The National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) is proud to recognize Chalandra Bryant, Ph.D., CFLE, as the 2023 recipient of the Marie F. Peters Award, which is given to an NCFR member who made significant contributions to the area of ethnic minority families.

Dr. Bryant (she/her/hers) is professor, Pauline Boss Faculty Fellow in Ambiguous Loss, and director of research in the Department of Family Social Science at the University of Minnesota. In March, she earned NCFR Fellow Status, a prestigious honor bestowed in recognition of her incredible contributions to Family Science.

Throughout her years of service, Dr. Bryant has inspired and sown into many students. Her pedagogy is highly spoken of and regarded as "unparalleled and difficult to emulate." She takes an interest in students personal and professional development. She has chaired several committees to this regard, including graduate admissions and curriculum, as well as faculty advancement. Dr. Bryant promotes an atmosphere of inclusivity, and devotes efforts to retain ethnic and minority students. Under her tutelage, faculty and practitioners have been profoundly impacted by her extensive knowledge, mentorship, and research. Towards her research interests, she has continued to focus on and deepen our understanding of the myriad of factors that impact relationship functioning, health and health decisions as it pertains to African American couples. Her use of within-group design to explore heterogeneity among African American couples is cutting edge. To this length, Dr. Bryant has furthered our understanding of racial and ethnic minorities, intimates and relationships, especially the dynamic of African American marriages and couples, advancing Family Science and transforming methodological approaches in studying families. 

Similar to Marie F. Peters, Dr. Bryant devotes time to exploring issues unique to ethnically and racially diverse communities and families. She was elected secretary-treasurer for the NCFR Racial and Ethnic Diversity in Families Section, peer reviewed submissions to be presented at the NCFR annual conference, and facilitated NCFR panels. Dr. Bryant also served as chair of NCFR Inclusion and Diversity Committee.

To her colleagues, Dr. Bryant "epitomizes the spirit of this award...embodies all that the Marie F. Peters Award seeks to recognize."

NCFR is proud to present this award to Dr. Bryant for her significant contributions to the area of racial and ethnic diversity.

Marie F. Peters, the namesake of this award, was a distinguished scholar, researcher, practitioner, and mentor, as well as an illustrious member of NCFR, a board member, and a leader of NCFR's Ethnic Minorities Section (now the Racial and Ethnic Diversity in Families Section).

Dr. Bryant will be recognized for her achievement during a plenary at the 2023 NCFR Annual Conference.

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, visit the NCFR website at ncfr.org.