Gladys Barrett-Merrick was educated in the New Orleans Public School System and received her Bachelor of Social Work and Master’s of Social Work from Southern University at New Orleans where she has served in several capacities such as coordinator of domestic violence grant and field supervisor.  Gladys is currently the Director of the Bachelor of Social Work Program with teaching responsibilities. 

She is a Louisiana Board Certified Compulsive Gambling Counselor, a certification site examiner for the American Association of Suicidology, an agency site examiner for the United Way of Greater New Orleans, and has also served as a member and Chairperson of Consumer Credit Counseling Services of Greater New Orleans since 1989.  She is a trainer in the areas of crisis intervention, suicide prevention/intervention and domestic violence. 

Gladys has worked with various community-based organizations and committees in program development and conference planning.  She has worked as program director of the Volunteer and Information Agency Crisis Line and was instrumental in developing many areas of the program, most notably in obtaining a grant to fund the state-wide compulsive gambling hotline.  Gladys was selected as role model by the YWCA for championing causes for women and children.