Author, Educator and 2013 UCF Pegasus Professor

Dr. James D. Wright is an author, educator, Provost’s Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Sociology and now a UCF Pegasus Professor. He is one of the three faculty selected from the College of Sciences who were honored with the award, which recognizes extraordinary contributions to the UCF community in the areas of research, teaching and service. Wright has made significant contributions to the university, the discipline of sociology and the Central Florida community.  His work in the area of poverty and homelessness is regarded as required reading for anyone studying sociology, and his research has gained the attention of local and national institutions.

UCF’s Institute for Social and Behavioral Sciences, which Wright directs, has produced 45 technical and consulting reports for 1l local governments and nonprofit organizations. He is considered a leading expert on homelessness, and he’s testified about his research before the U.S. Senate and House and has acted as an expert witness in several legal cases. Much of his earlier work is still referred to in publications, and he continues to be asked to give talks and presentations at national and international venues.

In addition to his university duties, Wright is an active member of the Orlando community. He serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida, the Homeless Services Network, the HOPE Helps Foundation in Oviedo, and several others. He is also a frequent consultant to the Heart of Florida United Way and Second Harvest Food Bank. Nationally, he sits on the Board of Directors of the Horowitz Foundation for Public Policy and is an active member of the American Sociological Association and the Southern Sociological Society. Internationally, he serves as the Subject Chair for the Social Sciences to Scopus, Elsevier’s journal indexing, abstracting and citation service.