People
Larry Gant
Director, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Program, Professor of Social Work, School of Social Work, and Professor of Art and Design, School of Art and Design
Larry M. Gant’s current work focuses on neighborhood-level change efforts in the Detroit and surrounding metropolitan areas. The co-operative work incorporates strategies and tactics inspired by collaborations with research colleagues sharing historical, social and political lessons learned from medieval postwar and postindustrial cities including Berlin, Glasgow, Amsterdam, Krakow, and Warsaw. Particular practice interests include the continued reinvention and recreation of legacy spaces within these cities, lessons learned from the EU's experience of mass migrations between 2015 to date, community resident survival and growth in resisting and transforming structured gentrification initiatives, and implications of continuing debate regarding current and future representations of conflict memorials, and their legacies and histories for Detroit’s historical landscape.
Gant’s neighborhood-based prevention and promotion related work and research has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and numerous private foundations.
Gant’s neighborhood-based prevention and promotion related work and research has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and numerous private foundations.
Contact Information
- Email: lmgant@umich.edu
Lauren Davis
Assistant Director of SSW DEI Program
Lauren Davis (she/hers), MSW ‘07 has been working with the School of Social Work since 2008. She is currently the Assistant Director of the School of Social Work’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, which is responsible for the implementation of the School's DE&I strategic plan. She also is a field instructor for MSW students in the DEI Office. She has worked in higher education for more than ten years in advising, academic support, admissions, recruitment, and helping students navigate wellness concerns. Her passion is for creating inclusive learning environments where students can thrive academically, personally and professionally.
Contact Information
- Email: laurdavi@umich.edu
Jasmin Aramburu
MSW Intern
Jasmin Aramburu (she/her/hers) is a Master in Social Work candidate with a practice method in Social Policy and Evaluation, and a practice area in Community and Social Systems. She received her bachelor's in social work from St. Olaf College. Jasmin is originally from Chicago where she previously served as a case manager at a community health center primarily helping Spanish-speaking patients navigating the healthcare system. Additionally, she worked as a Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) caseworker for the Illinois Department of Human Services where she mostly served African-American and undocumented women experiencing financial hardship. Throughout her experiences, Jasmin witnessed a need for an increase in culturally sensitive practices and organizational culture reform to improve social service delivery. She also witnessed a need for an increase of resources for Latinx and immigrant communities, particularly new arrivals. Jasmin hopes to develop leadership, program evaluation, and policy analysis skills during her time at Michigan to empower and strengthen marginalized communities, and to increase the pool of representation in higher education and other professional settings.
Contact Information
- Email: ajasmin@umich.edu
Emily Osan
MSW Intern
Emily Osan (she, her, hers) is an MSW candidate with a practice method in Management of Human Services and a practice area of Community and Social Systems and a minor in Social Policy and Evaluation. Emily has worked in a variety of settings at both ends of the spectrum in education and prevention as well as crisis intervention and advocacy services. Most recently, Emily managed client-facing services at a dual domestic violence/sexual assault community-based program. Emily is passionate about amplifying the voices and stories of individuals and groups that have been historically and structurally excluded while collaboratively working to dismantle oppressive systems.
Contact Information
- Email: eosan@umich.edu
Brianna Suggs
MSW Intern
Brianna Suggs (she/her pronouns), is a Master of Social Work student with a practice method in Community Organizing, practice area in Community and Social Systems, along with Social Policy and Evaluation minor. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Education with a degree in Community Engagement and Education from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in May 2019. Brianna has previously done research regarding the evaluation of youth caregivers in policies and programs, which has nurtured her research interests regarding marginalized youth, family, and institutional dynamics affecting their quality of life. Brianna is also interested in exploring ways the DEI office can help facilitate creating opportunities where all perspectives can be conveyed and supported.
Contact Information
- Email: suggs@umich.edu
