Jeanelle Sears, Ph.D., MSW, MSc

BIOGRAPHY

Dr. Sears earned her Ph.D. in social work from the University of Louisville, where she also studied for a BA in psychology and anthropology. She holds an MSW from the University of Vermont and a Master of Science in anthropology from Brunel University. As a Fulbright Scholar she earned a Graduate Diploma in Forced Migration and Refugee Studies from the American University in Cairo. Jeanelle’s practice experiences include serving as an AmeriCorps VISTA for an immigrant and refugee community center in Louisville, Kentucky, practicing rural child welfare in Vermont, and administering health and safety programs for the Berea College Promise Neighborhood Initiative. Her research interests lie at the intersection of place, identity and belonging; particularly as they relate to issues of sustainable development, migration, and displacement.