Kelley Fong

Kelley Fong is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Irvine, specializing in families, social policies, and state systems. Her work focuses on poverty, inequality, child welfare systems, and family dynamics. She holds a Ph.D. in Sociology and Social Policy from Harvard University and previously taught at Georgia Tech’s School of History and Sociology.

Her research explores how families navigate state interventions, particularly child protective services, and examines disparities in child welfare system involvement by race and socioeconomic status. Her award-winning book Investigating Families: Motherhood in the Shadow of Child Protective Services (Princeton UP, 2023) critically analyzes the intersection of motherhood and state surveillance.

Fong’s work has been supported by prestigious fellowships including the Doris Duke Foundation and the National Science Foundation. Her articles address themes like virtual home visiting programs, administrative burdens in welfare systems, and neighborhood effects on child maltreatment reporting.

Before academia, she conducted policy research on community colleges and engaged in impact litigation to reform child welfare systems. She has also advocated for foster youth and assisted self-represented litigants in family law.