معرفی
Jessica Darrow is an Associate Instructional Professor at the University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice, where she directs the Kiphart Scholars Program in Global Health & Social Development. She maintains affiliations with the Kiphart Center for Global Health and Social Development and the Pozen Family Center for Human Rights, focusing her academic work on refugee resettlement, social policy implementation, and human rights issues within migration contexts.
Dr. Darrow received her A.B. from the University of Chicago, and her A.M. and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. Her professional background includes five years as Executive Director of a small education-based non-profit organization operating in East and Southern Africa, and over two decades of service with the Wieboldt Foundation supporting grassroots community organizing groups in Chicago.
Dr. Darrow's research centers on institutional structures for refugee resettlement in the United States and how these structures interact with social policy politics and the social construction of refugee identity. Her work examines how rights-based policy frameworks for refugees are constrained by organizational pressures faced by resettlement agencies under performance-based contracts. She conducts systematic analyses of programs for Unaccompanied Minors in the U.S. and explores service landscapes for this population along the U.S.-Mexico border through collaborations with colleagues from the Universities of South Carolina and Virginia. Another significant strand of her research compares practices of 'Resettlement Front Line Practitioners' across six states as they navigate changing refugee admission policies.
Her scholarly output reveals consistent focus on refugee resettlement policy implementation, with increasing attention to the impacts of the Trump Administration's policies and challenges facing unaccompanied migrant children. Her work spans social work, public policy, migration studies, and human rights, with particular emphasis on the practical realities of policy implementation at organizational and frontline levels, demonstrating how street-level bureaucracy shapes humanitarian outcomes.
- William Pollak Award for Excellence in Teaching (2023) - Nominated by students and received at the Crown Family School Hooding ceremony
Dr. Darrow teaches across the Crown Family School curriculum, including core courses and electives within the Kiphart Scholars Program. She developed the Kiphart Challenge experiential learning course that connects students with Chicago community organizations serving migrants. Her teaching emphasizes building trust across diverse groups, working through ambiguity, and managing conflicts constructively. She has guided student teams working with Southside Together, Southwest Organizing Project, and Multicultural Arts High School to develop practical resources including resource mapping tools, school welcome guides, and story banks showcasing community ambassador work.
As director of the Kiphart Scholars Program, Dr. Darrow leads initiatives addressing critical migration issues and supporting community-based humanitarian responses. Her leadership bridges academic research with practical interventions, particularly in Chicago's response to migrant arrivals. She coordinates collaborations between the university and community organizations to develop solutions for housing, legal assistance, education, and mental health services for new arrivals, while training the next generation of social work practitioners in effective community engagement.
