Meet the Dean

Justin “Jay” Miller was appointed Dean and Dorothy A. Miller Research Professor in Social Work Education in July 2019. At the time of his appointment, Dean Miller was the youngest dean in the country. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Western Kentucky University, a Master of Social Work from Spalding University, and a PhD from the University of Louisville’s Raymond A. Kent School of Social Work and Family Sciences.

Under Dean Miller’s leadership, the College of Social Work (CoSW) has undergone a profound transformation. In the last five years, student enrollment has grown significantly and the College’s research portfolio has expanded at an unprecedented pace. His tenure has been marked by efforts to improve workforce access to innovative academic and service programming.

Notable initiatives include the launch of the Kentucky Kinship Resource Center in 2020, a first-of-its-kind hub providing a continuum of services for kinship providers; the eService Initiative, which leverages virtual reality to support adoptive caregivers and child welfare workers; and partnerships that directly prepare the workforce, such as the 4-H Behavioral Health Fellow Program (in collaboration with Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment and UK Cooperative Extension Service), the Rural Healthcare Fellow Program with Appalachian Regional Healthcare, and the School Social Work Fellowship with Fayette County Public Schools.

Dean Miller also established the Investment in Ingenuity and Initiative Program (I3) in 2022 to provide faculty and staff opportunities for upskilling and certification in key skill domains. I3 has since expanded to include BRIGHT, a targeted leadership program for CoSW faculty and staff. In early 2024, the College’s online MSW program became one of the first in the nation to receive quality certification, a milestone in CoSW’s Forward, Together Strategic Plan. Later that year, the College launched undergraduate and graduate Criminal Justice degree programs.

Research and Scholarship

Dean Miller’s research and academic interests focus on child welfare and youth involvement in juvenile systems. His work has shaped practice with foster youth and informed policies and practices related to participatory engagement with youth and families. He has practiced in a variety of contexts at the local, state, and federal levels.

In addition, Dean Miller is a leading scholar on self-care and wellness. In 2017, he founded The Self-Care Lab (SCL), the first known research lab dedicated to empirically investigating self-care among helping professionals. His groundbreaking work in this area includes broad-ranging studies with social workers, educators, nurses, law enforcement, teachers, and attorneys, demonstrating his commitment to addressing potentially toxic employment conditions.

Dean Miller has authored numerous juried papers, reports, and briefs. Notably, he co-authored Activating a Teaching-Learning Philosophy: A Practical Guide for Educators (CSWE Press) and co-edited The A-to-Z Self-Care Handbook for Social Workers and Other Helping Professionals (White Hat).

Service and Leadership

Dean Miller is actively involved in community service. He has served as co-founder and past president of the Louisville Association of Social Workers, founder of the Jefferson County Foster Care Peer Support Program, and founder of the Kentucky Chapter of the Foster Care Alumni of America. He has led Kentucky’s Children Justice Act Taskforce, Citizen’s Review Panel, and Juvenile Justice Advisory Board.

In 2016, he was appointed to the Federal Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice by OJJDP Administrator Robert Listenbee, where he contributed to systems improvement recommendations to the U.S. Congress and President. He currently serves as Chairperson for the Kentucky Board of Social Work and President of the Board at St. Joseph’s Children Orphanage.

Awards and Recognition

Dean Miller’s work has been recognized regionally, nationally, and internationally. Recent honors include the Council on Social Work Education’s Distinguished Recent Contributions in Social Work Education Award (2023), the International Trends and Services Community Champion Award from The Links, Inc. (2024), and the 2025 Wilson Wyatt Alumni Award—the highest honor bestowed by Louisville Alumni.

He is also a past recipient of the Paul Grannis Award, Kentucky’s highest public child welfare practitioner honor; the Sunny Andrews Award for Outstanding Commitment to Regulatory Board Service from the Association of Social Work Boards; the Supporting the Workforce Award from the U.S. Children’s Bureau; and induction into the College of Health and Human Services Hall of Fame at Western Kentucky University, among many others.

Personal

Last, but certainly not least, Dean Miller is a loud, proud foster and kinship alum.

You can follow Dean Miller’s work on X, formerly Twitter, @DrJayMiller1 or on LinkedIn. To request a meeting, please contact Xana Plum, Executive Assistant.