Dr. Elaine Wright,
Assistant Professor of Social Work
Member of Avila since 2008

Dr. Elaine Wright joined the Social Work Program at Avila University in the fall of 2008. She has a variety of social work experiences with services for youth, as well as experience teaching and providing lectures in schools of social work in the USA and abroad. In urban and rural settings, Elaine has worked with youth in cross-cultural exchanges, immigrant and refugee services, juvenile justice programs, peace projects, and public school systems. Prior to completing a dissertation on the impact of globalization on social work education in the USA, Russia, Germany, and China, Elaine traveled to these countries and many others to study or teach about social work around the world. Elaine has also taught macro practice, research, and elective courses in the master's program at the Kent School of Social Work in Louisville, Kentucky.

With a background of working in outdoor settings as therapeutic environments, Elaine previously served as social services coordinator and family worker for a residential wilderness treatment program for youth at risk and as a counselor and special needs facilitator for a YMCA camping program. Elaine's environmental interests include conducting research on the environmental attitudes and practices of social workers in different countries and the environmental discourse in social work literature. Elaine has also volunteered with Living Lands and Waters on river clean-up projects and as a research consultant for the Community Farm Alliance on LIFE (Locally Integrated Food Economies) in Kentucky.