Dr. Kwesi (Craig) Brookins is vice provost for University Outreach and Engagement and a professor in Ecological-Community Psychology at Michigan State University. He received his doctorate from MSU and began his current position in January 2023. Dr. Brookins is a former professor of psychology and Africana studies at NC State University. During his time at NC State, he founded the Africana Studies program and several study abroad programs in the continent of Africa, directed the Center for Family and Community Engagement, and was the vice provost for University Outreach and Engagement. In addition, Dr. Brookins conducted research with communities and partners across the state of North Carolina and, more recently, led a community-university partnership with Black communities in SE Raleigh focused on mitigating the impact of gentrification and, in the words of some community members, cultural erasure. Among his varied research interests, he has published on community-based interventions, African American identity development, and the necessity of developing a social and political consciousness for community leadership and activism. In 2018-19, Dr. Brookins was an American Council of Education Fellow, during which he spent a year at Virginia Commonwealth University and visited institutions across the United States and Canada to learn best practices in urban community engagement.
Recent Publications
Brookins, K. C. C. (2025). Through 2023 and beyond—Dreaming community psychology forward. American Journal of Community Psychology, 76, 253–258. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.70031
Blount, T.N., Prosek, E.A., King, K., Brookins, C. C., & Fitzpatrick, D. C. (2024). The lived experiences of African American women in natural recovery: Re-envisioning the role of counselors. International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling. 46, 567–585 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-024-09553-4
Nettles, C. D., Schlehofer, M. M., Buckingham, S. L., (Kwesi) Brookins, C. C., Flores, Y. G., & Kelly, A. E. (2023). Then and now: A 50-year retrospective thematic analysis of Society for Community Research and Action presidential addresses. American Journal of Community Psychology, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12725
Ferreira, B., Morais, D. B., Jakes, S., Brothers, G. and Brookins, C. C. (2022). Self-efficacy mechanism in farm tourism microentrepreneurship. Frontiers in Psychology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.875096
Blount, T. N. & Brookins, C. C. (2021) Adinkra symbolism, printmaking, and the cultural identity of Ghanaian emerging young adults, Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, https://doi.org/10.1080/15401383.2021.1911724
Recent Reports
Brookins, C. C., Cacace, S.C., Smith, E.L., Eckard-Allen, K.R., Pennell, J., & Preisler, J.J. (2021, May). NC child welfare family leadership model: SFY 2021 process and impact evaluation report [Annual evaluation report]. Prepared for the Division of Social Services, NC Department of Health and Human Services, Raleigh, NC.
Frazier, A. and Brookins, C.C. (March 2021). Final evaluation report, Empowering entrepreneurs and seeding innovation, The Wake Community-University Partnership, NC State University, Raleigh, NC.
Brookins, C. C., and Graham, S. (December 2020). NC State’s civic action plan. Raleigh, NC: North Carolina State University. https://zenodo.org/badge/DOI/10.5281/zenodo.4479971.svg
Recent Presentations
(January 2026)
Origin of the Dream
Miller, W. J. (Executive Producer). Brookins, K, Duarte, F, Jones, A. & Reynolds, K. (Advisory Board). (2026, January). Origin of the Dream. [Film].
(October 2025)
The Global Role of Community-Engaged Scholarship in Advancing Community Health and Wellness
Brookins, K. (2025, Oct. 24–26). The global role of community-engaged scholarship in advancing community health and wellness [Keynote Address]. Biennial Conference of the Society for Human Development Science, Lexington, KY.
(October 2025)
Public Engagement and Higher Education
Brookins, K. (2025, October 17–19). Public engagement and higher education. Alliance for Graduate Education to the Professoriate Conference, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI.
