Gibbs, Jewelle Taylor

Jewelle Taylor Gibbs is a noted author, clinical psychologist, college professor and member of the Santa Clara County Democratic Central Committee in California. She was born on November 4, 1933, to Margaret Morris and the Reverend Julian A. Taylor.

Gibbs grew up in Connecticut and in 1951 graduated from Ansonia High School. Gibbs attended Radcliffe College, graduating cum laude in 1955. She went on to study at the Harvard-Radcliffe Program in Business Administration, earning a certificate with distinction in 1959. Gibbs went to work at the Pillsbury Company that same year and stayed there until 1961.

In 1970, Gibbs graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with an M.S.W. From 1970 to 1975, she worked as a clinical social worker at Stanford University. Gibbs then continued her pursuit of education, receiving an M.A. in 1977 and a Ph.D. in psychology in 1980 from Berkeley. Gibbs began her teaching career in 1979 as a professor at the School of Social Welfare and also at Berkeley. Gibbs became the first African American professor appointed to an endowed chair in the University of California system as the Zellerbach Family Fund Professor of Social Policy, Community Change and Practice at Berkeley.

Gibbs is a regular commentator on issues relating to youth violence, adolescence, urban education, affirmative action, police misconduct and racial profiling – particularly as they affect the African American community. Gibbs is the author of numerous books on high-profile issues, includingPreserving Privilege: California Politics, Propositions, and People of Color;Children of Color: Psychological Interventions with Culturally Diverse Youth; andRace and Justice: Rodney King and O.J. Simpson in a House Divided. She also editedYoung, Black and Male in America: An Endangered Species. She is a sought-after speaker across the country and has delivered lectures in Canada, England, Japan, Hawaii and South Africa. Gibbs is married to James Lowell Gibbs, Jr.

With her several degrees in Social Relations (a B.A. specializing in Behavioral Sciences), Psychiatric Social Work (M.S.W.), and Clinical Psychology (M.A. and Ph.D.), Dr. Jewelle Taylor Gibbs has long experience working as a university professor, scholar, and researcher, utilizing all the areas of her studies in her work; she has also worked as a clinical psychologist. In addition to her professional commitments, Dr. Gibbs has authored numerous publications including Race and justice : Rodney King and O.J. Simpson in a house divided (1996), co-authored Children of color : psychological Interventions with culturally diverse youth (1998), and edited the collection Young, black and male in America: an endangered species (1988). Her work also includes conference proceedings, book chapters, and articles in refereed publications.

Biography

Dr. Jewelle Taylor Gibbs is the Zellerbach Family Fund Professor of Social Policy, Community Change and Practice (Emerita) at the School of Social Welfare, University at California at Berkeley. In 1955, Dr. Gibbs received her B.A (cum laude) in Social Relations (specializing in Behavioral Sciences) at Radcliffe College in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 1970, she received her M.S.W. in Psychiatric Social Work at UC Berkeley. In 1976 and 1980 respectively, she completed her M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology also at UC Berkeley. Currently, she is a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in the psychological problems of adolescents as well as the social and mental health issues of working-class and ethnic minority populations.

In 1985, Dr. Gibbs was a Fellow at the Bunting Institute at Radcliffe College and from 1991-1992, she was a Distinguished Visiting Scholar at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies in Washington D.C. In 1991, she was a Scholar for the 21st Century for the Commission on Black Males in Washington D.C. From 1991-1995, she also served on the Presidio National Advisory Council in San Francisco. During her tenure at UC Berkeley, Dr. Gibbs also served as a Visiting Professor in Social Work at the University of Toronto in Canada (1994) and a Visiting Scholar at the Research Institute for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity at Stanford (2001-2002), University of London (1992), National Institute of Social Work in England (1993), McGill University (Canada), Wayne State University, Simmons College, the Claremont Colleges, and California State University at San Bernardino.

Dr. Gibbs is also a founding member of the Advisory Council of the National Center for Children in Poverty. From 1977 to 1978, she was a member of the Special Populations Task Force Panel of the President's Commission on Mental Health. She also served as a member of the Board of Regents of Santa Clara University in California and a consultant to the Carnegie, Ford, Packard and Hewlett Foundations. She also served on the Board of Directors and Editorial Board of the American Orthopsychiatric Association, the Publications Board of the National Association of Social Workers. She is currently a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (Division 27) and the American Orthopsychiatric Association and serves on the Board of Directors of the Van Loben Sels Foundation in San Francisco.

Dr. Gibbs has authored numerous publications including Race and Justice: Rodney King and O.J. Simpson in a House Divided (1996), co-authored Children of Color: Psychological Interventions with Culturally Diverse Youth (1998), and edited the collection Young, Black and Male in America: An Endangered Species (1988). Her work also includes conference proceedings, book chapters, and articles in refereed publications.

Dr. Gibbs is the recipient of many awards including the McCormick Award from the American Association of Suicidology (1987) for her work on minority youth suicide and the Alumnae Achievement Award from Radcliffe College (1990) where she also served on the Board of Trustees. Her research and advocacy work on African-American youth has won her awards from national, state and local groups such as the Northern California Chapter of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education, the National Black Child Development Institute, the city of Detroit and the Michigan State Legislature. In 1997, she was featured in "Profiles of Excellence" on KRON-TV (San Francisco Bay Area) and was selected as "Teacher of the Year" at the School of Social Welfare for 1997-1998. In 2000, UC Berkeley selected Dr. Gibbs for the University's highest award, the Berkeley Citation, for her scholarly contributions and service to the University.