Jayme Walters
Social Work
Associate Professor | Executive Director of the Transforming Communities Institute
Contact Information
Office Location: Logan (MAIN 240B)Phone: +1 435 797 7693
Email: jayme.walters@usu.edu
Additional Information:
Educational Background
- PhD - University of Tennessee - 2020
- CFRM - Indiana University - 2016
- MSW - University of Georgia - 2008
- BSSW - Southern Illinois University - 2007
Expertise
Community-engaged research; Community well-being; Rural communities; Nonprofit organizational capacity and management; Fundraising and philanthropy; Social worker leadership, education, and well-being;
Biography
Dr. Jayme Walters is an Associate Professor in the Department of Social Work and the Executive Director of the Transforming Communities Institute (TCI) at Utah State University. A first-generation college graduate from rural Illinois, she holds a PhD in Social Work from the University of Tennessee, an MSW from the University of Georgia, and a BSW from Southern Illinois University. Dr. Walters’s work is rooted in a lifelong commitment to advancing the well-being of underserved communities through collaborative and data-informed approaches. Her published scholarship focuses on community and nonprofit development, addressing urgent social issues such as housing insecurity, food security, and substance use. As Executive Director of TCI, Dr. Walters has collaborated with faculty, staff, students, and community partners on research and solution building throughout Utah. Notable initiatives include co-founding the WAB Warming Center to serve people experiencing homelessness in Logan and co-developing the Community Justice Advocate (CJA) program, a pioneering effort authorized by the Utah Supreme Court to certify helping professionals to offer limited legal services in debt collection cases. Since joining USU in 2020, Dr. Walters has earned numerous honors for research, teaching, and community engagement, including the Alumni Promise Award at University of Tennessee, the Community Partnership Action Award from the Council on Social Work Education, and several university, college, and department-level awards. Dr. Walters lives in Logan, with her husband Jonathon, a chef and director of USU’s Student Nutrition Access Center, their daughter Kate, and their three dogs.