Branden A. McLeod, PhD

Branden McLeod joined the University of Illinois Chicago's Jane Addams College of Social Work in August 2016. He currently serves as associate professor and co-founder/co-director of the Lab for Empowerment and Advancement Through Dad-Driven Research (LEADR). McLeod teaches social welfare policy, policy practice, and research. His research examines how social policies and systems shape Black men's well-being and their family relationships. Prior to joining UIC, McLeod practiced macro social work at the Child Welfare League of America in Washington, D.C., Maryland Center for Economic Policy, Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations, and the Center for Restorative Change at the University of Maryland School of Social Work.

Professional Interests

• Fatherhood
• U.S. social policies and systems impact on family well-being
• Community-based policy practice

Teaching Experience

• SocW 420 Social Welfare and Social Policy I
• SocW 460 Research I: Social Work Research
• SocW 531 Policy II: Organization and Community Practice
• SocW 591 Social Policy Analysis and Development

Articles

McLeod, B. A., Tadros, E., Hutcherson, R., & Newberry, C. (2025). Incarcerated Coparenting Over Time: Understanding the Mediating Role of Fathers’ Resilience in Mitigating Barriers Within Parent–Child Relationships.Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services, 0(0).https://doi.org/10.1177/10443894251372200

Foell, A., Marino, N., Call, A., McLeod, B., Parra, S., & Ghobadi, A. (2025). Fidelity to Housing First in Permanent Supportive Housing: Staff Perspectives and Implementation Insights. Journal of Social Service Research, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/01488376.2025.2560866

McLeod, B. A. (2025). Sustaining Father–Child Relationship Quality During Imprisonment: Estimating the Impact of In-Person Visits. Families in Society, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/10443894251347392

Tadros, E., Jhuremalani, A., & McLeod, B., (2024). The effect of peer influence and neighborhood quality on incarcerated fathers’ attachment. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology. https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X241234856

McLeod, B.A., Charles, P., Gottlieb, A. Muentner, L. (2024). Father-child contact during prison and its association with fathers’ parenting self-efficacy. Families in Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/10443894231220411

Day, A., McLeod, B., Hawkins, R. L., & Mogro-Wilson, C. (2023). The Importance of Policy Advocacy in Social Work. Families in Society, 104(3), 243-244. https://doi.org/10.1177/10443894231187908

Doyle, O., Cryer-Coupet, Q., & McLeod, B.A. (2022). “All about how you couch it:” African American fathers’ visions of interventions for their sons.” Journal of Child and Family Studies. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10826-022-02346-6

McLeod, B.A. (2021). The effect of multiple forms of father-child contact during imprisonment on fathers’ reports of relationship quality. Corrections: Policy, Practice, and Research. https://doi.org/10.1080/23774657.2021.1874846

McLeod, B.A. (2020). “Hello group, I need advice”: A Textual Analysis of Black Fathers’ Help‐Seeking Posts on Facebook. Family Relations. https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12500

Gottlieb, A., Charles, P., McLeod, B.A., Kjellstrand, J., & Bonsu, J. (2020). Were California’s Decarceration Efforts Smart? A Quasi-Experimental Examination of Racial, Ethnic, and Gender Disparities. Criminal Justice and Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093854820923384

Gottlieb, A., McLeod, B.A., & Barutell, K. F. (2019). The impact of health insurance on problematic substance use among justice-involved individuals. Journal of Offender Rehabilitation. https://10.1080/10509674.2019.1697785

McLeod, B.A., Johnson, Jr., W.A., Cryer-Coupet, Q.R. & Mincy, R.B. (2019). Examining the longitudinal effects of paternal incarceration and coparenting relationships on sons’ educational outcomes: A mediation analysis. Children and Youth Services Review, 100, 362-375.

Book Chapters

Charles, P., Wilson, A. B., McLeod, B. A., Gottlieb, A., & Villodas, M. (2022). Incarcerated parents and their children: Perspectives from the smart decarceration social work grand challenge. In N. Rodriguez & Krysik, J. (Eds.) Children of incarcerated parents: Impact, support, and collaboration, First Edition (pp. 241–256). Springer Publishing Company. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-84713-5_13

McLeod, B.A. & Greif, G., (2022). Group Work with Fathers in Federal Pretrial Detention and a Community-Based Residential Setting: Reflections on Practice and Policies Across Contexts. Social Work with Fathers: Engagement, Assessment, and Intervention. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-13686-3_10

Editorial Reviews

Social Work Journal

Journal of Offender Rehabilitation

Journal of Family Social Work

Families in Society – Editorial Board member

BS, Lincoln University, Pennsylvania

MSW, University of Maryland - Baltimore

PhD, Morgan State University

• Council on Social Work Education
• Racial Democracy Crime and Justice Network
• Society for Social Work Research

• When Politics and Parenting Mix: Voting and Political Socialization among Black Men
  Literature exploring Black fathers’ political engagement and their political socialization practices is scant, at best. To address this gap in the literature, LEADR Co-Director Otima Doyle and Branden McLeod conducted an exploratory, observational, and cross-sectional study to evaluate political engagement and voting activities among Black men (n = 500) in the United States. Analyses focus on Black men’s and fathers’ voting behaviors, political socialization, political stress, and political activity.
  Funders: University of Illinois Chicago’s Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy and Jane Addams College of Social Work Dean’s Summer Award.
• Child Support System Research
  This project includes analyses of state administrative data to examine potential inequities in child support throughout Illinois. This research aims to advance knowledge about child support services to enhance the economic well-being of children and families who rely upon child support as a key component of their income package.
  Funder: The Polk Bros. Foundation. Co-Principal Investigators: Branden McLeod and Otima Doyle, LEADR