SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — The National Council on Family Relations’ (NCFR) membership has elected Janeal M. White, Ph.D., CFLE, as the new Students and New Professionals (SNP) representative-elect of the NCFR Board of Directors.

Dr. White earned her doctorate from the Louisiana State University School of Social Work. Following eight years on faculty at McNeese State University, Dr. White is now the incoming internship coordinator and assistant professor in the Family Studies program at Lamar University. As an educator, Janeal equips students to become professionals who strengthen families through education, service, and advocacy.  

Dr. White is a Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE) and has conducted award-winning research on homelessness, resilience, and dignity for more than 15 years. As the coordinator for her regional homeless coalition, she brings community members together to strengthen the network of service providers and services for her neighbors experiencing homelessness throughout her 3-county region. Dr. White also advocates on the state level through involvement with the Texas Homeless Network's Advocacy Academy.

Dr. White has an extensive history of leadership and service within NCFR at the university, state, regional, and national levels including chairing two academic conferences, serving as regional president of the Southeastern Council on Family Relations, chairing the NCFR Mentoring Academy Steering Committee, serving on the Digital Scholarship Board of the Journal of Family Theory and Review, as the Student and New Professional (SNP) Representative for the Family Policy Section of NCFR, and previously serving as the SNP Rep for the Affiliate Councils Board.  

Her professional leadership focuses on removing barriers, creating pathways, and inviting her students, as future colleagues, into fellowship as they prepare for work strengthening families. Through NCFR’s national Mentoring Academy Steering Committee, the TxCFR MENTORganization, and McNeese State University’s endowed professorship program, Dr. White has worked diligently to create opportunities for students and emerging family professionals to connect with mentors and to strengthen their professional networks. A priority of her work as a board member will be to remove barriers and create pathways to full participation in the life of NCFR for minoritized and marginalized students and new professionals.

The National Council on Family Relations is the premier professional association for the multidisciplinary understanding of families. NCFR has a membership of nearly 3,000 family researchers, practitioners and educators. For more information on the National Council on Family Relations or its scholarly publications, contact NCFR at 1-888-781-9331 or visit its website at www.ncfr.org.