Dr. Reynolds is beyond thrilled to join the Social Work faculty at Ball State. A Michigan native and long-time Gulf Coast resident, he finished his doctorate at LSU in June 2020. His dissertation explored the dynamics of youth sport parent behavior in light of new spectator laws in Louisiana.
The goals of his research are to better understand family dynamics and how youth sports participation supports family functioning. He also has served as a volunteer coach of various sports at the youth, middle, high school, and collegiate levels. A former college athlete himself, Jerry is a founding member of the Alliance of Social Workers in Sports, where he will serve as the organization’s Vice President over the next two years. He also has research interests in medical social work practice.
Jerry has 17 years of post-MSW experience in various macro and micro social work capacities. While working on his doctorate, he worked full-time as a dialysis social worker. After Hurricane Katrina, he worked in community development for four years and has five years of nonprofit management experience and has served as an adjunct instructor with LSU and The University of Alabama’s MSW programs. He holds a BSW from The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC and his MSW is from the University of Michigan. He is married to Jennifer and has three sons, Jack, James, and Jerry III.