Quinton (Q) Smith

Quinton Smith earned his BA in interpersonal and organizational communications in 2006 and his MSW in 2016, both from UNC-Chapel Hill. While completing his MSW program, Quinton worked as a compliance director for a community mental health agency in Durham and served as a project coordinator for Dr. Paul Lanier working on a study examining the impact of stigma on fathers participating in parental support groups. Since graduating, he has worked at Duke University as an associate in research, serving as the fellow for the Committee on Diversity and Inclusion at the Sanford School of Public Policy. In this role, Quinton has spearheaded the School’s efforts on inclusion and equity by organizing events, facilitating town halls and discussions, providing training, and conducting climate surveys, among other activities. He is also a member of the Advisory Committee for Duke’s Task Force on Bias and Hate and serves as a consultant for their Office of Faculty Advancement, where he has developed materials on inclusive teaching and best practices for equitable searches. Quinton’s primary research focus is in the formation of racialized identities–particularly the conflict between cultural maintenance and assimilation–and their relationship with persistent inequalities in adolescent and young adult African Americans. Quinton was selected for membership in the Royster Society of Fellows and will be working with Dr. Paul Lanier and Dr. Michael Lambert.