DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD
T
he Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes School of Social Work alumni whose achievements exemplify the values of the School of Social Work and who have made an exceptional impact on the profession, the community and/or social work education. The 2019 recipients: DANIEL ROBIN (MSW ’10) LEADER, ALTERNATIVE WORKFORCE STRATEGY FOR WORLDWIDE OPERATIONS, AMAZON, SEATTLE After receiving his MSW, Robin was introduced to disability employment issues as employment director at Judson Center, a foster care and adoption agency in Ann Arbor. He then designed a career in which he matched the needs of for-profit enterprises to nonprofits that served those with disabilities. Robin now develops disability employment opportunities at Amazon.
YOLANDA C. PADILLA (PhD ’93) CLARA POPE WILLOUGHBY CENTENNIAL PROFESSOR IN CHILD WELFARE AT THE STEVE HICKS SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK, UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN; DIRECTOR, COUNCIL ON SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION (CSWE) CENTER FOR DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL & ECONOMIC JUSTICE The daughter of Mexican immigrants, Padilla grew up in Brownsville, Texas on the U.S.-Mexico border. At the University of Michigan she pursued a joint PhD in Social Work and Sociology. In her subsequent, 25-year tenure at UT Austin, Padilla’s research investigates racial and ethnic disparities in health and well-being, particularly among Latino populations, including factors associated with socioeconomic disadvantage and the consequences of poverty for children and families.
32 · University of Michigan School of Social Work
WILLIAM CABIN (MSW ’04) ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF SOCIAL WORK AT THE COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH, TEMPLE UNIVERSITY, PHILADELPHIA William Cabin spent 25 years dedicated to the operations and management of home care and hospice agencies. He entered SSW at the age of 59 as a nontraditional student. Cabin earned his PhD and a master’s in public health from the City University of New York. Currently he is a full-time assistant professor at the College of Public Health at Temple University. Cabin’s research focuses on home health care and hospice care. He is a member of the Dean’s Advisory Board at the School of Social Work.
