The California Social Welfare Archives hosted its annual awards luncheon on April 6 at the Galen Center to honor founding president and chief executive officer of the Skirball Cultural Center Uri D. Herscher, social work leader Suzanne Dworak-Peck MSW ’67 and longtime educator June Brown for their commitment to the advancement of social welfare.

USC School of Social Work dean Marilyn Flynn presented Herscher with the George D. Nickel Award for Outstanding Contributions to Social Welfare.

Herscher, who delivered the keynote address, spoke about his family, who inspired him to lead a life dedicated to social welfare.

After the keynote address, Jim Kelly, president of the National Association of Social Workers, presented the George D. Nickel Award for Outstanding Professional Services by a Social Worker to Dworak-Peck, past president of both the National Association of Social Workers and the association’s California chapter.

The Frances Lomas Feldman Excellence in Education Award, named after the professor who taught social welfare history, policy and administration at the USC School of Social Work for 36 years, was presented to Brown by Feldman’s daughter, Dona Munker.

Brown, an associate professor emerita at the USC School of Social Work, began her teaching career at the school in 1968 under a National Institute of Mental Health grant.

Jordan-Marsh Receives Distinguished Achievement Award

USC School of Social Work associate professor Maryalice Jordan-Marsh has received the 2011 Distinguished Achievement Award from the Nurses’ Alumni Association of the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

A nurse psychologist and scholar, Jordan-Marsh specializes in intergenerational gerontology, digital games for health and the digital age’s impact on older adults, specifically how consumers use technology to become participants in their own health care.

Jordan-Marsh also is an active collaborator on several grants, including Wellness Partners, a pilot project investigating the effectiveness of mobile games and online social networks in promoting physical activity and a healthier lifestyle.

She also was part of the USC team recognized in a ceremony at the White House for the development of “Trainer,” a video game that encourages children to exercise while learning about nutrition. The game captured the top two prizes in the Apps for Healthy Kids competition, started as part of first lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative.

Henke Named President of California Council on Gerontology

The California Council on Gerontology and Geriatrics announced that longtime board member and USC Davis School of Gerontology assistant dean Maria Henke will become its new president.

Founded in 1980, the council is a statewide nonprofit organization that integrates educational programs, work force development and public policy to promote the quality of life of California’s diverse aging population.

Henke brings more than 20 years of experience in higher education to her appointment, including service as program director of the Fall Prevention Center of Excellence.

USC Annenberg Grad Named Student Journalist of the Year

The National Association of Black Journalists chose Ashley Michelle Williams ’11, a broadcast and digital journalism graduate at the USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism, as one of the recipients of its Student Journalist of the Year Award.

Williams will be honored this summer at the association’s 36th annual Convention and Career Fair, the largest gathering of minority journalists in the country.

Williams has had internships at People magazine, NBC’s Dateline, Nightly News and Today. She served as president of USC Annenberg’s Black Student Association and has participated in the Meredith-Cronkite Fellowship Program at Arizona State University.

More stories about: Norris Foundation