Two alumni honored with SSW Distinguished Alumni Awards
May 1, 2021
The Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes School of Social Work alumni whose achievements exemplify the values of the School of Social Work and who have made an exceptional impact on the profession, the community and/or Social Work education.
Learn more about the Distinguished Alumni Award »
2021 Recipients
Gary Anderson (MSW'76)
Gary Anderson graduated from the University of Michigan School of Social Work in 1976 and spent his career as an advocate for children and youth. To highlight just a few of his accomplishments, he has been the editor for the journal Child Welfare, Director of the Michigan State University of Social Work, and he has served on Michigan’s Governor’s Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect. For over a decade he has led the state-funded Child Welfare In-service Training Project, training thousands of child welfare workers and supervisors in Michigan.
Tony Salazar (MSW'75)
Tony Salazar earned his MSW from the School of Social Work in 1975 and has dedicated his career to rebuilding distressed urban communities. He has specialized in developing innovative projects - such as transit villages, earthquake recovery projects and the first LGBTQ senior development in the U.S. He was inducted into the affordable housing hall of fame, and is an adjunct professor at the USC Price School of Public Policy, where he teaches affordable housing and urban development.