Jennifer Friday, PhD

Jennifer C. Friday, Ph.D., is a consultant with The Friday Consulting Group, LLC. She is a psychologist with experience in health services research and evaluation, and health policy formulation.

Dr. Friday earned both the doctoral and masters degrees from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville in School and Community Psychology, and her undergraduate degree in Biology from Millikin University, Decatur, Illinois. Prior to joining The MayaTech Corporation, Dr. Friday was a Behavioral Scientist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). While there she worked in the National Center for Prevention Services (now the National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention) and in the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. During her tenure at the CDC, Dr. Friday spent three years at the Joint Center for Political and Economic studies in Washington, D.C. developing her skills in health and public policy. Her work at the Joint Center focused on health issues as they relate to the African American population, specifically HIV/AIDS, managed care and environmental health.

Early in her career, Dr. Friday worked at the Southern Regional Education Board conducting and directing research on mental health issues and on higher education specifically focusing on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. While at the Southern Regional Education Board, Dr. Friday directed a research project funded by the National Institute of Mental Health to help state and local mental health agencies in the South develop techniques to assess and improve competence and productivity of their personnel. This resulted in a series of manuals that could be used to train and assess the competence of staff persons, who work with forensic and geriatric populations, case managers and persons in psychosocial rehabilitation settings.

Dr. Friday has conducted research nationally and internationally in public health, public policy, mental health and higher education. Her recent research activities include a survey of Black Elected Officials on issues related to HIV/AIDS, a needs assessment for technical assistance in violence prevention and the development of a violence surveillance system in South Africa, and a community assessment designed to assist community members in identifying and articulating their needs as well as develop activities to help them enhance their understanding of the scientific and technical aspects regarding environmental health issues in their community.

Dr. Friday has published articles in professional journals and magazines, as well as book chapters, book reviews, training manuals and research reports. She has also served as a reviewer for a number of professional journals. Dr. Friday is the recipient of a number awards and honors for her achievements.

In addition to the Rosalynn Carter Institute, Dr. Friday also serves on the Board of Trustees for her alma mater, Millikin University, the Board of Trustees of the Episcopal Media Center, and the National Commission on Environmental Health Policy. She is also active in many civic and professional organizations including the American Psychological Association, the American Public Health Association and the Southeastern Psychological Association, serving as the first African-American President of that organization.