Alumni Events
Homecoming
The School hosts an annual homecoming celebration for alums to visit with classmates and colleagues, meet the faculty and staff, and learn about the school first hand from current students. The event is held at the School during homecoming weekend.
Evening of Excellence
On October 23, 2006 the LSU School of Social Work honored three outstanding individuals for their involvement in community efforts to enhance mental health at the annual Evening of Excellence. The event was held at the LSU Faculty Club.
April Naturale received the Education Appreciation Award which recognizes an individual’s commitment to providing quality social work education through support and dedication to the LSU School of Social Work. Ms. Naturale is a licensed clinical social worker, a Ph.D. candidate at New York University, and is the former statewide director for Project Liberty, the crisis counseling program which responded to the World Trade Center attacks.
April’s involvement in Louisiana began with a presentation on secondary trauma at a workshop for mental health professionals in December 2005. Since that time she has provided guidance and consulting to the Pennington Family Foundation and the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, and has been instrumental in organizing the Baton Rouge Area Foundation's Mental Health Initiative. In addition, she has traveled across the state assisting mental health workers in sorting through their varied experiences with the disasters and helping the state plan for future ones.
Stewart Gordon, M.D., received the Service Recognition Award which recognizes an individual’s involvement in community activities to enhance social programs and awareness. This person’s commitment best reflects the values and ethics of the social work profession. Dr. Gordon is an associate professor of clinical pediatrics for the LSU School of Medicine, New Orleans and is based at the LSU Health Sciences Center / Earl K. Long Medical Center in Baton Rouge. He has been a practicing pediatrician with the center since 1994 and has served as chief of pediatrics since 1998. He is also an adjunct associate professor at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center.
Dr. Gordon has worked extensively in areas of child advocacy, children’s public policy, early brain development, juvenile justice reform, prevention of child abuse and neglect, and prevention and treatment of childhood obesity. His most recent effort is to bring the Children’s Health Fund to the area through the Baton Rouge Children’s Health Project. The project will provide health care to medically underserved children and families, many of whom are Katrina evacuees. State-of-the-art mobile medical units will connect providers to children and families. In addition, the program will bring desperately needed mental health services to the children traumatized by this disaster.
Gina Rossi received the Distinguished Alumni Award, honoring an alum of the School for her outstanding commitment to and achievement in the profession of Social Work and its value and ethics; for her commitment to the community, and for her commitment particularly to LSU’s School of Social Work. Ms. Rossi is the director of the St. Ann outpatient program in the mental and behavioral health division of Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center. Ms. Rossi is a licensed clinical social worker and has her masters in health service administration. She is also a Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves and has served in Kuwait, Iraq, and Qatar.
The 2006 Social Work graduate assistants and scholarship winners were also recognized and honored at the event.
