Alumnae/i and Development
With more regional events, invitations to conferences and events on our campus, and more on-line services, we’re working to build a stronger community among our 3,000 living alumnae/i. We welcome your ideas, feedback, and volunteer involvement.
We also invite your participation in the securing the School’s future, just as earlier generations of social workers have, through your own charitable support—every gift is an important vote of confidence, and is used to advance the education of today’s students.
2009 Alumnae/i Achievement Award Recipients
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 News in the Alumnae Bulletin
The Alumnae Bulletin, published by the Bryn Mawr College Alumnae Association, now includes a special two-page section for news from the Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research. Link to the online version.
May 2009
February 2009 - Annual Report
November 2008
May 2008
Class Notes
In her volunteer role, Victoria Robinson MSS '00, prepares Social Work Class Notes for every issue of the Bryn Mawr College Alumnae Bulletin. Send a Class Note to Victoria . For privacy reasons, Class Notes are not included in the on-line version, so watch for your paper copy in the mail.
Make a gift to the GSSWSR
Every gift counts! Scholarship support to prepare the next generation of social workers is made possible by donations from our alumnae/i. Click here to make a gift via our secure web site.
2008 Alumnae/i Achievement Award Winners
Contact a GSSWSR Friend or Colleague
Use the Alumnae Association’s on-line directory to contact a classmate.
Find Lost Alumnae/i
Are you missing? See if you or someone you know is listed among the “lost” alumnae/i, and email socialwork@brynmawr.edu if you know where someone is.
