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 WorkAbout 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 ‘24Lady 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 ‘24Jessica 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