alumni

Dean's Alumni Advisory Board

Appointed for renewable terms and comprising Berkeley Social Welfare and Cal alumni, the Dean's Alumni Advisory Board provides expert guidance and advice to the Dean & the Leadership Team on school climate issues, alumni engagement & programmatic direction.

Interested in learning more about the Dean's Alumni Advisory Board or volunteering your time? Please email lia.swindle@berkeley.edu.

Beclee Wilson MSW'90

Beclee Wilson is a longtime supporter of the School of Social Welfare, having committed one of the largest planned gifts in the school’s history to promote social justice in the school and at UC Berkeley. Both Beclee and her husband John Wilson have fought for social and racial justice throughout their long careers and deep involvement at UC Berkeley.

Beclee has long been involved in social justice issues regarding women’s rights. She served eleven years as a National Vice President for Church Women United, was a member of a special women’s delegation to Eastern Europe, was sent to...

Mary-Ann Hamamura-Clark, BASW'68 - DAAB Co-Chair

Mary Ann received her BA from UC Berkeley’s School of Social Welfare, Class of 1968. This time in history was pivotal in the formation of her career going forward. It instilled a desire to serve the public and provided inspiration for positive change. Those values which made such an indelible impression in 1968, hold true today. UC Berkeley continues to play a critical role in shaping awareness of social issues and elevating debate on matters of class mobility and human rights.

Mary Ann is committed to raising awareness of the School of Social Welfare as the nation’s premier...

Dr. Venetta Campbell, BASW'78, MSW'80 - DAAB Co-Chair

Dr. Venetta Campbell is an interdisciplinary educator, executive and leader.

She holds a PsyD in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University, and double degrees from U.C. Berkeley (BS,MSW). Her academic and professional experiences in social work and psychology provide a rich foundation for management, system analysis, program development, and policy formulation practice.

Dr. Campbell was the former Associate Director, Department of Social Work, University of California San Francisco Medical Center. In that executive capacity, she oversaw administrative, clinical, and...

Louis Labat, MSW'72

Louis Labat is a graduate of the UCB School of Social Welfare class of 1972. He was part of Mary O'Day's 2nd Gerontology focused program. Louis has worked in various positions as a result of his graduate experience, including setting up the first Gerontology program at the University of Nevada Las Vegas' Schoof of Social Services; Program Developer for the Senior Coordinating Council of Palo Alto; and Program Financial Specialist with the Alameda County Area Agency on Aging. He has been retired since 2003 and lives in Emeryville, Calif.

Louis joined the Alumni Board in order to...

Dr. John Wilson

John Wilson is a longtime supporter of the School of Social Welfare, having committed to one of the largest planned gifts in the school’s history to promote social justice in the school and at UC Berkeley. Both John and his wife Beclee Wilson have fought for social and racial justice throughout their long careers and deep involvement at UC Berkeley.

John earned a PhD in Economics at the University of Michigan and then joined the Yale University faculty where he established the Urban Economics Institute as well as the Urban Fellows Program. He became an early participant in the War...

John Wu, BASW'21 ATG MSW'23

John graduated with his BASW in 2021, and he is currently an MSW candidate with a concentration in Strengthening Organization and Community at the School of Social Welfare at UC Berkeley. Before coming to UC Berkeley, John served four years in the United States Marine Corps and eventually assumed a leadership role as Field Artillery Section Chief. During that time, he learned how to become an effective leader and advocate for the welfare of his Marines, and that is also when he developed the vision and career goal to continue serving his fellow veterans after his military service.

...

Kenya Sullivan, MSW'06

Coming soon ...

Cynthia Hecker, MSW'05

Cynthia Hecker became a social worker as her fourth career, after working as an attorney for Great Society community legal services programs in the 1970’s, as a mother in her adoptive family with Peter Hecker and two daughters, and as a nearly full-time school volunteer, with roles ranging from school management support at the small private Windrush School, to classroom support at Berkeley Unified School District’s King Middle and Berkeley High schools.

Her formal education consisted of public school in Collingswood, NJ (a small town near Philadelphia, PA), Wellesley College,...

Christine Yap, BASW'87

Coming soon ...