Lori Messinger

Dr. Lori Messinger brings 20 years of progressive leadership in both research and comprehensive public universities to her role as Dean of the College of Social Work at the University of Tennessee Knoxville. She served as BSW Program Director at the University of Kansas (KU) (2004-2010) and as School of Social Work Director (2011-2015), Associate Vice Chancellor for Community Engagement (2015-2017), and Senior Fellow for Diversity Initiatives (2018) at the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW). Prior to joining KU in 2011, she was an Assistant Professor at the University of Alabama (2002-2004) and North Carolina State University (1999-2002).

Dr. Messinger received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from Douglass College, a Master of Arts degree in Political Science from Rutgers University, and a Master of Social Work degree and a PhD in social work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. A macro-focused social worker, her experience includes overseeing federal and state grant funding in North Carolina, serving on state and local nonprofit boards, and acting as a consultant for social work agencies and academic programs.

She is a proud first generation scholar, a committed social worker, and an award-winning educator.