Alumnae/i Achievement Award-2009
At the Bryn Mawr College Reunion dinner on May 29, we honored
our 2nd Alumnae/i Achievement Award winners. These recipients are
recognized for a lifetime of contributions to the field of social work.
Their work has been a vital part of maintaining and extending the
tradition of excellence and commitment that are central to the mission
of social work.
From left to right: Raheemah Shamsid-Deen Hampton, John G. Loeb, Bertha S. Waters, Sarah Beth Hollister
Lifetime Achievement Award
Bertha S. Waters, MSS '79
Bertha Waters received her MSS degree in 1979 at the age of 56 –
after having at the age of 54 received her bachelor’s degree from
Temple University, summa cum laude. But her story of leadership is not
about college degrees and certainly begins long before that May 1979
commencement. Bertha, who has lived almost her entire life in
Philadelphia, has for decades participated in community advocacy
initiatives and been a real pioneer in the fight for economic and social
justice and social change. She has committed words and actions to
civil rights movements and anti-war movements, and was one of the very
early supporters of gay and lesbian rights in Philadelphia at a time
when few were willing to address that issue. She has been involved
with the Parents’ Union for Public Schools in Philadelphia, set on
the board of the Philadelphia Ethical Society, participated on the
advisory board of the University of Pennsylvania Women’s Center,
served on the Community College of Philadelphia’s Early Childhood
Advisory Council, volunteered with Bread and Roses Community Fund, and
has been a longtime member of the Belmont Community Improvement
Association.
Bertha spent much of her professional career at Pennsylvania
Department of Education where, not surprisingly, she was the equity
coordinator. The rights of individuals – all individuals - has been and
remains her passion. In 2005, the Philadelphia Chapter of the
National Organization for Women honored Bertha as one of their local
women leaders for her advocacy efforts for gender equity in
education.
Exceptional Leadership Award
John G. Loeb, MSS '69
John is Senior Vice President at Public Health Management
Corporation where he has worked for 35+ years. At PHMC, he has been a
guiding force in the agency’s growth from a small, experimental,
federally funded program to one of the largest and most successful
public health institutes in the nation. He is specifically responsible
for PHMC’s corporate development program, including proposal
development and the identification and pursuit of new or expanded
funding streams. In this role, he conducts research of new projects
appropriate for PHMC’s involvement; oversees the development of program
concepts; coordinates and supervises interdisciplinary professional
staff; and consults with local, state and federal government and
voluntary funding sources regarding direction.
Emerging Leader Awards
Raheemah Shamsid-Deen Hampton, MSS '02
Prior to entering our program, Raheemah had worked for five
years as a social worker at the Philadelphia Department of Human
Services where she provided case management services to children and
their families. Raheemah’s leadership in the classroom and the field
were legend. All of her work was splendid – authentic, real, and
stamped with her no-nonsense candid yet simultaneously sensitive
style. Upon graduation, Raheemah was not surprisingly soon promoted
as a supervisor in the court services at DHS. Within a few years she
was named a special projects manager in the commission’s office of
DHS, and most recently, she has been appointed to a position within
the PA Department of Public Welfare’s Office of Children, Youth, and
Families as Director of Children and Youth for the southeast region
that includes Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia
counties.
Sarah Beth Hollister, MSS/MLSP '07
While at Bryn Mawr, Sarah demonstrated wonderful skills as a
leader and at commencement in 2007, she received the McPherson Award
excellence and service to the community. She was lauded for her work as
the student representative to the Curriculum Committee. She not only
worked with the committee on establishing the process and timeline
for the ultimately very successful CSWE reaccreditation process, but
also facilitated many meetings that brought together students and
school administrators to dialogue around key student concerns. To
Sarah’s enormous credit, these discussions occurred in a way that has
led to very real and sustainable changes.
In her current position as Policy Analyst at the PA Department
of Education, she has also emerged as a leader and was selected to
participate in the Pennsylvania Education Policy Fellowship Program
(EPFP), a professional development program for individuals whose work
record reflects strong leadership abilities and a concern for issues
important to children and education. This nationally recognized
fellowship program was established more than 40 years ago by the
Institute for Educational Leadership in Washington, DC.
Social Work award winners were honored at a Dessert Reception in the Thomas Quita Woodward Room as part of Reunion 2009 Weekend Festivities.
