundraising, and social innovation. 

He also hopes to create a program for leaders to work for equity and justice in the workplace as Chief Diversity Officers or Corporate and Social Responsibility Officers . “By 2045, the majority of U.S. citizens will be people of color. Leaders need an advanced skill set to continue navigating the workplace,” said Samuel.

Growing up in Mobile, Samuel learned about helping neighbors and communities from his parents, his dad is a retired pastor and his mom is a retired public health nurse. His parents thought he would choose a different career path, but he began his Master in Social Work just two years after graduating from Loyola University New Orleans. “I wanted to work to change society and the ways we think of solving problems creatively,” said Samuel. “As social workers, we have a vision for the future. We need to bridge the gap between now and the future we want.”
Education is a mode of change for Samuel. Tulane’s field education program gave him his first experience in diversity training when he was interning with Family Service of Greater New Orleans. He combined that with his fundraising career as Alumni Engagement Officer and then Director of Strategic Initiatives at Loyola University to bring him to research fundraisers of color as his advance practice project in Tulane’s DSW program. 

With encouragement from Tulane faculty, Samuel applied to the Boston College position and is hopeful about approaching social work with an entrepreneurial spirit. “Social work has tremendous value. It teaches you how to talk to people, to practice empathy, and build rapport,” Samuel said. “We need to build upon that and develop people as diplomats of equity and justice and leaders at the crux of innovation.”

Read more about Samuel’s appointment here.

(photo credit to Boston College School of Social Work)