Today we celebrate Shantalea Johns, Ed.D, LMSW as part of our DPS Proud – Women’s History Month series.
Dr. Johns is currently Director, Office of Continuing and Interprofessional Education at Wayne State’s University School of Social Work.
She attended Bunche Elementary, Miller Middle School (where she met her husband) and Martin Luther King, Jr. Senior High School, graduating in 2002. Dr. Johns grew up on Detroit’s east side and was a ward of the State until she was 18 years old. She says, ‘there were indeed grand-scale societal problems in my community, but there was also a glimpse of hope. This hope came from the many DPS teachers who saw beyond my reserved nature and adverse background and allowed me to engage in programs that helped me expand my thinking about what was possible for my life.’ Her teachers also taught the importance of advocacy, which led to her getting a bachelor’s and master’s in social work, college and university teaching certificate and getting her doctorate in Education. She has received numerous awards and honors recognizing achievements in her field. Much of her work to date has focused on African-American adolescents. Dr. John’s long-term goal is to continue to work on meaningful projects that create societal change in urban communities through social work principles and political activity. We salute Dr. Shantalea Johns who is DPS Proud!