2024 GSS Diploma Ceremony Speaker

GSS Diploma Ceremony Speaker

Roger Ball, Ph.D. (GSS ’02, GRE ’10, ’15)

Dr. Ball has been a social work administrator serving children and families within NYC and beyond for over 20 years. He currently works within the New York City Public School system (NYCPS) as the Supervisor of Social Workers for the Borough of the Bronx within the Office of Safety and Youth Development.  

In this role, he and his borough-wide team provide a variety of support and resources to schools across the city including: crisis intervention, training and development, community resources, and building internal capacity. 

One of his flagship initiatives within Public Education has been expanding social work internship opportunities for students throughout all five boroughs by partnering with colleges and universities, including Fordham University.  

Prior to his current role, he served as an assistant principal and social worker for NYCPS. Other positions he has held include Program Director for the African-American Male Initiative of the Children’s Aid Society and Program Director of Project LEAP, a Drug Abuse Prevention Program within the Archdiocese of NY.  

Dr. Ball has been an adjunct instructor at New York Theological Seminary, Concordia, Mercy, and Monroe Colleges. He currently teaches at Lehman College and Fordham University where he has taught for the last 15 years. 

He earned a doctorate from Fordham University’s Graduate School of Religion and Religious Education with a concentration in marriage and family life. He holds two master’s degrees (one in Religious Education and the other in Social Work) from Fordham University. 

Dr. Ball has published three books, The Ties That Bind and Bruise, Deconstructing Love, and No Country for Black Men.

He is a sought-after motivational speaker and facilitator of workshops, national conferences, leadership retreats, camps, and panels. He serves on several educational and community boards providing technical assistance and policy ideas to improve social and economic outcomes for our citizens.  His primary vocation is to be a husband to his wife Senikha J. Ball of 27 years, and a father to their four children Jon, Vanessa, Michael, and Addison.