Washington University’s Brown School will honor two distinguished alumni and a distinguished faculty member during its annual alumni awards celebration on Tuesday, April 6 at 6 pm at Steinberg Auditorium on Washington University’s Danforth Campus. A complimentary reception will follow at Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum on Forsyth Blvd. The event is free, but registration is required via this form.

The 2010 alumni award recipients are J. Peter Roberto, MSW ’88 and Reena Hajat Carroll, MSW ’05. Associate Professor Jack Kirkland will receive the 2010 Distinguished Faculty Award.

About the award winners

As director of public health and social services for Guam, Peter Roberto’s work lies at the intersection of public health and social work. He has launched programs, including efforts in smoking cessation, to improve the lives of Guam’s residents. Prior to this role, he has served as director of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, also in Guam.

Reena Hajat Carroll is executive director of the Diversity Awareness Partnership. Reena has inspired dialogue and understanding about diversity in schools, workplaces, and communities throughout the St. Louis region. In September she was recognized by the St. Louis Business Journal as one of 25 inclusive leaders. She also teaches a course on human diversity and social justice at the Brown School. Reena’s contributions to the community extend beyond the Partnership, and include membership on the boards of the Living Insights Center,  Children’s Hospital Community Advisory Board, Young Non-Profit Professionals Network Advisory Board, and Sumner Highschools Career Advisory Committee.
  

Jack Kirkland is a nationally known scholar who lectures, consults, and writes on the African-American family. His work is aimed at strengthening and revitalizing distressed and depressed communities. A popular teacher, he brings issues of community work, group relations, social development, urban planning into the classroom. His classes - "The Revitalization of Depressed Communities" and "The City: The New Frontier" - are extremely popular with students at Brown and throughout the University. His goal: to arm students with practical knowledge so they can have an impact on communities, whether it is through having a seat in government, in private enterprises, in business or through community agencies. To that end, Kirkland has developed practicum opportunities in East St. Louis and is working on similar opportunities with other municipalities.