Gloria J. Edwards

Gloria J. Edwards

The Women’s Center of Southeastern Michigan
2020 Honoree
Jean Ledwith King Award

Gloria J. Edwards is a two-term Women's Center trustee and a beloved volunteer clinical supervisor for many therapist-interns. She devotes countless hours to advance The Women’s Center’s mission, in addition to many other community causes that Gloria supports in her so-called retirement.

A passion for improving the emotional and physical health of underserved people characterizes Gloria J. Edwards' nearly 60-year social work career. After earning B.A., MSW, and Ph.D. degrees, Edwards practiced psychotherapy and served as a social work educator, researcher, and interim director in Michigan Medicine's social work department. She also lectured on the cultural implications of health in various health-related graduate schools.

In the early 1990s, Edwards urged her colleagues to reach beyond the medical environment and strive to achieve better healthcare for marginalized communities. From 1993 until her retirement in 2010, Gloria served as the director of Michigan Medicine’s Program for Multicultural Health, an entity she created to reduce health disparities in a growing multicultural population.

Since then, Edwards has worked with social services agencies, advocating for people to prevent chronic diseases and feel more empowered about their health. She continues to share her expertise with local nonprofits, including The Women's Center of Southeastern Michigan, where her volunteer social work supervision and her board membership are much appreciated.

Gloria shared some thoughts with us from The Women's Center's conference room during the time of the coronavirus in summer 2020.