Few-Demo named Fellow of National Council on Family Relations
April Few-Demo, professor and head of the department of human development and family science in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, has been named a Fellow of the National Council on Family Relations.
The NCFR confers Fellow status to living members on the basis of their outstanding contributions to the discipline of family science. Fellows are nominated by their peers and selected by the NCFR Fellows Committee.
She was recognized at the NCFR annual conference in Orlando in November.
“I’m incredibly proud to be recognized among a body of such influential scholars who have had a hand in shaping developmental and family science,” Few-Demo said. “Since its inception in 1998, there have been 128 NCFR Fellows. I am one of only nine Black women bestowed this prestigious honor. I look forward to seeing more diverse scholars who bring different critical theoretical perspectives and innovative methodologies to family science as Fellows in the future. I am deeply honored to have received special recognition of my work and leadership from my peers.”
Few-Demo’s research critically examines social disparities and inequities as well as how individuals and families engage in decision-making processes toward resilience and well-being.
Specifically, her research reflects a strengths-based examination of the interplay of relational and situational vulnerabilities and resiliencies as they relate to agency within the contexts of identity development, intimate partner violence, sexuality and decision-making.
There is no major handbook or review of the field for which Dr. Few-Demo has not played a leadership role.
Her work has been recognized internationally. She received the Alexis Walker Award, Wiley Prize in Family Science, for outstanding original scholarship in 2018.
The Groves Conference on Marriage and Family, an international family science organization, selected her for its Sussman Award for Scholarly Contributions to Family Science in 2017 for her body of work on intersectionality theory.
She also is one of just two scholars to win the NCFR Feminism and Families Section award, Jessie Bernard Outstanding Paper from a Feminist Perspective, twice.
“There is no major handbook or review of the field for which Dr. Few-Demo has not played a leadership role,” said FACS Dean Anisa Zvonkovic. “She has been a luminary in the field for years.”
Few-Demo is a “Double Dawg,” having received a bachelor’s degree from UGA and a doctorate in child and family development from FACS. She completed her master’s degree at Monterey Institute of International Studies.
She also has served in multiple elected and appointed positions within NCFR, including the board of directors. Prior to being named department head at UGA in 2022, Few-Demo was a professor and head of the department of human development and family science at Virginia Tech.
With a membership of nearly 3,000 family researchers, practitioners and educators, the National Council on Family Relations is the premier professional association for the multidisciplinary understanding of families.
Previous NCFR fellows from UGA are Sharon Price (1999), Patricia Bell-Scott (2000), Don Bower (2002), Lynda Walters (2008) and Ted Futris (2021).
Current adjunct professor and former department head Jay Mancini was conferred a Fellow in 2002 during his tenure at Virginia Tech. Zvonkovic also was named a Fellow in 2012 while at Virginia Tech.
In addition, 1985 FACS graduate Pamela Monroe was named Fellow in 2008 while at Louisiana State University, and former faculty member Chalandra Bryant, now at the University of Minnesota, earned the distinction in 2022.
A full list of Fellows can be found here.
