Dr. Charlene Chester Jerome joined Morgan State University in 2014 and currently serves as the Assistant Dean for Administration and Outreach in the James H. Gilliam Jr., College of Liberal Arts. She earned her doctoral degree in Developmental Psychology from The Pennsylvania State University.  Prior to arriving at Morgan State University Dr. Chester Jerome served as a faculty member at The Pennsylvania State University.  Within the James H. Gilliam Jr. College of Liberal Arts she has the pleasure of supporting faculty, staff and students in a variety of capacities, and engage with external organizations to support the mission and goals of the institution.  Dr. Chester Jerome’s commitment to student success is demonstrated through her innovative engagement and mentoring efforts. She developed a passion for supporting international experiential programming through her experiences conducting faculty-led study abroad programs and is strongly committed to international engagement. She has been recognized for her contributions to internationalization efforts at Morgan State University.  Additionally, she instructs both undergraduate and graduate courses and leverages study abroad opportunities to support student engagement, and their personal and professional goals.

Dr. Chester Jerome’s research investigates the development of family processes and parent socialization practices during early developmental periods in an effort to understand the factors which affect child development.  She uses adoption as a context in order to further understand the associations among family relationships and individual well-being.  Her research contributes to a broader understanding of family development and an appreciation of how context can affect development.  Overall, Dr. Chester Jerome leverages her experiences and resources to continually support faculty development, student engagement and success.