2021 Annual Report of the National Council on Family Relations
Please enjoy the National Council on Family Relations' (NCFR) 2021 Annual Report, which includes information about program activities, finances, and individuals who have contributed to NCFR throughout the year.
A complete statement of financial position and statement of activities from 2020 and 2019 is posted below.
The mission of NCFR is to provide an educational forum for family researchers, educators, and practitioners to share in the development and dissemination of knowledge about families and family relationships, establish professional standards, and work to promote family well-being. Learn more about NCFR.
Table of Contents
A Letter From NCFR's President
Norma J. Bond Burgess, Ph.D., NCFR President, 2021-2023
Dear NCFR Members and Friends,
It is with honor that I present to you NCFR’s 2021 Annual Report. I invite you to read about the accomplishments of the members of the NCFR community in a time when continued change was being felt across the globe.
In the 2021 Annual Report, you will read about the conference highlights and the expanding face of our ever-important Advancing Family Science Initiative. It was a year when we gathered for a successful second virtual annual conference with reformatted poster sessions and receptions to improve the conference experience.
Colleagues, you will read about our organization-wide efforts to ensure that diversity, equity, and inclusion goals were established and met. We continued NCFR’s Student Access Grant for the second year to ensure fewer barriers existed for Students of Color studying Family Science. The grantees also benefited from their relationships with NCFR.
Tremendous achievements occurred while we managed a constantly changing COVID pandemic; 2021 was a remarkable year. NCFR members’ work strengthens and guides research supporting all families the world over. It is imperative that we connect with each other as colleagues and fellow members to support our shared goals. Please reach out and email us at [email protected] to share professional perspectives and current events that support our unified mission to strengthen families around the world.
Thank you and join me in the celebration of an incredible year of advancing families!
Norma J. Bond Burgess, Ph.D.
NCFR President, 2021-2023
2021 NCFR Program Highlights
Creating An Improved and More Accessible Experience
Despite the myriad challenges of planning an annual conference during the pandemic, members of the NCFR conference planning committee were successful in hosting a second virtual conference in 2021. This was one of the highest attended conferences in recent NCFR history, with a substantial number of first-time attendees.
Participants who joined sessions live were in locations all around the globe (often braving very late or early hours to do so). The overall quality of the research at academic sessions was highly rated by survey respondents. Sessions were well attended, and the unique features of the virtual conference platform made business meetings, networking, award celebrations, and social gatherings possible with people across multiple time zones and countries.
After a diligent review of what did and didn’t work from the 2020 virtual conference, we were able to implement new innovations for 2021, some of which may be integrated into future in-person conferences. These changes supported presenters, attendees, and improved the overall experience.
- The 2021 conference schedule utilized the week before the conference officially started on Wednesday Nov. 3, to hold business and committee meetings, and thereby make the actual conference days less jam-packed.
- Academic sessions were scheduled to only occur between 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Central Time with the hope that it would be easier for people across U.S. time zones to attend during normal working hours.
- An Awards Ceremony debuted in 2020 – designated awards were previously presented across the plenary sessions – and was streamlined and improved for 2021 to allow for award recipients to be inducted before a live audience.
- Hosting the Annual Member Meeting online and the week before the conference made it possible for more members to attend. The format also enabled members to provide feedback and discussion around key issues such as advancing the Family Science discipline.
- The Annual Memorial Service used pre-recorded eulogies in 2020, but for 2021, the entire service was live. It was especially important to bring back the ability to share memories of our dearly departed in real time. Once again, family members were invited to attend this celebration of life. Those who participated commented that the memorial service was powerful, emotional, and personal.
- Receptions were improved for 2021 by adding the capability of Zoom breakout rooms so that attendees could be able to visit more than one “table” at the Newcomers Welcome, University Receptions, and President’s Reception. Prizes, icebreakers, and other creative ideas were used to encourage conversation and movement between breakout rooms.
- Poster sessions were improved to better utilize Zoom’s features by grouping posters on the same topic together into a single Zoom room, where each lead author could present an overview. Discussions on individual posters were given breakout rooms in Zoom.
- The Resource Exchange Session also utilized Zoom breakout rooms to more closely mimic roundtables at the in-person conference.
The pandemic has been a challenge for us all. Moving a high-energy conference for over 1,200 attendees online required a lot of thought, careful planning, and creative solutions. The hope is that our conference attendess have found the virtual conferences to be highly engaging and full of networking opportunities. We look forward to seeing each other in-person again for the 2022 NCFR Annual Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Efforts Bolstering Racial Justice
NCFR continued to address matters of racial justice in 2021.
- For the second year in a row, we offered the Student Access Grant, which supported 1 year of NCFR membership for new members and registration fees for the 2021 NCFR Annual Conference for all students from historically marginalized racial or ethnic populations. Over 100 students received this grant. Together, we helped fundraise money for this grant to support students attend the conference.
- Developed and presented webinars on topics relating to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in 2021:
- Promoting Racial Equity Through Racial Healing
- Community-Based Engagement with Immigrant & Refugee Families
- Supporting Families That Are Raising Black Children in a Racialized Society
- Toward Dismantling Family Privilege and White Supremacy in Family Science
- Asian American Families: Vulnerable and Strong
- Translating Terms to Action: Applying Cultural Competence in Your Work
- How to Reduce Barriers for Latino(a) Immigrants Using a Cultural Adaptation Model
- Issued NCFR Board of Directors' statements in 2021:
- Created and updated the following resource collections:
- Finally, the Fall 2021 Issue of NCFR Report featured a special section of articles on Critical Race Theory (open access to the public) and a Family Focus section on Dismantling Structural Inequality and Racism.
Advancing the Family Science Discipline in 2021 and Beyond
In 2021, work continued on NCFR's Advancing Family Science Initiative, creating resources and campaigns to strengthen the identity, visibility, and perceived value of the discipline of Family Science — its unique contributions, identity and standards, history, career opportunities, and more.
Resources produced in 2021 include:
- Online Toolkit to Promote Family Science — an ever-growing collection of graphics, fliers, posters, email signatures, articles, and more supporting the identity of the Family Science discipline, all available to download and use for free in your own promotions of Family Science. As of the end of 2021, nearly 80 items were available from the toolkit.
- Exploring Careers in Family Science — an online hub that introduces Family Science employment settings, example job titles and responsibilities, how to identify a career for you, and more
- Family Science Impact Career Q&As — a new feature of each quarterly NCFR Report magazine highlights a member working in a different Family Science career, showing the impact of their career and what their career path has looked like:
- Summer 2021: Empowering Families to Navigate Their Children's Early & Middle Years, Jenell Kelly, Ph.D., CFLE, LCCE
- Fall 2021: Supporting Domestic Violence Clients to Prevent a Return to Homelessness, Kimberly Leach, B.S., CFLE-P
- Winter 2021: Strengthening Family Relationships Through Therapy & Education, Rachel Sullivan, LMFT, CFLE-P
- Degree Programs in Family Science guide — a revamped version of NCFR's online guide to academic degrees in Family Science launched in January 2021. Two new interactive maps were created to accompany the guide:
- All degree programs map
- CFLE-approved degree programs map CFLE-approved programs have curriculum approved for their graduates to apply for the Certified Family Life Educator credential through an abbreviated process.
- History of Family Science — summary and timeline graphic
- Why NCFR Advocates for the Term 'Family Science' — summary and graphic
- Glossary: Key Terms of Family Science Identity — webpage and PDF versions
Do you have comments about existing NCFR resources that support the Family Science discipline, or ideas and needs for future resources to advance the discipline? Let us know!
Financial Position and Activities, 2020 and 2019
See NCFR's Form 990 from 2018 (PDF).
Thank You to Our Donors, Volunteers, and Leaders!
NCFR's activities would not be possible without the contributions of our financial donors — including benefactor members who gave above and beyond their NCFR membership dues — and those who lend their time and talent to NCFR in upwards of 50 areas of volunteering and leadership.
To our board and committee members; member group officers; conference and webinar presenters and reviewers; journal and publication editors, authors, advisors, and reviewers; student volunteers; and many more: We're grateful for all you do for NCFR!
See below for special acknowledgement of the 2020 NCFR Board of Directors, as well as our benefactor members and donors:
2021 Benefactor Members
Katherine R. Allen
Elaine A. Anderson
Gladys Barkey Asiedu
LaTonya Carter
Katrina M. Carter-Harris
Robyn L. Cenizal
Denias Chihwai
Deborah P. Coehlo
Bree E. Cook
Teresa M. Cooney
Albert J. Davis
Michelle Ann Finley
William Michael Fleming
E. Jeffrey Hill
Toni Hill
Donna Hoskins
Audrey Ellen Kteily
Mary R. Langenbrunner
Ralph LaRossa
Virginia Mardell-Clark Warren
Ashley Martin-Cuellar
Scott A. Myers
Cynthia A. Osborne
Cynthia J. Price
Hilary A. Rose
Ronald M. Sabatelli
Terri Nicole Sawyer
Bridget Seeley
Terry Webster
Anisa M. Zvonkovic
2021 Donors
Kari L. Adamsons*
William D. Allen*
Bill Anderson*
Autumn Miranda Bermea*
Jenae Bluhm*
Juliette Bossert
Gary Lee Bowen
Norma J. Bond Burgess*
Katrina M. Carter-Harris
Dawn Cassidy*
Lover LM Chancler
I. Joyce Chang*
Genese Calloway Clark
Marilyn Coleman
Albert J. Davis*
Laverne Woods Dunn*
Thomas J. Durant, Jr.†
Judith L. Elkin
Martha Farrell Erickson
Sarah Feeney*
Judith L. Fischer*
Jacki A. Fitzpatrick*
William Michael Fleming
Marilyn Flick
Jacquelyn B. Frank*
Cynthia A. Frosch*
Lawrence H. Ganong*
Larae Gilbert
Richard S. Glotzer
Melinda A. Gonzales-Backen
Karen Hansis*
Tammy S. Harpel*
Katie M. Heiden-Rootes*
Jane H. Hellinghausen
Tammy L. Henderson†
M. Janice Hogan-Schiltgen
Marguerite Ta’lise Jeffries
Tera R. Jordan
Claire M. Kamp Dush
Roselene Kelley*
Atasha M. Kelley-Harris
Leslie Ann Koepke*
Antoinette Marie Landor
Bethany L. Letiecq*
Thomas Linehan
Kimberly C. Mack*
Jay A. Mancini*
Ashley Martin-Cuellar
Lauren N. McClain*
Brenna Merrill
Wendy Middlemiss*
Hannah Mudrick
Judith A. Myers-Walls
Audrey E. Nelson*
Willie Oliver*
Kathleen Boyce Rodgers
Jim R. Rogers
Jane R. Rosen-Grandon
Ronald M. Sabatelli
Eric Eben Sevareid*
Hailey Stout
Scott A. Tobias
Brad van Eeden-Moorefield*
Silvia L. Vilches
Edythe Krampe Walker*
Rebecca J. Ward
Dana A. Weiser*
Lorey Ann Wheeler
*NCFR Student Access Grant
†2021 Conference Presenter Fund
If you would like to donate to NCFR, you may make a donation online.
Please contact us if a donor is not included.
2021 NCFR Board of Directors
Norma J. Bond Burgess – Board President, 2021-2023 – Professor of Sociology and Family Science, Associate Provost for Diversity, Inclusion and Special Initiatives, Lipscomb University
Bethany Letiecq – President-elect – Associate Professor, Human Development and Family Science, George Mason University
Robert Reyes – Board Secretary/Treasurer – Director of Doctor of Ministry Program, Lancaster Bible College
Ruben P. Viramontez Anguiano – Member-at-Large – Program Chair, Professor of Human Development, Family Relations and Education, University of Colorado Denver
Jennifer L. Doty – Students and New Professionals Board Representative-elect, 2020 – Assistant Professor, Youth Development and Prevention Science, University of Florida
Soyoung Lee – Member-at-Large – Associate Professor, Family Science and Human Development, Montclair State University
Shelley M. MacDermid Wadsworth – Member-at-Large – Distinguished Professor, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Purdue University
Roudi Nazarinia Roy – Member-at-Large – Associate Professor of Child Development and Family Studies, California State University Long Beach
Lyndal Khaw – Affiliate Councils President-Elect – Chairperson, College of Education and Human Services, Montclair State University
Contributing Organizations and NCFR Staff
Thanks to the following organizations for their contributions to and support of NCFR in 2020:
Wiley — publisher of NCFR's scholarly journals
Winthrop & Weinstine — legal counsel
University of North Carolina at Greensboro — editorial offices of Journal of Family Theory & Review (Mark A. Fine, editor)
University of North Texas — editorial offices of Family Relations (Wendy Middlemiss, incoming editor)
University of Maryland — editorial offices of Journal of Marriage and Family (Liana C. Sayer, editor)
The Meeting Connection, Inc. — conference consulting
Johnson Printing — publications and printing support
NCFR Staff
- Diane L. Cushman, Executive Director and Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Liaison
- Susan Baker, CNAP, Accounting Manager
- Dawn Cassidy, M.Ed., CFLE, Director of Family Life Education
- Jennifer Crosswhite, Ph.D., CFLE, Director of Research and Policy Education
- Maddie Hansen, Membership Manager
- Rosemary Johnson, Executive Assistant
- Jay McGraw, Director of Technology
- Ginnie O'Neill, Director of Marketing, Membership, and Communications
- Jane Reilly, Office Manager
- David Schmidt, Finance Director
- Judy Schutz, Conference and Meeting Planner
- Trip Sullivan, Communications Manager
- Emily Vang, Education and Certification Coordinator
- Allison Wickler, Director of Special Projects
- Abigail Helm, Program Assistant
Staff Consultants
- Cindy Winter, CMP, Conference Consultant
- Claire Kimberly, Ph.D., CFLE, Webinar Coordinator and Academic Program Liaison
