Courtney Cronley

Dr. Courtney Cronley is a Professor in the College of Social Work at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Her research focuses on social justice, homelessness, housing insecurity, and the social determinants of health through the lens of the built environment. She has received funding from the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Her interdisciplinary work integrates public health, urban planning, and social work to address systemic inequities affecting vulnerable populations.

• PhD, MSSW: University of Tennessee, Knoxville
• BA: Oglethorpe University, Atlanta

Dr. Cronley’s research interests include social justice, homelessness, transportation equity, environmental justice, and green social work. She employs community-based participatory research methods and emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration. Her teaching focuses on graduate research methods, statistics, and social work practice, with a commitment to critical thinking and mentorship.

Her recent scholarly work explores mobility equity, maternal-child bonding in IPV shelters, climate resilience among unhoused populations, and educational outcomes for homeless children. These publications reflect a strong trend toward interdisciplinary, policy-relevant research that centers equity and community engagement.

• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
• Department of Transportation
• National Science Foundation

Dr. Cronley has served in numerous leadership and advisory roles, including Faculty Fellow at the Center for Transportation Research, Chair of the Retention, Promotion, and Tenure Committee, and Founder of the AccessKnox Community of Scholars. She mentors doctoral students and leads initiatives to expand social work's role in addressing grand societal challenges.

She is affiliated with research networks such as the Transport Equity Institute and the Housing Equity Institute, where she leads collaborative projects involving engineering, architecture, and public health. Her work exemplifies a commitment to translating research into actionable solutions for marginalized communities.