Ryan SuttonAUSTIN, Texas – The Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, a part of the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement (DDCE) at The University of Texas at Austin, is pleased to announce that Ryan Sutton, Ph.D., has been named a postdoctoral fellow. During his one-year postdoc, he will be providing therapy and crisis services at the UT Counseling and Mental Health Center, and psychological and custody evaluations with Legal Consensus Forensic Evaluation. He is also a member of the African American Male Research Initiative as part of the Longhorn Center for Academic Excellence.

Sutton earned his master’s degree and Ph.D. from Howard University, in the field of Counseling Psychology. He received clinical experience at Tree of Life Public Charter School, D.C. Jail, Howard University Counseling Services, and various community-based mental health centers. While at Howard, Ryan was a student of Dr. Ivory A. Toldson, who was recently named deputy director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Ryan has published articles in peer-reviewed journals and presented at numerous national conferences on the areas of academic achievement, juvenile justice and mental health among Black males. He completed his doctoral internship at the District of Columbia Superior Court, Child Guidance Clinic, where he was responsible for forensic psychological testing, therapy and research.

“Dr. Sutton has proven himself in two areas that are deeply important to DDCE as well as the Hogg Foundation,” said Dr. Octavio N. Martinez, Jr., executive director of the Hogg Foundation. “First, his counseling background is that of someone who has learned the challenges and rewards of treating the individual. Second, his scholarly concern with the issues confronting African American males shows his commitment to equity and justice.”

“Dr. Sutton’s expertise around the mental health issues of African American youth is fundamental to our work with Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity on the My Brother’s Keeper Initiative, our work in the African American Male Research Initiative, and in our efforts to eradicate the school to prison pipeline,” said Dr. Gregory J. Vincent, vice president for diversity and community engagement. “We are fortunate to have recruited a post-doctoral fellow of his caliber and with his background as we expand our focus on helping young men of color succeed.”

Sutton earned his B.A. in Psychology, with a minor in African-American Studies, at Xavier University in Louisiana. While at Xavier, he worked with Tulane University’s Upward Bound and Young Scholars program as director of tutoring services and college readiness.

Sutton’s dissertation was entitled, “The Relationship between Personal Values and Mental Health Functioning among African American Youth in the Juvenile Justice System.”

The Hogg Foundation advances recovery and wellness in Texas by funding mental health services, policy analysis, research and public education. The foundation was created in 1940 by the children of former Texas Gov. James S. Hogg and is part of the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement at The University of Texas at Austin.