Alumni Events and Awards
Upcoming Events Heading link
50th Year Celebration Heading link
JACSW Celebrates Class of 1973
Tony Orlando and Dawn’s “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree” was the number one song in 1973. The Exorcist, at $193 million, was the number one grossing movie that same year, and The Godfather won Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Former President Lyndon B. Johnson died in 1973, the same year the U.S. ended its participation in the Vietnam War. And 131 students graduated from the University of Illinois Chicago’s Jane Addams College of Social Work.
The Class of 1973 celebrated its 50th anniversary on Nov. 9, 2023, by reuniting at a luncheon hosted by JACSW Dean Creasie Finney Hairston. Some were old friends, others made new friends, and during the day they shared stories about former professors, their courses, and how their lives were impacted by the field of social work.
Following the luncheon, the classmates were treated to a video presentation highlighting activities that occurred while they were students – on campus, in Chicago, and worldwide. Each attendee shared stories from their professional and personal lives.
Before the day ended, classmates presented Dean Hairston with a gift, and she returned the gesture, giving each former student a keepsake commemorating the 50th anniversary of their graduation from the Jane Addams College of Social Work: a box containing two wine glasses and a carafe etched with “JACSW Class of 1973.” The gift, and college, will forever be in their hearts. Read full story here.
Celebrate Social Work in Full Bloom Heading link
Jane Addams College of Social Work Dean Creasie Finney Hairston hosted the Celebrate Social Work in Full Bloom Awards Luncheon following the college’s graduation on May 3, 2024. During the event, Dean Hairston (center) presented awards to (from left): Assistant Professor Daysi Diaz-Strong, 2023 Excellence in Teaching Award; Joseph Strickland, senior researcher and associate director at the Jane Addams Center for Social Policy and Research, 2023 Community Engagement Award; and Rep. Lindsey LaPointe, 2024 Pioneer Award. Donald Dew (far right) was recognized as the recipient of the 2022 Pioneer Award.
Karen J. Honig Memorial Lecture Heading link
Gladis Molina Alt, JD, served as keynote speaker at the 2024 Karen J. Honig Memorial Lecture. Alt, an immigration attorney who is the executive director of the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights, presented “Welcoming the Newcomer: Meeting Migration Trauma with Trust, Generosity, and Support.”
The lecture series is named for Karen J. Honig, who received her Master of Social Work degree from the Jane Addams College of Social Work in 1986. Her family and friends established the lecture to honor her memory and to focus on her commitment to inner city children and youth, as well as their families. Each spring, JACSW alumni, faculty and students, as well as community partners of the college, are invited to attend the event, which features a prominent speaker in the field of child welfare and well-being.
The 2021 Luminaries and Awardees Heading link
Celebration Host
Celebration Host
Jim Williams is a general assignment reporter for CBS 2 Chicago. He anchors the station’s weekend evening newscasts, and also produces and hosts the documentary series Stories 2 Tell.
Williams began his broadcast journalism career more than 40 years ago at WGN TV and WGN Radio. He was Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley’s press secretary, supervising media relations throughout city government. For four years, he was a correspondent for ABC News, reporting for World News Tonight with Peter Jennings, Good Morning America and Nightline.
He has won several journalism awards, including an Emmy for investigative reporting. In May of 2018, he was inducted into the National Television Academy of Arts & Sciences’ Silver Circle for his lifetime of work in Chicago television.
A native Chicagoan, Williams was born and raised on Chicago’s South Side and serves on the board of the Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.
Guest Speaker and Jane Addams Social Justice Ally
Guest Speaker and Jane Addams Social Justice Ally Awardee
Honorable Danny K. Davis, Member of Congress, 7th District. Congressman Davis has distinguished himself as an articulate voice for his constituents and as an effective legislator able to move major bills to passage. He has developed a unique and energetic style of communication and interaction with his constituents setting up dozens of advisory task forces to consider significant questions of public policy.
He hosts several weekly television and radio shows which feature audience call in and produces regular written reports to every household in the district. In addition, he maintains weekly office hours in the district and is widely sought after as a speaker at conferences and events.
In the 116th Congress, Representative Davis is resolutely committed to preserving our democracy, protecting social security, maintaining our nation’s gains in civil and human rights, women’s rights, voting rights, protection of the environment, consumer and labor protections, reducing inequality, and ensuring quality, affordable health care for all, while maintaining his long-time focus on issues of job creation, poverty, health care, education, youth and criminal justice reform.
Jane Addams Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award
Jane Addams Distinguished Alumni Achievement Awardee
Maureen Rigney, MSW ’94, has been with the organization now known as GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer since 2004. Currently Director of Support Initiatives, Maureen works to identify and meet evolving community needs through devising strategies, developing collaborations, and leading initiatives. She has a special interest in lung cancer stigma and has collaborated on a number of stigma studies, many of which are published and all of which have been presented at national and international conferences.
GO2 Foundation has also given Maureen the opportunity advocate for issues at the macro-level, through presenting at Congressional Briefings and guiding advocates on Capitol Hill visits with their elected representatives. She represents GO2 Foundation and the lung cancer community on a variety of boards and committees, including the Global Lung Cancer Coalition. She is a member of the Association of Oncology Social Workers and serves on their advocacy committee.
Jane Addams Rising Alumni Award
Jane Addams Rising Alumni Award
Lissette Lucero Lopez, LCSW, CADC, MSW ’14, has worked at Cook County Jail for six years, where she has applied her clinical skills and her passion for justice in working with incarcerated women, providing needed services and structure within the jail, and reducing recidivism within the community.
In 2019, Lissette was promoted to the role of Clinical Program Manager of a women’s residential substance use treatment program, working with detainees who are pregnant and establishing contact visits between incarcerated mothers and their children. The program was originally run by a contract agency, but under her management has developed into a source of genuine treatment and support for women caught between criminal activity and drug addiction.
5-Year Graduation Anniversaries Heading link
Additionally, there was special recognition for alumni with these graduation anniversaries:
Graduation Years Heading link
| Years ending in 0 | Years ending in 1 | Years ending in 5 | Years ending in 6 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 |
1971 1981 1991 2001 2011 |
1975 1985 1995 2005 2015 |
1976 1986 1996 2006 2016 |
2021 Sponsors and Host Committee Heading link
Thank You
A big Thank You to the following sponsors for their generous support of student scholarships that is helping to make the 2021 Alumni & Friends Celebration our most successful to date.
Patron Sponsors
CBS2 Chicago
Carol S. Goldbaum, PhD ’88
Sherri F Seyfried, ACSW, PhD ’94
Amy Starin, MSW ’85, PhD ’08
Supporting Sponsors
Habilitative Systems, Inc., Donald J. Dew, President & CEO, MSW ’80
Linda and James P. Gleeson, PhD ’84
Advocate Sponsors
Patricia Gerber, MSW ’86
Taneka Jennings, MSW ’13
Melanie Rigney
Dr. Terry Solomon, MSW ’77
Friend Sponsors
Jacquelyn Bonavia
Michael Burns, MSW ’98
Randy A. Fisher MSW ’73
Nancy Hanson. MSW ‘79
Merry Alice Macke, MSW ’72
Janine Taylor, MSW ’00
Mark J. Valentino
Julia Wesley, PhD ’10
Host Committee
Co-Chairs
Dr. Terry Solomon, MSW ’77
Karyn Aguirre, MSW ’04
Immediate Past Chair
James P. Gleeson, PhD ’84
Members
Bessie Sulton Akuamoah, MSW ‘81
James Bracey, MSW ’08
Donald J. Dew, MSW ’80
Lorri Glass, MSW ’80, PhD ’08
Carol Goldbaum, PhD ’88
Hilda Ramos, MSW ’98
Sherri F. Seyfried, ACSW, PhD ’94
Jo Anne Smith, MSW ’80
Amy Starin, MSW ’85, PhD ’08
Ex-Officio
Dean Creasie Finney Hairston, PhD
Jacquelyn M. Bonavia, Director of Advancement
Candace D. Stoakley, Senior Office Manager and Advancement Assistant
Highlights from the 2019 Celebration Heading link
Doctoral Student and PhD Alumni Reception Heading link
Every fall, JACSW doctoral students, faculty and alumni of the PhD program are invited to network and learn from one another. The event opens with a reception with hors d’oeuvres and refreshments, and culminates in a presentation by a PhD alumnus on choosing a research topic, writing a dissertation or career success after graduation. The 2023 speaker was alumnus and JACSW Associate Professor Charles Hounmenou, PhD ’09.
Alumni Peer-to-Peer Consultation Group Heading link
The consultation group provides a welcoming, open format for social workers to reconnect with fellow grads and network with other Chicago social work professionals for discussion of common clinical issues, case presentations and sharing of resource information with the group. JACSW Lecturer Lisa Salvadore LCSW, LCPC, CADC facilitates the group and would love to see you at the next virtual meeting!
Special thanks to JACSW Lecturer Lisa Salvadore and alumni Cece Sykes, MSW ’82 and Rosanne Adams, MSW ’91 for their work in conceiving and planning this new professional development opportunity for our alumni.
Questions? Contact Lisa Salvadore at lsalvado@uic.edu