Armon Perry

Professor

University of Louisville, Raymond A. Kent School of Social Work & Family Science

Armon Perry, Ph.D., is professor at the University of Louisville’s Kent School of Social Work where he teaches Introduction to Social Work and Social Work Practice with Families. Dr. Perry’s research efforts center on the intrapersonal, interpersonal and external factors that influence men’s involvement in the lives of their children, as well as the impact of that involvement on the well-being of the family. To date, Dr. Perry’s community engaged research projects have totaled over $6 million dollars in federal funding and have served well over 1,500 non-resident fathers and their co-parents. The findings of Dr. Perry’s research have pointed to the tools, resources and experiences that shape men’s ability to be involved fathers, the role that mothers play in facilitating or truncating fathers’ involvement and social service providers’ attitudes toward engaging fathers. Dr. Perry’s research has also led to the publication of two books. The first is Fatherhood in America: Social Work Perspectives in a Changing Society, a co-edited volume that serves as a sourcebook for practitioners as it explores the impact of cultural background and family composition on fathering, as well as outlining promising practices in serving fathers and measuring their involvement.  Dr. Perry has also published, Black Love Matters, a book that features the results of an in-depth qualitative analysis focused on a diverse group of adult Black men that chronicles their attitudes and behaviors in marriage and romantic relationships., as well as the experiences that shaped them. Taking the lessons learned from his previous work, Dr. Perry’s most current work is leading the Empower You program. Empower You is a healthy relationship and career exploration intervention serving 16-24 year old youth that features group based workshops and individualized success coaching.  The aim of the intervention is to support the participants by increasing their knowledge regarding the social, legal and economic implications of parenting and delaying childbearing until they have completed their education and are established in chosen career path.