Whitney Gherman, MSW

Whitney Gherman is a Family Engagement Learning Coordinator with the Ohio Statewide Family Engagement Center at The Ohio State University. In this role, she leads initiatives to develop and advance professional learning among schools, district leaders, and other family-facing professionals. With more than a decade of experience as an educator and advocate for youth and families, Whitney supports the Ohio Network of Partnership Schools through capacity-building efforts that help district and school leaders implement research-based family engagement practices.

Whitney holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Michigan and is currently a Ph.D. student in Teaching and Learning at The Ohio State University’s College of Education and Human Ecology. In 2021, she was recognized by Ohio’s Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Commission for her commitment to keeping Dr. King’s dream alive through nonviolent social change. Her work has been featured in publications such as Voyage Ohio Magazine and the textbook Social, Economic, and Environmental Justice: Building Social Work Practice Skills. She has also received local, state, and national awards for promoting diversity, and her peers describe her approach as “warm, open, and authentic.”

Outside of her professional work, Whitney enjoys exploring ancestry—a passion that deepens her understanding of identity and belonging—and spending time outdoors with her family, including her dog, cat, and backyard chickens.