Test for June 2020 Volunteer Opportunity

Are you ready to give career advice to a kid who really wants it?

This fall, St. Nick's Alliance CareerGPS program will again be connecting motivated students from the Grand Street Campus high schools with caring adults who have had interesting career arcs, to explore career opportunities and ease the transition from high school to college to employment.

We are looking for responsible, caring adults, either still working or retired, to participate in one of the following ways:

• 1:1 mentor at least 8x between October and December 2018
• Guest mentor for a particular career group activity
• Host a great career building activity at your location
• Introduce us to another interested mentor in your circle

If interested, please contact:

Michelle Leberfeld, Volunteer Coordinator
[email protected]
917-699-5722

St. Nick's Alliance Career GPS Center
850 Grand Street Brooklyn, NY 11211

CLASS NOTES

1950s
Daniel Ginsberg ’57 recently celebrated his 60th wedding anniversary. He received his DSW from Yeshiva University’s School of Social Work in 1997, and worked for the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare as a Community Organizer and as Supervisor of the Office of Adult and Aging Programs. He later became a State Inspector for Personal Care Homes in 15 counties. In 1998 he became the founding Executive Director of the Center for Continuing Education and Consultation. He served the part-time faculty of Marywood School of Social Work, Pennsylvania State University, and Lackawanna College, where he taught gerontology, community organization, and social work with the aging. He has taught folk and square dancing at community centers in Florida, New York, and Pennsylvania, and serves as president of the Wheelers bicycle club in the Kings Point Retirement Community in Delray Beach, Florida. He is the recipient of a number of awards for outstanding professional services, and currently serves on the board of directors for six social service agencies.

Madeline Bihuniak Braverman '55, passed away on August 4, 2018, at age 95.  She was beloved by her husband of 63 years, her two daughters, her five grandchildren, and the many people whose lives she transformed with her love and generosity. As a C.S.W. in NYC public schools for 22 years, she wanted to be remembered for "helping others help themselves achieve common human needs."

1960s
Dr. Arlene Goldsmith ‘61 is Executive Director of New Alternatives for Children (NAC). She recently rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange in celebration of 36 years of integrating children with special needs into the community and the NAC Kids Can Gala.

1970s
Daniel Reingold ’77 is President and CEO of RiverSpring Health. He was recently recognized with the Award of Honor from LeadingAge— the senior healthcare field’s highest award. He is most well-known for transforming the lives of older adults through innovative programs that focus on maximizing quality of life, and for his advocacy work on behalf of older adults.

Barbara Baer ’71 was a candidate for State Assembly in New York’s 133rd District.

1990s
Catherine Shugrue dos Santos ’92 has accepted a new position at the New York City Anti-Violence Project.

2000s
Suzanne Walker Buck ’01 has been named the new Head of School at Western Reserve Academy in Hudson, Ohio.

Jillian Rose ’05 is the Director of Community Engagement, Diversity and Research at Hospital for Special Surgery in NYC.  She recently received the Distinguished Educator Award from the Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals (ARHP). 

Lakeya Cherry ’07 is CEO of the Network for Social Work Management. She recently received the Social Work Image Award from the National Association of Social Workers – New York City Chapter.

Stephanie Gangemi ’08 is the recipient of the First Place Seidenberg Prize from the Chicago Institute of Psychoanalysis for her paper on psychoanalytic solutions to issues between guards and inmates in the criminal justice system. Her paper proposes a training tool for corrections officers who deal with inmates with serious mental health issues. She is currently in the dissertation phase of her PhD at Smith College.

Jason Lerner ’08 married Allison Zsamba, an associate attorney with McCusker, Anselmi, Rosen & Carvelli, on October 6, 2018.  Jason is a Research Manager with Crime Lab and Education Lab New York, a research institute of the University of Chicago (though he works in NYC!). At the Crime and Education Lab, they partner with policymakers and practitioners to design, test, and scale promising programs and policies. As a Research Manager, Jason leads a portfolio of projects involving randomized controlled trials, behavioral economics, and predictive analytics, with the ultimate goal of helping the public sector deploy its resources more effectively (and humanely) to improve lives.

2010s
Kerri Pedrick ‘10 is executive director of Washington Trafficking Prevention, an organization that empowers youth and communities to end human trafficking in Washington State. She recently spoke at a meeting of the Lewis County chapter of the American Association of University Women.

Alana Pudalov ‘10 has accepted a new position at Children’s Aid.

Shimon Cohen ’11 is a clinical instructor and bachelor of science in social work field coordinator at the Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work. He created the podcast “Doin’ the Work: Frontline Stories of Social Change,” which features interviews with social workers, educators, and activists about their work and personal stories.

Michelle Mcgowan ’11 is a licensed trauma counselor at Synergy Fitness and Wellness in the US Virgin Islands. 

 Audrey Tinsdale ’11 passed the LCSW exam, and is currently practicing in Missouri.

Kyndra Frazier ’14 was an Interfaith Leadership Academy Fellow with the Interfaith Center of New York. She completed a civic engagement project with Giovanna Maselli titled “Breaking Bread: Interfaith Dialogues and Mindfulness Practices”.

Kira Parks ’15 married Marc Maurizi on September 22, 2018 in Bronxville, NY. Many social workers from CSSW were in attendance including bridesmaid and college friend Samantha Bernard ’17, Amanda Hyne Hambley ’13, Alyson Lebowitz ’15, Emily Archer Cassa ’15, and Meryl Goldstein ’15.

Delia Ryan ‘16 serves as a Live Support Specialist with the CSSW Online Campus, and was part of the team that received a 2018 International E-Learning Award from the International E-Learning Association. For their work on the Institute on Pedagogy for Online Courses, a 5-week course that blends synchronous virtual class sessions with asynchronous homework, Delia and her team were recognized as runners-up for the top prize in the Blended Learning category, Academic Division.

Josh Szimonisz '18 accepted a position as a Program Manager with Samaritan’s Purse International Relief in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where the team is starting new projects on clean water and sanitation, agriculture and livelihoods, and a mobile health clinic for refugees and internally displaced people.

Naseem Obaydou ’19 has accepted a new position at Palisades Medical Center.

In Memoriam

*Note: (nd) stands for non-degree alumnus

PUBLICATIONS

Nilsa M. Burgos ’85 (2018) “Environmental issues and controversies in Latin America: a challenge to social work” In  Handbook of Green Social Work. London: Routledge.

Kathleen Hanagan ’89 (2018)  Loveseed: The Template for Birthing a New World, Thomas Noble Books.

Lori Heninger ’93 (2017) Managing as Mission: Nonprofit Managing for Sustainable Change, CRC Press.

Stanley N. Kanzaki ’71  The Issei Prisoners of the San Pedro Internment Center, Vantage Press.

Michael A. Lewis ’90 (2018) Social Workers Count: Numbers and Social Issues, Oxford University Press.

Dawn Marar ’78 (2018)  Efflorescence, Finishing Line Press.

Ann Whitford Paul ’65 (2018) If Animals Said I Love You, Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Ann Whitford Paul ’65 (2018) If Animals Celebrated Christmas, Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Ann Whitford Paul ’65 (2018) Writing Picture Books: A Hands-on Guide from Story Creation to Publication, Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

John Silver ’03PhD (2018) The Ageless Runner, John Sliver.