Center for the Advancement of Youth Development Memphis

About the Director

Dr. Leon Caldwell established the Center for the Advancement of Youth Development as a way to formally conduct translational research for the purpose of promoting youth development for underserved and underrepresented youth and families. As a Scholar-Activist, Dr. Caldwell develops strategies to identify and implement solutions to challenges confronting youth and families in distress, otherwise referred to as interventions. He employs non-pathologizing strength-based approaches that recognize and utilize the cultural strengths of youth, families, and communities.

Dr. Caldwell earned his doctorate in counseling psychology, with an emphasis in multicultural counseling, at Penn State; a Master’s degree in Secondary School Counseling and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Lehigh University. He completed his American Psychological Association (APA) approved internship at the University of California, Irvine. He has held professional memberships in the American Psychological Association (APA), the Association of Black Psychologists (ABP), the American Counseling Association (ACA), and the American Public Health Association (APHA). His work has been supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and the Urban Child Institute, where he serves as a Fellow.

Dr. Caldwell has an extensive track record in youth development research and service delivery. He has been awarded over $2 million in grants and contracts. Prior to moving to Memphis he established the Family Potential Center in Lincoln, NE as a community based participatory research and counseling training practice. He has served as a consultant and evaluator for publicly and privately funded projects. Academic achievement, violence prevention, career development, fatherhood, and African American male mental health promotion are examples of the research and funded projects Dr. Caldwell has conducted. He is nationally recognized as a social entrepreneur and transformational Scholar-Activist.

Dr. Caldwell is a Research Associate Professor in the Psychology Department at Rhodes College. He serves on the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth, is a Trustee of Bridges, Inc and the Urban Youth Initiative. Prior to moving to Memphis he held the position of a tenured Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. While there he hosted the Black Male Empowerment Summit, organized the first ever Nebraska School Counselor Educator Summit, and directed a study abroad program in Ghana, West Africa.

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