Frank J. Corbett was a professor and administrator in the School of Social Work and the Office of Urban Affairs. He was heavily involved in several different community based organizations, and was a member of several panels were created to address minority issues and concerns in education, labor relations, and government.

Frank J. Corbett's education included a Bachelor of Arts from Johnson C. Smith University in 1940 and a Master of Arts degree from the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago, Illinois in 1948. His work history includes the U.S. Army from 1941-1946 where he attained the rank of Captain, and from 1948-1950 he was the Director of the Randall House in Chicago.

Corbett was the Community Organization Secretary for the Urban League of Flint, Michigan; from 1957-1962 He served as the Executive Director of the Intergroup Council of Bridgeport Connecticut. From 1962-1968 Corbett worked at Community Progress Inc. in New Haven, Connecticut as an area coordinator and later as an Associate Director.

In 1968 he accepted a position as a faculty member at the State University of New York at Buffalo in the School of Social Work. Corbett was a faculty member until 1988 and in his time at UB, served as Director of the Office of Urban Affairs from 1970-1986, Director of the MS degree program in Applied Public Affairs from 1977-1987, and Director of the University at Buffalo Institute for CBO Education and Training from 1982-1986.

During Corbett's time as a faculty member of UB he received several honors from the school and other organizations including: the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Professional Service, 1980; the University of Buffalo Foundations’ Outstanding Professional Service Award, 1979; the Outstanding Academic Service Award of the Office of Minority Student Affairs, 1975; and the Buffalo Urban League's Evans-Young Distinguished Humanitarian Award, 1992.