About Us | History | Leadership | Accomplishments

Grenae D. Dudley, Ph.D.

A professional advocate of children’s welfare for more than 20 years, Dr. Grenaé D. Dudley was appointed Executive Director of Mayor’s Time (formerly The Youth Connection) on May 4, 1998, after serving as Deputy Director of The Children’s Center of Wayne County, an organization which she joined in 1977. A licensed clinical psychologist, Dr. Dudley is well versed in the issues related to youth surrounding after-school programs–the reduction of youth violence, substance abuse and early sexual activity–and brings invaluable experience and insight to its mission.

At The Children’s Center, Dr. Dudley began as a clinician and was promoted to Director of Foster Care in 1980, transitioned to Residential Division Director in 1983 and was promoted to Associate Director in 1986 and Deputy Director in 1988. It was there that she designed a “Specialized Foster Care Program” which won the Innovative Foster Care Program of the Year Award from the Michigan Federation of Private Child and Family Agencies in 1986. In addition, Dr. Dudley’s abstinence program received the Governor’s Community Service Award. It was at The Children’s Center that Dr. Dudley realized the growing need for a prevention initiative, when she lost one of her foster care children to a senseless killing.

Dr. Dudley has designed, developed and implemented numerous programs that address the needs of children and their families and has served as a consultant to the Oakland and Wayne County Juvenile Courts’ psychological clinics, the Piston’s Panasonic Speakers Bureau, and the Selfridge Air Force and National Guard Base Family Advocacy program. From 2001-2002, she was the Executive on Loan to Mayor Kwame M. Kilpatrick to help roll-out his Mayor’s Time initiative. Effective April 2003, along with the support and resources from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Urban Health Initiative, she became the full-time Executive Director of “Mayor’s Time”, an effort to expand after-school programs for youth in the city.

In addition, Dr. Dudley has co-authored a book, Sankofa Ceremonies and Celebrations in the African American Church, with Reverend Carlyle Fielding Stewart III. As a community leader, Dr. Dudley was chairwoman of the City of Southfield Parent Youth Guidance Commission; has served on the State Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board, State Board of Education Full Day/Full Service Task Force and is currently on the Boards of The Children’s Center of Wayne County, Communties in Schools, The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and the After School Forum. Dr. Dudley was appointed by the Oakland County Board of Commissioners to the Board of Directors for Oakland County Family Independence Agency, where she servers as Co-Chair, serves on the After-School Task Force for Detroit Public Schools, is a member of the National Cross Cities Network, and has served on the Board of Directors of both the Black United Fund and the Wayne State University Alumni Association.

Dr. Dudley holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Wayne State University.