Dr. Gary Bailey is the MSW Program Director for the School of Social Work at Simmons University. He is also a Professor of Practice in Simmons's Schools of Social Work and Nursing and Health Sciences. Professor Bailey has devoted his career to sharing his deep knowledge, expertise, and leadership in the fields of Social Work, Public Health, Youth Education, and Affordable Housing.
He currently serves as President of the NASW-Assurance Services, Inc; he is a past president of the International Federation of Social Workers based in Bern, Switzerland—the first person of color to hold this post. He is a past president of both the Massachusetts Chapter of NASW, and of NASW National-Washington D.C. He was the Chairperson of the National Social Work Public Education Campaign. He was a member of the Council on Social Work Educations Commission on Global Social Work Education and its Committee on Human Rights. He held advisory and board roles with the North American and Caribbean Association of Schools of Social Work's Council on Social Work Education.
In May 2009 Professor Bailey was selected as a Fulbright Specialist for the United States-Israel Educational Foundation (USIEF), where he gave a series of workshops and speeches throughout Israel as a part of the Funds outreach to African American leaders to visit Israel.
At Boston University School of Public Health Maternal and Child Health Center for Excellence, Professor Bailey serves as a mentor in the Diversity Scholars Leadership Program. His advocacy for youth education includes serving as President of the Board for the Fenway High School and as a member of the board of the South End Library. He is also vice-chair of the board at the Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority (MEFA). In 2017 he was appointed by Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker as a member of the Massachusetts LGBT-Q Youth Commission.
He was a member of the AIDS Action Committees (AAC), Inc. Advisory Council; and the AIDS Action Committees Program Committee.
He is a member of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Health Equity Council. His commitment to advancing the availability of affordable housing includes leadership roles FOR Our CommUnitieS, Inc. (FOCUS, Inc.) and is on the board of United South End Settlements (USES).
He was a member of the Leadership Council, Success by 6 campaign - United Way of Massachusetts Bay; and was the co-chair, Boston Children's Hospital Community Advisory Board. He is a past member of the Commissioner's Professional Advisory Committee at the Massachusetts Department of Social Services (DSS, now DCF); and he was a member of the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health Professional Advisory Committee for Child and Adolescent Services.
Professor Bailey is a longstanding member of Boston's historic Union United Methodist Church, where he is the chair of the Church Council and a member of its Leadership Team.
License/Certification
- M.S.W.
- A.C.S.W.
Courses
- SW 401 - Social Policy and Services
- SW 409 - Realities of Racism and Oppression in Today's World
- SW 523 - Advocacy and Social Action for Professional Social Workers
- SW 583 - Social Action and Gerontological Practice
Professional Affiliations & Memberships
Member of the Community Advisory Board for the Fenway Institutes National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) Grant to Reduce Health Disparities in LGBTQ Youth of Color
Gary Bailey in the News
Creating Impact at the 45th Annual Simmons Leadership Conference
The 2024 conference featured a roster of speakers exploring this year’s theme of “Creating Impact” in their personal and professional lives, and how those efforts ripple out to the people and communities around them.
Professor Gary Bailey Receives Lifetime Achievement Award from Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ Youth
According to the Mass.gov press release, this event “was a testament to the unwavering commitment of all involved to create a more inclusive and supportive environment for young people of all gender identities and sexual orientations.”
A History of Simmons in a Little Black Book
The Little Black Book (or, Our Little Black Book), a yearbook for Black students, was first published in 1974 to capture the service, time, and growth of the Black experience at Simmons. Originally Lynne White’s 1974 senior project in Communications, the Book provides a chronicle of Simmons College’s Black community.
Simmons University Receives more than $400,000 in a grant from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Simmons University has received grant funding from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center to address health needs in the communities the hospital serves. The $416,000 grant awarded to Simmons University will help support mental and behavioral health at Fenway High School located in Mission Hill.
A Balm in Gilead...2022
The past few days have not been easy for LGBTQ+ communities around the country As an openly gay man of color, the massacre at Colorado Springs Club has been disturbing on many levels. As a 'mature', Black openly gay man...
Simmons Hosts Virtual Panel of Experts: Roe v. Wade Meets the Dobbs Decision
On the evening of September 22, Simmons hosted a virtual conversation with faculty, practitioners, policymakers, and providers who discussed the impact of the Supreme Court’s recent Dobbs Decision. The panelists drew attention to the intersectional issues of reproductive rights, same-sex marriage, and contraception.
Reflecting on World AIDS Day at the Intersection of Pandemics
Professor of Practice Gary Bailey, MSW, ACSW reflects on the 33rd annual World AIDS Day, a time to honor and remember those we have lost to the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Below the Surface: America’s Lasting Legacy of Racial Disparities in Swimming
From the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games to the Red Cross, Assistant Dean Gary Bailey reflects on the continued barriers Black Americans face at the poolside and the lasting legacy of Jim Crow.
Shout-outs from Students and Alums
Helping Middle and High School Students to Recognize Their Inherent Strengths
Jonathan Stewart is a school social worker for the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity (METCO) Program for Arlington Public Schools in Arlington, Massachusetts—part of one of the longest-running voluntary school-integration programs in the country. Dividing his time between the Ottoson...
Taking Initiative: Gina Patterson '06 on Giving and Leadership at Boston Medical Center
As Boston Opportunity System (BOS) Collaborative Director at the Boston Medical Center, Patterson invests in local communities by bolstering the work of existing non-profits. Learn more about her work and how Simmons brought out the leader within.