2024 Spring Commencement

Spring Commencement May 4, 2024

Our Vision

A Better Society Through Individual and Social Change

Our Mission

Advancing the social work profession’s vision and values, the University of Michigan School of Social Work seeks to develop a more equitable, caring and socially just society. Such a society meets basic human needs, eliminates social and economic inequities and empowers individuals, their communities and institutions to reach their aspirations and potential. Drawing on an interdisciplinary faculty within a public university seated in a region of enormous need and promise, the School is dedicated to education, research and service that fosters progressive change at local, national and global levels.

Land

Acknowledgment

We acknowledge that the University of Michigan, named for Michigami, the world’s largest freshwater system and located in the Huron River watershed, was formed and has grown through connections with the land stewarded by Niswi Ishkodewan Anishinaabeg --the Three Fires People, who are the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi--along with their neighbors, the Seneca, Delaware, Shawnee, and Wyandot nations.

Order of Exercises

Processional

Jordan Schug Quartet

Marshals

Abigail Eiler

Clinical Associate Professor of Social Work

Ashley Lacombe-Duncan

Associate Professor of Social Work

Yatesha Robinson

Assistant Director of Field Education

Welcome and Introductions

Beth Angell

Dean and Professor of Social Work

Land Acknowledgments

Maleigha Coronado

MSW Candidate

Keynote Speaker

Joyce Dixson-Haskett

LMSW, ACSW, SAP Daylily Health, LLC

Order of Exercises cont.

Student Speakers

Lady Funcke Muñoz

MSW Degree Candidate

Jessica Leacher

MSW Degree Candidate

Presentation of PhD Graduates

Readers

William Elliott III Professor of Social Work

Hooders

Kelly Askew Professor of Anthropology

Ruth Dunkle Professor Emerita of Social Work

Beth Glover-Reed Associate Professor Emerita of Social Work

Mike McGovern Professor of Anthropology

Larry Root Professor Emeritus of Social Work

Bradley Zebrack Professor of Social Work

Presentation of MSW Graduates

Readers

Zaynab Boussi

Field Faculty and LEO Lecturer

Justin Hodge

Clinical Associate Professor of Social Work

Hooders

Debra Mattison

Clinical Associate Professor of Social Work

Daicia Price

Clinical Associate Professor of Social Work

Closing Remarks

Beth Angell Dean and Professor of Social Work

Recessional

Jordan Schug Quartet

Commencement ceremonies have been the site of free expression and peaceful protest for decades at the University of Michigan. The University does not attempt to prevent peaceful protests or other speech protected under the First Amendment.

Today’s ceremony is a way to honor our graduates’ accomplishments and celebrate their hard work. The School uplifts the values of social work, which includes holding space for different opinions and the opportunity for dialogue. Today and every day, we advocate for a safe and peaceful exchange of ideas and we encourage empathy, compassion and respect.

Cover Art

The Real Blue, 1998

Sam Gilliam b. 1933

Sam Gilliam is one of the great innovators in postwar American painting. He emerged from the Washington, D.C. scene in the mid 1960s with works that elaborated upon and disrupted the ethos of Color School painting. Gilliam abandoned the traditional frames and stretchers used in painting. Instead he chose to loosely drape and suspend his paint stained canvases from the walls and ceiling.

Gilliam’s The Real Blue is a four-piece ceiling installation commissioned for the School of Social Work’s lower level and is a centerpiece of its art collection.

Dear Graduates,

Congratulations! We are thrilled to celebrate your hard work and dedication together with your friends, families and loved ones.

In pursuit of your MSW, you have gained the skills, knowledge and training to make a difference in the lives of others. You are effective, practiced facilitators and leaders who know how to take a stand, address injustice and engage the community. As you begin the next chapter of your lives, remember that education is a lifelong process. Keep in touch with your faculty and classmates and keep listening and learning from your clients and colleagues.

University of Michigan social work graduates have a reputation for their expertise, dedication and achievement. Today you join 17,000+ alumni who lead the field as policymakers, agency directors and foundation leaders, who improve lives as accomplished and effective social workers. We look forward to hearing how you apply your talents for the good of people and communities.

You have earned the term “the leaders and best.” On behalf of the Michigan Social Work community, I wish you every success as you reach out, raise hope and change society.

Go Blue,

Beth Angell Dean and Phillip Fellin Collegiate Professor of Social Work

About Our Keynote Speaker

Joyce Dixson-Haskett

LMSW, ACSW, SAP, Daylily Health, LLC

Joyce Dixson-Haskett is a leader in the fight against human trafficking. She advocates daily for the freedom and restoration of dignity and value to those affected by this heinous and corrupt system. She is a survivor of human trafficking and has been commissioned by Governor Gretchen Whitmer to sit on the Michigan Human Trafficking Commission.

She is also a leader in the advocacy for children of incarcerated parents. Her clinical model, Levels of Response to Traumatic Events, (LORTE) has been described as “the most sensible approach in assisting children with incarcerated parents.” Professionals also say: “There are no known programs, including programs in the OJJDP Model Programs Guide, which deal exclusively with the effects that the incarceration of a parent has on a child and address the core issues as the LORTE model does.”

Dixson-Haskett holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Michigan and is the founder and owner of Daylily Health LLC in Royal Oak, Michigan, a thriving clinical practice that tackles and defeats mental health problems in the concrete, the abstract and the spiritual. More importantly, she was an incarcerated mother, for 17 ½ years. She knows firsthand how the incarceration of a parent adversely affects the children.

Dixson-Haskett began fighting for the rights of women who had been battered and abused, and for their children, while she was yet behind bars; she continues to work diligently on behalf of this elite population. She currently resides in the Houston, Texas area where Daylily Health 2 is being birthed.

About Our Student Speaker

Lady Funcke Muñoz MSW ‘24

Lady Alejandra Funcke Muñoz (she/her/ella) is an MSW student in Interpersonal Practice in Integrated Health, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Pathway. She is a passionate advocate whose academic journey reflects her commitment to integrated health, mental health, advocacy and human rights. She graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Human Services from Palm Beach State College. She has also earned specialized certifications from Columbia University and Palm Beach State College, enhancing her expertise in trauma-informed practice and social services.

She served as a graduate research assistant at the School’s Level Up Lab, as a representative in student government, and as a graduate program assistant for both the DEI Office and Community Conversations. She facilitated educational workshops, coordinated community dialogue events, and advocated for formerly incarcerated students’ opportunities within the university, fostering inclusivity and equity in higher education.

Funcke Muñoz worked at User Voice and His Majesty’s the King Prison Service in the United Kingdom, where she researched the intersection of incarceration, biodiversity and human rights to inform evidence-based policy recommendations and advocacy efforts.

In recognition, she received the DEI Impact Awards’ Student of the Year, Latinx Research Week 2024 Familismo Award and the Michigan Difference Student Leadership Awards Nominee from M-LEAD.

Funcke Muñoz intends to pursue her PhD and continue her work in higher education advocacy and mental health.

About Our Student Speaker

Jessica Leacher MSW ‘24

Jessica Leacher grew up in Milan, Michigan, and holds a BA in Social Relations and Policy from James Madison College at Michigan State University. She spent most of her career working in nonprofits in Washington, D.C., to support community college and university leaders through structured collaboratives, training and workshops that are designed to grow leadership practices and result in more equitable outcomes for students across the country.

At various places of employment, Leacher joined and co-led diversity, equity and inclusion committees, experiencing firsthand the structural inequities replicated within the nonprofit sector. It was because of these experiences that she decided to pursue social work.

During her time earning her Master of Social Work, she has been a Community Change student and a National Community Scholar. She worked for Clinical Associate Professor Daicia Price in the School’s DEI office and Professor Daphne Watkins’ Young Black Men Masculinities and Mental Health Project. Leacher is a lifelong learner and passionate about building creative, inclusive and diverse spaces where every person feels they belong. She intends to pursue a position with a local foundation or nonprofit serving communities in southeast Michigan.

She would like to thank her family and friends for their unwavering support and love.

School of Social Work PhD Graduates

Matthew Bakko

Social Work and Sociology

Anne Blumenthal

Social Work and Sociology

Joonyoung Cho

Social Work and Psychology

Nina Francis-Levin

Social Work and Anthropology

Rita Hu

Social Work and Political Science

Taha Rauf

Social Work and Political Science

Lauren Whitmer

Social Work and Anthropology

School of Social Work

MSW Graduates

David Abernathy

Hala Alazzawi

Stephen Anfield

Elizabeth Aoki

Andrew Arche

Sasha Baitinger

Demitria Tiara Monique Bell

Yvon Bergner

William Edward Bishop

Tressa Brewer

Miranda Paige Byl

Tojyanna Caldwell

Janell Camphor

Haoyu Chang

Batool Mansour Charara

Sara Charboneau

Marketa Claiborn

Taara Clarke

Matthew Clinton

Courtnie Coakley

Brett Cohen

Maleigha Renee Coronado

Alex Correa

Erin Daugharthy

Elena Davydova

Heather Diggs

Karelyn Dippel

Xuan Du

Syncere Leigh Ellis

Kristin Moriarty Fiore

Kailey Elaine Fontan

Jacob Foster

Natalie Francis

Lady Funcke Munoz

Amber Gall

Hannah George

Ethan Getchell

School of Social Work

MSW Graduates

Nikoo Ghaffarloo

Max Gillis

Merisa Gordon

Tana-Marie Gordon

Merindar Grant

Emma Noel Greffe

Breanna Gross

Valerie Nicole Guerra

Irma Maribel Andrade

Guzman

Alanah Hall

Camille Hamet

Shira Hammerslough

Rachael Harris

Kimberly Hawley

Justin Hempfling

Claire Ann Henderson

Dawn Hermann

Erta Hidri

Celia Hilden

Jacqueline Anne Hogan

Jennifer Horon

Eamon Horwedel

Kayla Ineich

Katharine Jackson

Theodore Jay

Yetong Jing

Sophia Jones

Alexa A Kaiser

Karla Lynn Kilpatrick

Hye-Young Kim

Seong Geun Kim

Elizabeth Kjar-Olson

Sophia Kleyla

Kelly Komis

Katie Kowalski

Sarah Krantz

Laura Kruczinski

Sarah Kubik

Eric Kuhn-Fink

Michelle Kujat

Daniela Lara-Guzman

Isabella Lavorata

Jessica Leacher

Tiffiny Lee

Hannah Lefton

Zixi Liu

Iris Luna

Senlin Luo

Sarah Lynch

Emma Mead

Cryssy Miller

Margaret Miller

Michelle Molitor

Madelyn Moncrief

Gabriel Monett

Alyssa Moore

Christina Mozumdar

Alison Rogers Napoleon

Kevin Nguyen

Miguel Ochoa

Melissa Oden

Megan Olsen

Sarah Oviedo

Marie Aiudi Pattipati

Joseph Pearson-Green

Sandra Perez Gonzalez

Elijah Pierre

Chloe Pike

Jacob Pollock

Iris Proctor

Zia Qi

Natalie Quinn

Rima Rahman

School of Social Work

MSW Graduates

Kailee Remez

Heather Renfro

Lucas Reyes

Lisa Ritchie Neilson

Basil Rutkowski

Shani Samuel

Heidi Sansbury

Aki Sato

Ethan Sayer

Kia Schwert

La’Risha Scott

Rebecca Seidemann

Zoe Sernyak

Rachel Ghassan Shango

Kiara Shannon

Katelyn Shellenbarger

Sarah Shields

Tracy Shimel

Benjamin Shovers

Allison Smith

Ann Marie Smith

Yakeen Sobeh

Zachary Stepanovich

Joshua Svinarich

Xinyi Tang

Alyssa Simone Taylor

Kathleen Taylor

Rachael Taylor

Madeline Tong

Susan Jill Van Zante-Peiser

Yexenia Vanegas

Alejandro Villafuerte

Cat Vo

Taylor Volson

Nik Von Seggern

Kim Walker

Kathryn Ward

Kailey Whitted

Julia Wicker

Veronica Wilkom

Alisa Winchester

Lisa Wright

Liora Yalof

Justin Yampolsky

Shai Ybarra

Tian Yeung

Lara Zammit

Qiyue Zu

School of Social Work

Dual Degree MSW Graduates

Master of Social Work and Master of Arts in Higher Education

Brett Cohen

Master of Social Work and Juris Doctor

Hannah Lefton

Master of Social Work and Master of Urban and Regional Planning

Gabriel Monett

Master of Social Work and Master of Buisness Administration

Benjamin Shovers

Master of Social Work and Master of Public Affairs

Alejandro Villafuerte

School of Social Work Leadership

Dean

Beth Angell

Dean and Professor of Social Work

Associate Deans

Shawna Lee

Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Professor of Social Work

Robert Ortega

Associate Dean for Educational Programs and Professor of Social Work

Katie Richards-Schuster

Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs and Strategic Initiatives and Associate Professor of Social Work

Matthew Smith

Associate Dean of Research and Professor of Social Work

Assistant Dean

Timothy Colenback

Assistant Dean for Enrollment Management

School of Social Work Leadership

Directors

Abigail Eiler Director, Undergraduate Minor Programs and Clinical Associate Professor of Social Work

William Elliott III Director, Joint Doctoral Program in Social Work and Social Science and Professor of Social Work

Karla Goldman Director, Jewish Communal Leadership Program and Sol Drachler Professor of Social Work

Barbara Hiltz Director, MSW Programs and Clinical Associate Professor of Social Work

Erin Khang Director, Field Education and Clinical Assistant Professor of Social Work

Katie Lopez Director, Office of Global Activities and Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor

Daicia Price Director, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Program and Clinical Associate Professor of Social Work

Michelle Woods Director, MSW Student Career Services

Erin Zimmer Director, MSW Student Services

School of Social Work Faculty

Governing Faculty

Beth Angell

Lindsay Bornheimer

Linda Chatters

M. Candace Christensen

David Córdova

Fernanda Cross

Ashely Cureton

Abigail Eiler

William Elliott III

James Ellis

Katrina Ellis

Lisa Fedina

Terri Friedline

Larry Gant

Karla Goldman

Odessa Gonzalez Benson

Andrew Grogan-Kaylor

Lorraine Gutiérrez

Greer Hamilton

Jaclynn Hawkins

Todd Herrenkohl

Barbara Hiltz

Joseph Himle

Justin Hodge

Jennifer Jester

Shanna Kattari

Erin Khang

Ashley Lacombe-Duncan

Shawna Lee

Lydia Li

Katie Lopez

Kathryn Maguire-Jack

Debra Mattison

Patrick Meehan

Jamie Mitchell

Robert Ortega

Sunggeun Park

Brian Perron

Rogério Meireles Pinto

Daicia Price

Camille Quinn

Leigh Rauk

Julie Ribaudo

Katie Richards-Schuster

Yatesha Robinson

Joseph Ryan

Sue Ann Savas

Katie Schultz

Kristin Seefeldt

Trina Shanks

Beth Sherman

Matthew Smith

Rebecca Sokol

Karen Staller

Robert Joseph Taylor

Richard Tolman

Lynn Videka

Daphne Watkins

Addie Weaver

Lisa Wexler

Xiaoling Xiang

Mieko Yoshihama

Bradley Zebrack

Anao Zhang

Roland Zullo

Field Faculty

Zaynab Boussi

Amy Burandt

Miriam Connolly

Christina Dadswell

Rachel Naasko

Rosalva Osorio-Cooksy

Stacy Peterson

Nitesh Singh

Aimée Vantine

Emertius

Paula Allen-Meares

Oscar Barbarin III

William Birdsall

Letha Chadiha

Barry Checkoway

Tom Croxton

Sandra Danziger

Ruth Dunkle

Kathleen Coulborn Faller

Sheila Feld

Phillip Fellin

Daniel Fischer

Rose Gibson

Martha Gizynski

Leslie Hollingsworth

Berit Ingersoll-Dayton

Srinika Jayaratne

Harold Johnson

Edith Kieffer

Sherrie Kossoudji

Laura Lein

Edith Lewis

Shirley Lockery

Susan McDonough

Sandra Momper

Thomas Powell

Beth Glover Reed

Lawrence Root

Mary Ruffolo

Daniel Saunders

Brett Seabury

Vivian Shapiro

Kristine Siefert

John Tropman

David Tucker

Diane Kaplan Vinokur

Elizabeth Voshel

Helen Weingarten

Lecturers

Daniel Alvarez

Gina Ambrogio

Richard Barinbaum

Alethia Battles

Anthany Beasley

Trevor Bechtel

Zahraa K. Boussi

Mercedes Monaee Brown

Daphne Brydon

Brooke Buys

Mary Byrnes

Adisa Chaney

Roxanne Chang

Marna Clowney-Robinson

Priscilla Cortez

Colleen Crane

Julie Cushman

Sean de Four

Bonnie Dockham

Kathleen Doyle

Linda Edwards-Brown

Kallie England

Beth Feldkamp

Rhonda R. Fields

Joseph Galura

Karyn Gendreau

Ayesha Ghazi Edwin

Terri Gilbert

Tammie Glenn

Irena Glover

Kathryn Greening

Elizabeth Gumbis

Jennifer Heckendorn

Grace Helms Kotre

Gregory Hoffman

Kathryn Irish

School of Social Work Faculty (cont.)

Vance Jackson Jr.

Camille Jones

Leonardo Kattari

Jax Kynn

Jamie LaLonde

Marlanna Landeros

Dana Levin

Phillip Thomas Luttrell

Douglas Manigault III

Kassandra L. Maple-Jackson

Erin Martinez-Gilliard

Aliyah Masudi

Nasreen Meah

Benjamin Moe

Darlene Nichols

Maureen Okasinski

Nichole Pangburn

Mari Jan Pitcher

Susan Radzilowski

Kristal Reyes

Osvaldo Rivera

Fatima Salman

Monica Sampson

Laura Sanders

Diana Seales

Andrea Smith

Megan Thiel

Relando Thompkins

Jennifer Towns

Abigail Usher

V. Paige Walker

Carmen E. Wargel

Stephen Wiland

Jewel Woods

Laura Yakas

Lacea Zavala

Candace Ziglor

Alumni Board of Governors

President

Sabrina Clark, ‘10

Vice President

Peggy Bodin, ‘98

Secretary

Sadé Richardson, ‘18

School of Social Work

Representatives

Beth Angell, Dean, Ex-officio

Halla Jomaa-Jouney, Executive Director of Development and Alumni Relations, Ex-Officio

Constance (Connie) Ackert, ‘83

Aroosa Ahmed, ‘18

Steven Applewhite, MSW ‘74 & PhD ‘77

James Bui, ‘01

Ann Easley, ‘80

Rafael (Ray) Engel, ‘79

Karen Fein, ‘85

Janice (Jan) Fisher, ‘75

Ashley Hails, ‘19

Yuri Hernandez Osorio, ‘17

Gregory Hoffman, ‘13

Harry Hunter, ‘77

Vance Jackson, ‘06

Elizabeth Kinney, ‘10

Alana Kivowitz, ‘16

Sarah Koreishi, ‘01

Madinah Luqmaan, ‘16

Janice Matthews, ‘77

Deborah Mitchell Covington, ‘88

Courtney Morrison, ‘20

Ricardo Perez, ‘75

Kathleen (Kathy) Pottick, MSW ‘74, PhD ‘82

Milton Rodriguez, ‘97

Shannon Saksewski, ‘01

Kelly Taylor, ‘95

Joanne Waszczak, ‘07

Kyra Weber, ‘16

Matthew Wollack, ‘12

Joanne Yaffe, MSW ’76 & PhD ‘88

U-M Board of Regents

Jordan B. Acker

Michael J. Behm

Mark J. Bernstein

Paul W. Brown

Sarah Hubbard

Denise Ilitch

Ron Weiser

Katherine E. White

Thank You

Today’s beautiful graduation ceremony looks wonderful and effortless. In truth, the Graduation Committee and many additional people devoted a great deal of talent, time and effort to make it a success. This ceremony would not be possible without the creativity, dedication and hard work of the students, faculty and staff listed below.

Graduation Planning Committee

Debra Mattison

Faculty Chair, Clinical Assistant Professor of Social Work

Reyna Choi

MSW Candidate

Grant Clement

Recruitment, Admissions, and Student Services Officer (ex officio)

James Ellis

Assistant Professor of Social Work

Beth Feldkamp

Assistant Director of Student Services (ex officio)

Michelle Gorton

OSS Office Manager (ex officio)

Veronika Misek

MSW Candidate

Chasity Morris

MSW Candidate

Rebeccah Sokol, Assistant Professor of Social Work

Aimée Vantine

Field Faculty and LEO Lecturer

Monica Velasco

MSW Candidate

Erin Zimmer

Director for Student Services (ex officio)

Platform Party

Beth Angell

Sabrina Clark

Tim Colenback

Joyce Dixson-Haskettt

William Elliott

Shawna Lee

Barb Hiltz

Erin Khang

Debra Mattison

Robert Ortega

Katie Richards-Schuster

Readers

Zaynab Boussi

William Elliott III

Justin Hodge

Hooders

Kelly Askew

Ruth Dunkle

Beth Glover-Reed

Debra Mattison

Mike McGovern

Daicia Price

Larry Root

Bradley Zebrack

Marshals

Abigail Eiler

Ashley Lacombe-Duncan

Yatesha Robinson

Sign Language Interpreters

Teryk Friar

Amanda Seeward

Commencement Reception