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
Sue Ann Savas
Clinical Associate Professor of Social Work
Barbara Hiltz
Director of MSW Programs and Clinical
Associate Professor of Social Work
Erin Khang
Director of Field Education and Clinical
Assistant Professor of Social Work
Welcome and Introductions
Beth Angell
Dean and Professor of Social Work
Land Acknowledgment
Beth Angell
Dean and Professor of Social Work
Keynote Speaker
Lydia Crafts, LCSW
Maine State Representative
Student Speaker
Nicole Portmann Muñoz
MSW Degree Candidate
Tania Bermejo
MSW Degree Candidate
Presentation of PhD Graduates
William Elliott
Director of Doctoral Programs & Professor of Social Work
Hooders
Fatma Müge Göçek Professor of Sociology
Hooders
Kristin Seefeldt
Associate Professor of Social Work
Daicia R. Price Field Educator & LEO Lecturer
Matthew Smith
Robert M. Ortega, Associate Professor
Associate Dean of Research and Professor of Social Work
Readers
Presentation of MSW Graduates
Daniel J. Fischer
Readers
Assistant Dean of Field Education & Clinical Assistant Professor
Zaynab Boussi Field Faculty and LEO Lecturer
Justin Hodge
M. Antonio”Tony” Alvarez, LEO Lecturer II
Clinical Associate Professor of Social Work
Alumni Welcome
Hooders
Judy Levick, Alumni Board of Governors
Gina Ambriogio LEO Lecturer
Closing Remarks
Daicia Price
Flourish Director & Clinical Associate Professor of Social Work
Closing Remarks
Beth Angell
Dean and Professor of Social Work
Lynn Videka, Dean “Hail to the Victors” Led by Anna Ladd, Auriella “A.J.” Lewis, Laura Nord and Maryam Tout
Recessional
Recessional
Jordan Schug Quartet
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 PhD and 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 18,000+ 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 Professor of Social Work
About Our Keynote Speaker
Lydia Crafts, LCSW
Maine House of Representatives
Representative Lydia Crafts is in her third term in the Maine House of Representatives, where she serves as the chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Transportation. Crafts grew up in the small midcoast town of Belfast, where she learned that being from Maine meant needing to be a thoughtful problem solver, a strong collaborator and a champion for justice. She also learned the importance of hard work, dedication and commitment to community. These beliefs informed how she chose her profession as a clinical social worker, how she’s raising her children and her approach to public service. Crafts earned her bachelor’s degree from Smith College and her master’s in social work from the University of Maine. In addition to her work in the legislature, she is a clinical social worker with a private practice and works for a foundation supporting fishing families.
About Our Student Speaker
Nicole Portmann Muñoz MSW ‘26
Before coming to the School of Social Work, Muñoz (she/her) earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia, where she began her work in human services by leading the Latinx and Migrant Aid Program, supporting Spanish-speaking refugee communities in Charlottesville. During her time as a Master of Social Work student, she served on the behavioral health team at Hope Medical Clinic, a free medical and dental clinic providing integrated care to uninsured patients. While there, she developed a strong interest in medical social work and interdisciplinary, patient-centered care. After graduation, she plans to pursue a hospital-based social work position in Detroit. She is excited to continue growing as a social worker and to support individuals and families as they navigate complex health systems with dignity and care.
About Our Student Speaker
Tania Bermejo MSW ‘26
Tania Bermejo (she/her) is a proud immigrant from Mexico whose journey has been shaped by resilience, healing and a deep commitment to community. She earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology from U-M and is graduating with a Master of Social Work. She is also a member of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, one of the nation’s most selective academic honor societies.
With over 15 years of experience in healthcare, Bermejo has served the Grand Rapids community in roles ranging from community health worker to community program supervisor. She completed her clinical internship at Arbor Circle and will continue serving the community there as a psychotherapist, providing individual and group therapy to individuals experiencing mental health and substance use challenges.
Her work and passion is grounded in advancing equitable and culturally responsive mental health care, particularly for Spanishspeaking communities. Her future plan is to build her private practice, La Luna LLC, where she will integrate traditional clinical approaches with somatic and holistic practices to support healing, transformation and collective empowerment. La Luna is rooted in the belief that individual healing can lead to collective transformation — because even in darkness, there is always the possibility of light.
School of Social Work PhD Graduates
The School of Social Work offers two distinct PhD programs.
The Joint PhD in Social Work and Social Science is the only one of its kind in the United States and has a long and illustrious history of trailblazing and producing extraordinary scholars. It pairs education and training in social work with disciplinary training in anthropology, psychology, or sociology.
The PhD in Social Work and Social Welfare provides a transdisciplinary approach to identifying and studying societal problems, with the aim of proposing and developing solutions. The focus on societal interventions and solving problems is core to the new PhD in Social Work and Social Welfare at the University of Michigan.
The School is thrilled to welcome our two latest PhD graduates in the Joint PhD program!
Brittani Parham
Dissertation title: “Compounded Disadvantage: Exploring the Intersection of Race, Sex, and Child Welfare in Juvenile Justice”
Joint PhD in Social Work and Developmental Psychology
Charles E. Williams II
Dissertation title: “Healing Balm: Black Women, Black Churches, and Du Boisian Pathways to Health Equity”
Joint PhD in Social Work and Sociology
School of Social Work
MSW Graduates
Sebastián Abbate
Molly St. Clair Aber
Natalie Marie Allen-Riley
Opal Louise Pursley Andrews
Tessa May Ballard
Mariella Battley
Sophia Marchella Bazzett
Paige Beckley
Tania Bermejo
Kallie Bernas
Kayla Bertrand
Anna Elise Bingham Fowler
Jaymie Binik
Jacob Birecki
Jamilyn Elizabeth Blaine-Snyder
Kira Narisse Linda Borum
Samantha Brenz
Beatriz Brockey
Megan Bulova
Krista Cain
Caroline Campbell
Kristy Lynn Carmichael
Yuliana Castrejon
Erna Chiu
Samantha Cho
Rylee Clairday
Jamison Clark
Paige Marie Coldwell
Kelz Cousins
Celia Noelle Crompton
Jessica Elizabeth del Puerto
Julia DeMarco
Sarah Grace Densham
Asha Dimoji
Yiran Vivian Du
Destany Joy Dymond
Allison Economou
Bailey Kathleen Eddington
Ashleigh Egerton
Jason Engle
Amanda Engwis
Brianna Louise Evans
Shelby Everson
Natalie Fenwick
Alan Fields
Jessica Ailza Figueroa
Mylo Florencia
Bevan Forrest
Coreena Forstner
Megan Alisha Galvin
Sadie Gardner
Eleanor Garnett
Esli Gaytan
Andrea Gbotoe-Talbott
Shannon Eileen Gielow
Julie Gilbertsen
Madison Grace Gillespie Abbott
Laila Irma Gislason
Leo Goldblatt
Angela Gonyon
Julie Ann Gowda
Allan Greig
Zhinan Guo
Airiana Shardae’ Hamilton
Rebecca Ann Hamm-Martin
Heba Harajly
School of Social Work
MSW Graduates
Corrine Grace Hays
Qiqi He
Johnny Hepinstall
Lauren Hernandez
Ryan Hires
Caleb Hinton Hoereth
Brittani Hoffer
Yang Hu
Erin Shelby-Louise Jackson
Shengyi Jing
Lexy June
Gizem Kestly
Daisy Kielty
Samira Ahmed Kimo
Brianna Paige Klunder
Edward Komph
Robert Kraft
Joshua Scott Kreiter
Lauren Lachowski
Angela Marie Laginess
Jordyn Lash
Shelby Layne
Erin Moira Lemrow
Maggie Li
Yimin Li
Ashley Logan
Magdalena Lopez
Jordan Lummus
Jacob Lydick
Hind Makarem
Jane Isabelle Martin
Melanie Martinez
Eleanor Grace McConkey
Margaret McCoy
Genesis McWhorter
Shayla Melanson
Donald Allen Michael
Chloe Mitchell
McKenna Monette
Gabrielle Montroy
Claire Mooney
Gisell Mora
Haley Nicole Mozen
Abigail Murray
Alicia Marie Newberry
Kamlin Alana Nisch Quan
Avery Northrop
Rachael Orlando
Caroline Jean Paige
Leo Tobias Parikshak
KateLyn Perry
Samantha Peters
Nicole Portmann Muñoz
Renee Price
Russell Qin
Kayla Ann Ramos
Rebecca Rich
Jeanette Caroline Ringer
Allison Ringold
Nicole Francesca Roberts
Azalea L Roman
Illyana Runnels
Sarah Samosiuk
Rachel Schaefer
Randi Schafer
Isaiah Schuham-Anders
School of Social Work
MSW Graduates
Mia Grace Schuman
Claire Seelig
Cortney Ellen Sera
Apara Sharma
Sarya Shehadeh
Isabel Slesnick
Kyungeun Song
Jonathan Weiming Song
Jasmine Ayanna Stanton
Olivia Rose Sulisz
Bethanie Swier
Eve Natalie Szumlanski
Katherine Scott Taylor
Charles Taylor-Fulton
Samuel Tick-Raker
Isabelle Tsang
Ryan Veit
Lauren Verardi
Jaron Ilan Vesely
Benjamin Villareal
Carolyn Marie Ward
Delaney Joy Weedmark
Nicole Westphal
Hailey Wildenhaus
Sam Wolf
Danyu Xing
Shaoyou Xu
Peiting Yu
Jen Zamarron
Zhining Zhang
Ngun Zi
School of Social Work
Dual Degree MSW Graduates
Master of Social Work and Master of Public Policy
Shannon Eileen Gielow
Master of Social Work and Master of Public Health
Johnny Hepinstall
Master of Social Work and Master of Public Policy
Samira Ahmed Kimo
Master of Social Work and Master of Science in Information
Yimin Yi
Master of Social Work and Master of Arts in Educational Studies
Azalea L Roman
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, Doctoral Programs 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, Flourish 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
Odessa Gonzalez Benson
Lindsay Bornheimer
Linda Chatters
Candace Christensen
David Cordova
Fernanda Cross
Ashley Cureton
Katie Edwards
Ayesha Ghazi Edwin
Abigail Eiler
Willie Elliot
James Ellis
Katrina Ellis
Lisa Fedina
Terri Friedline
Joseph Gardella
Karla Goldman
Andy Grogan-Kaylor
Greer Hamilton
Jackie Hawkins
Todd Herrenkohl
Barb Hiltz
Justin Hodge
Jennie Jester
Shanna Kattari
Erin Khang
Ashley Lacombe-Duncan
Shawna Lee
Lydia Li
Katie Maguire-Jack
Tara Maudrie
Patrick Meehan
Jamie Mitchell
Robert Ortega
Sunggeun (Ethan) Park
Brian Perron
Rogério Pinto
Daicia Price
Camille Quinn
Leigh Rauk
Julie Ribaudo
Katie Richards-Schuster
Joe Ryan
Monica Sampson
Sue Ann Savas
Katie Schultz
Krisitin Seefeldt
Trina Shanks
Beth Sherman
Matt Smith
Rebeccah Sokol
Karen Staller
Connie Sung
Robert Taylor
Rich Tolman
Daphne Watkins
Addie Weaver
Lisa Wexler
Xiaoling Xiang
Nari Yoo
Mieko Yoshihama
Brad Zebrack
Field Faculty
Feyisetan Adunbi
Mona Berry
Zaynab Boussi
Amy Burandt
Miriam Connolly
Christina Dadswell
Rachel Naasko
Rosalva Osorio-Cooksy
Stacy Peterson
Nitesh Singh
Aimée Vantine
Emeritus
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
Larry Gant
Rose Gibson
Martha Gizynski
Lorraine Gutiérrez
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
Cilene Adam-Rita
Feyisetan Adunbi
Daniel Alvarez
Gina Ambrogio
Richard Barinbaum
Alethia Battles
Anthany Beasley
Trevor Bechtel
Mona Berry
Zahraa Boussi
Felicia Brabec
Amy Burandt
Brooke Buys
Mary Byrnes
Jessica Camp
Adisa Chaney
Marna Clowney-Robinson
Miriam Connolly
Rosalva Osorio Cooksy
Priscilla Cortez
Colleen Crane
Julie Cushman
Christina Dadswell
School of Social Work Faculty (cont.)
Bonnie Dockham
Kathleen Doyle
Linda Edwards-Brown
Kallie England
Elizabeth Evans
Antuan Featherstone
Beth Feldkamp
Sean de Four
David Fulkerson
Joseph Galura
Karyn Gendreau
Monique Giannetti
Terri Gilbert
Tammie Glenn
Irena Glover
Kathryn Greening
Elizabeth Gumbis
Jennifer Heckendorn
Gregory Hoffman
Kathryn Irish
Vance Jackson Jr
Jennifer Jester
Camille Jones
Grace Helms Kotre
Jax Kynn
Jamie LaLonde
Marlanna Landeros
Katherine (Kat) Layton
Eric Lock
Phillip Thomas Luttrell
Paula Madden
Douglas Manigault III
Kassandra Maple-Jackson
Erin Martinez-Gilliard
Aliyah Masudi
Nasreen Meah
Aimee Miller
Benjamin Moe
Rachel Naasko
Jennifer Nason
Maureen Okasinski
Ana Catalina Ormsby
Nichole Pangburn
Stacy Peterson
Mari Jan Pitcher
Susan Radzilowski
Kristal Reyes
Sadé Richardson
Osvaldo Rivera
Fatima Salman
Laura Sanders
Diana Seales
Nitesh Singh
Andrea Smith
Relando Thompkins
Jennifer Towns
Abigail Usher
Aimée Vantine
Paige Walker
Carmen Wargel
Lawrielle West
Stephen Wiland
Whitney Williams
Jewel Woods
Laura Yakas
Lacea Zavala
Candace Ziglor
Alumni Board
President Peggy Bodin, ‘98
Vice President
Sadé Mulkey, ‘18
Secretary
Joanne (Jo) Yaffe, MSW ’76, PhD ’88
School of Social Work Representatives
Beth Angell, Dean, Ex-officio
Halla Jomaa-Jouney, Executive
Director of Development and Alumni Relations, Ex-Officio
Sherra Bennett, ’17
Lindsay Bryan-Podvin, ’11
William (Bill) Cabin, ’04
Sabrina Clark ‘10
Gabrielle (Gabby) D’Angelo ‘11
Ann Baker Easley, ’80
Edward (Ed) Egnatios, ’75
Janice (Jan) Fisher, ’75
Ashley Hails, ’19
Yuri Hernández Osorio, ’17
Gregory (Greg) Hoffman, ’13
Harry Hunter, ’77
Elizabeth Kinney, ’10
Deborah (Debby) Mitchell
Covington, ’88
Meagan Mitchell, ’12
Orion Mowbray MSW ’10, PhD ’13
Kathleen (Kathy) Pottick, MSW ’74, PhD ’82
Milton Rodriguez, ’97
Kelly Taylor, ’95
Kyra Weber, ’16
Leah Wittenberg ‘22
Rebecca Wong ‘23
U-M Board of Regents
Jordan B. Acker
Michael J. Behm
Mark J. Bernstein
Paul W. Brown
Sarah Hubbard
Denise Ilitch
Carl J. Meyers
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 Committee
Patrick Meehan
Faculty Chair, Assistant Research Scientist and LEO Lecturer
Feyi Adunbi Field Faculty and LEO Lecturer
Amy Burandt Field Faculty and LEO Lecturer
Grant Clement, Recruitment, Admissions, and Student Services Officer (ex officio)
Beth Feldkamp Assistant Director of Student Services (ex officio)
Michelle Gorton, OSS Office Manager (ex officio)
Talia Ingham Field Faculty and LEO Lecturer
Halla Jomaa-Jouney Executive Director of Development and Alumni Relations
Holly Nelson
MSW Candidate
Emerson Palazzo
MSW Candidate
Renée Tambeau Director of Marketing & Communications
Aimée Vantine, Field Faculty and LEO Lecturer
Erin Zimmer, Director for Student Services (ex officio)
Platform Party
Beth Angell
Tim Colenback
Lydia Crafts
William Elliott
Barbara Hiltz
Erin Khang
Shawna Lee
Patrick Meehan
Robert Ortega
Matthew Smith
Charles Tommasulo
Readers
Zaynab Boussi
William Elliott
Justin Hodge
Hooders
Gina Ambrogio
Fatma Müge Göçek
Daicia Price
Kristin Seefeldt
Matthew Smith
Marshals
Sue Ann Savas
Barbara Hiltz
Erin Khang
Sign Language Interpreters
Sabrina Boykin
Teryk Friar
