Dean Emerita Wilma Peebles-Wilkins Honored in Case Western’s Trailblazer Project

BUSSW Dean Emerita Wilma Peebles-Wilkins recently received a special honor from her alma mater Case Western Reserve University (CWRU): a painted portrait of herself displayed on the university’s campus as part of CWRU’s Trailblazer Project. The portrait was presented at an unveiling ceremony this fall where Peebles-Wilkins was recognized alongside honorees M. Deborrah Hyde and the late Samuel Allen Counter, Jr.

The university describes The Trailblazer Project as a “portraiture initiative aimed at showcasing the contributions of Case Western Reserve University alumni of color and women and diversifying the images that appear in campus common areas.” 

Currently in its third year, the project has showcased a wide range of alumni and faculty ranging from former Surgeon General David Satcher to attorney Fred Gray, a prominent civil rights lawyer who represented Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Wilma Peebles-Wilkins joins these distinguished alumni as a social work practitioner, scholar, educator and administrator who, like the other honorees, is recognized for innovation in her field. 

In addition to twelve years as dean of BUSSW, Peebles-Wilkins served on the Professional Advisory Committee for the Department of Social Services; was editor-in-chief of Children and Schools; authored the book Managed Care Services: Policy, Program, and Research (Oxford University Press); worked as an educator and administrator at North Carolina State University; and has been active in public and private sectors, including acute pediatric hospital care and civic service. Her scholarship on autism and pediatric care earned Peebles-Wilkins a place in the National Academies of Practice as a Distinguished Practitioner in 2000. In 2002, she received the NASW Massachusetts Chapter’s Greatest Contributions to Social Work Education Award.