Assistant Provost for Faculty Affairs and Professor of Psychology, University of Kentucky
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Photo by Mick Jeffries
Lynda Brown-Wright, Ph.D., has spent her life striving to affect social justice and change. From becoming one of seven students who desegregated her junior high school in Louisiana in the post-Brown era to mentoring students in her current role at the University of Kentucky, she is constantly seeking ways to help others and improve the world around her.
“I have aspired to be a psychologist since the age of 12, when I became curious about factors that made human beings treat other human beings the way they did in the segregated South,” said Brown-Wright.
Brown-Wright currently serves as assistant provost for faculty affairs and professor of psychology at the University of Kentucky. Employed there for more than two decades, she has served in various capacities within the university’s psychology department and as associate director of the African-American studies and research programs.
Prior to being recruited to UK, Brown-Wright held roles as a program specialist for the Louisiana State Department of Education, a school psychologist in Houston, Texas, and a faculty member of the University of Georgia’s psychology program.
Among Brown-Wright’s long list of accomplishments is the fact that she became the first department chair of color in UK’s College of Education in 2004.
“With the encouragement and support of mentors, I have also participated in three national leadership development programs, which have greatly enhanced my leadership acumen,” said Brown-Wright.
One of Brown-Wright’s biggest accomplishments, in addition to raising her daughter, Haley, she said, is witnessing the achievements of graduate students and young professors she has had the opportunity to mentor.
“I’ve always liked nurturing the development of young people,” said Brown-Wright, who is currently directing dissertations for five doctoral students.
“I feel that I have a responsibility and an obligation [to be a mentor], but I like it,” Brown-Wright explained. “To help younger people to enhance their potential in life is so fulfilling to me.”
It’s difficult to understand how Brown-Wright manages to balance such a full schedule, but it seems to come naturally for the Louisiana native. In addition to her role at UK, she serves in several other leadership positions, including as an executive board member of the Fayette County Democratic Party, a lay minister and pastor at New Light Christian Methodist Episcopal Church and a commissioner of Lexington Race Relations. Additionally, she has served as a member of the board of directors for the Kentucky Lottery Corp. for a maximum eight-year term,with a specific goal of assuring as much money as possible was allocated for education.
“No day is ever the same,” said Brown-Wright of her activity-filled schedule. “I love what I’m doing and I think that’s important, but it’s a very busy time — there are a lot of meetings, talking and questions about different issues related to [UK’s] faculty and their development every day. I also have workshops that I facilitate. So it’s a lot of different ball-juggling, but I truly find my work very fulfilling.”
Brown-Wright’s diligent work ethic and desire to give back to others haven’t gone unnoticed. She received numerous honors over the years, including an induction into Grambling State’s Hall of Fame Gallery of Distinction and a mentoring award from the American Psychological Association.
Considering the way Brown-Wright has lived her life, it comes as no surprise that one of her biggest influences is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The writings, non-violent actions and ideals of the late reverend have inspired Brown-Wright to continually seek to affect change within her community.
“Social justice and social change activism are very important to me and have been a running thread throughout all I’ve done in my life,” said Brown-Wright. “It’s not what I do; it’s part of who I am.”