Wright , Gwen
Gwen Wright
Dr. Gwendolyn L. Wright is a professional committed to environmental justice through intersectional public health. Dr. Wright is the Director of Strategic Initiative and Collaborations at the Samuel DuBois Cook Center of Social Equity at Duke University, where she has been for 20 years. Dr. Wright’s recent work focuses on public health and the impacts of the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic.
“I don’t look at my profession as a series of highs and lows. I don’t focus on them because it’s not individual moments that define who I am. It’s the journey and seeing how far I’ve come and how I’m thriving in this field. So it’s all memorable for me.” - Gwen Wright, 2005
Wright, G. L., & Hubbard, L. (2022). The Pandemic Divide: How COVID Increased Inequality in America. Duke University Press.
Wright, G., Darity, W., Camara, M., Vann, A., Garcia, R., Harper, J., … Webb, C. 2021. Black Wall Street of the South: From Reconstruction to the Pandemic.
Wright, G. L. (2008). Examining the intersection of gender, race and class: A study of African American women presidents at four-year colleges and universities. North Carolina State University.
Dr. Gwen Wright was always encouraged to do her best so she could have a profession that she loved. Her mother, Anease Wright, a homemaker, and her father, David Wright, a maintenance worker for the Albany Herald, taught her these values at an early age. She grew up with an older sister and two older brothers in a rural area of Albany, Georgia, where agriculture was the main feature of life.
Dr. Wright decided to pursue her undergraduate studies close to home at Albany State University. She graduated Summa Cum Laude in 1985 with a Bachelor’s degree in Physiology. Dr. Wright worked a few jobs before returning to school for graduate school. She earned her Master’s of Public Administration from Albany State University and a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration at North Carolina State University.
After graduation, she worked as a revenue officer for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Her work at the IRS was nice, mainly because the setting was comfortable and the salary was good, but it was not for her. After working for the IRS for four years, she decided to change gears and work in an academic setting.
Dr. Wright’s first academic job was in development. She was hired to work in the Grants and Special Programs Office of Darton College, now Albany State University West Campus. While there, she became interested in grants and contracts and worked at Darton College for two years. She then started a job in the development department at Albany Technical College (formerly Albany Technical Institute). Dr. Wright returned to school and received her Master’s of Public Administration from Albany State University.
After a few years, Dr. Wright was ready for a job and scenery change. She moved to North Carolina and became the Director of Corporate Foundations and Grants at North Carolina Wesleyan College.
While reading a newspaper, Dr. Wright saw a job advertisement for a fundraising position at the Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS) and applied. OTS, based at Duke University, is a nonprofit consortium of over 50 colleges and universities and is. In 2000, Dr. Wright was hired as Director of Corporate, Foundation, and Government Relations for OTS. In this role, she oversaw grants and contracts and served as a liaison between OTS and funding agencies. OTS receives funding from the National Science Foundation, such as the Native American Pacific Islander Research Experience (NAPIER). The NAPIER program works toward providing study-abroad research experiences for Native American students and those from the Pacific Islands. Working at OTS motivated Dr. Wright to pursue her doctorate.
In 2014, Dr. Wright helped establish the Samuel Dubois Cook Center on Social Equity (SDCSE)at Duke University. Originally called the Consortium on Social Equity, Dr. Wright led the effort to rename it in 2015. The SDCSE is in the Trinity School of Arts and Science and conducts interdisciplinary research.
Although coincidence brought her to the environmental field, she says, “As I think about it, it was fortuitous that I came to be here because it’s so enriching to be here and be involved in something that I wasn’t a part of before” (2005).
Dr. Wright is the Director of Strategic Initiative and Collaborations at the SDCSE. Dr. Wright oversees the Hank and Billye Suber Aarson Younge Scholars Summer Research Institute at Duke. In 2022, Dr. Wright was the lead editor of the book The Pandemic Divide: How COVID Increased Inequality in America. Dr. Wright is currently in the process of launching an Environmental Justice Working Group. In 2023, Dr. Wright received the Duke University Presidential Award, the university’s highest honor.
Dr. Wright says there were so few minority women in the development field during the early stages of her career, and as a result, she had not been fortunate enough to have a mentor to guide her. Although she appreciates the encouragement and support she has received from friends and colleagues, she acknowledges that the lack of individuals who could serve as mentors is a drawback of the development field.
Recognizing the lack of mentors in her field, Dr. Wright seeks to mentor and encourage other minority women to pursue careers in this area. She does this by attending conferences to meet minority students interested in seeking help with their career choices.
When she worked for OTS, she helped the organization develop structures to bring students of color to the field of environmental science. Dr. Wright was proud to work toward generating resources to bring those who might not envisioned a career in environmental science to the table.
Dr. Wright has tried to pass mentoring on, taking a person where they are because we all have different pathways and definitions of success. Dr. Wright says, “A mentor is not to mold that person into a junior version of him or herself, but to provide the kind of nurturing that allows that person to grow into their own being, their own identity, and to explore and bring all of their tools to bear on who it is that they think they should be” (2005).
At the Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity, Dr. Wright helps lead the Youn Scholars Research Institute. The three-week program supports high school students research, presentation, and writing skills.
Dr. Wright impacts one life at a time, and she finds that to be her most significant achievement. Students tell her about their experience in her program, which Dr. Wright cherishes, and it helps her feel that they are determined to use what they are learning.
Dr. Wright believes that one of the keys to increasing diversity in the environmental field is to make minorities aware of the field at an early age. She believes that children should be exposed to environmental opportunities in elementary school. They should know what the issues are, what they can do to help, and that the environmental field holds many career options. She finds it sad that so few people of color are involved when so much is needed to address the issues concerning their communities. Luckily, people like her in the environmental field are dedicated to changing this situation. She continues to influence positively by impacting one life at a time.
Dr. Wright recommends that young professionals chase their passions, not choose the most lucrative position. By doing this, you can be thrilled to get up in the morning and know that you are contributing to an area that is significant and impactful to your life and the world.
Dr. Gwendolyn Wright Receives Duke Presidential Award. January 6, 2023. The Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity. https://socialequity.duke.edu/news/dr-gwendolyn-wright-receives-duke-pre…
Gwendolyn Wright – The Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity. (2023). Duke.edu. https://socialequity.duke.edu/portfolio-item/wright-gwendolyn/
Taylor, Dorceta (Ed.). 2005. The Paths We Thread: Profiles of the Careers of Minority Environmental Professionals. Minority Environmental Leadership Development Initiative, University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment.