Faculty Member Elected as Society for Social Work and Research Director-At-Large
Dr. Lisa Schelbe, associate dean for Academic Affairs and Jeanene M. Janes Professor in Child Welfare at the FSU College of Social Work, was elected to serve as director-at-large for the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR). Her three-year term begins February 1, 2026.
In the director-at-large role, Dr. Schelbe will serve on various committees and support initiatives. She is looking forward to ensuring the voices of membership are heard and SSWR is responsive to emerging issues and needs.
“I’m excited to have this opportunity to serve on the board of directors,” stated Dr. Schelbe. “Over my career, I have learned from SSWR leadership and membership. I see this as an opportunity to give back and also to share ideas that I have learned as a social work scholar at Florida State University.”
Dr. Schelbe has been a member of SSWR since 2007 and has attended the SSWR annual conference since then, valuing the society’s role in promoting and disseminating research to improve social work practice and policy.
She is also a dedicated social work scholar in the area of child welfare, being elected as a SSWR Fellow in 2017 in recognition of her accomplishments, leadership and contributions to SSWR as a scientific society. Her research focuses on child maltreatment, but specifically examines the population of youth aging out of the child welfare system and their experiences of the transition to independent adulthood.
“Dr. Lisa Schelbe is a dedicated scholar and valued member of our faculty and leadership team at the College of Social Work,” said Dr. David Springer, dean of the FSU College of Social Work. “This opportunity for Lisa to serve on the SSWR board, where she will share her expertise and leadership, will advance social work research and the important work of SSWR.”
Throughout her career, Dr. Schelbe has been recognized numerous times for her outstanding scholarship in child welfare and social work. She was named the Jeanene M. Janes Professor in Child Welfare by the college in 2024. She is a faculty affiliate of the Florida Institute for Child Welfare.
Dr. Schelbe has published extensively in her areas of expertise of foster care and qualitative methods, including authoring the book Some Type of Way: Aging Out of Foster Care, and coauthoring the books Foster Parent Collaboration: A Guide for Social Workers and Other Professionals, The Handbook on Child Welfare Practice and Intergenerational Transmission of Child Maltreatment.