Jon Singletary

Education

PhD, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Social Work
MSW, Virginia Commonwealth University
MDiv, Baptist Theological Seminary
Visiting Student Fellow, Oxford University Regent's Park College
BA, Baylor University

Research Interests

• Strengthening Congregational Community Ministries
• Community Development
• Advocacy and Social Justice

Books

Singletary, J. E. (2023). Leadership by the Number: Using the Enneagram to strengthen Educational Leadership.  Jossey Bass. 

Scales, T. L., Singletary, J., Cooper, H. S. (2016). Social Environments and Human Behavior: Contexts for Practice with Groups, Organizations, Communities, and Social Movements (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.

Selected Publications

Singletary, J. (2021). Head, heart, and hand: Understanding Enneagram centers for leadership development. Social Work and Christianity 47(4), 3-18.

McGee, J. S., Morton, D. M., Boddie, S. C., Singletary, J., Rogers, R. (2026). Labyrinth walking as contemplative civic engagement: An embodied response to political distress during the 2024 U.S. election. Frontiers in Social Psychology 4:1653589.

Trammel, R. Singletary, J., Shelton, A., (2026). Collective mindfulness: Definitional properties and inter-relational outcomes in community-oriented practice among diverse cultural practitioners. Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Social Work.

Moffatt, K. M., Oxhandler, H. K.,  Polson, E. C., Currier, J. M., Perry, S., & Singletary, J. (2025). Religion and Spirituality in Personal and Professional Development Opportunities for Faculty Across the Mental Health Professions: A Conceptual Review. The Journal of Spirituality in Mental Health.

Dickey, J., Singletary, J., Kahler, A., De Laurell, D., Hutcherson, K., & Times, E. (2025). A shared table: A promising scholarship model for developing international social work leaders. Social Work and Christianity.

Zeng, Y. & Singletary, J. (2025). AI in combating poverty and economic inequality. In R. An & M. Lindsey (Eds.), Artificial Intelligence in Social Work – Bridging Technology and Humanity. Springer. 

Fisher, K. & Singletary, J. (2025). Antiracist Social Work as an Expression of Christian Faith. In T. L. Scales & R. Trammel. Christianity and Social Work. 7^th Ed. Palos Height, IL: NACSW.  

Background

Dr. Jon E. Singletary is professor and the Diana R. Garland Endowed Chair in Child and Family Studies at the Garland School of Social Work. He served as dean of the school from 2015-2025, before returning to a full-time faculty role. He previously served as associate dean for both undergraduate and graduate studies beginning in 2010. He joined the faculty in 2003 after completing his PhD at Virginia Commonwealth University. On the faculty, Singletary taught and developed courses in community practice and social justice. Singletary served as director of the Center for Family and Community Ministries, which launched the Texas Hunger Initiative and the Strengthening Congregational Community Ministries Project.  Before coming to Baylor, Dr. Singletary was pastor of Richmond Mennonite Fellowship and worked as a community organizer for an agency providing healthcare to people who were homeless. He earned an M.Div. from the Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond and an M.S.W. from VCU, and was a visiting student fellow at Regent's Park College, Oxford. Singletary is married to Wendi Elysse (Washington) Singletary, and the couple has four sons, Haden, Raul, Harper, and Abbott, and a daughter, Ainsley.