Andrea Bazan, MSW/MPH ’95, recently became the CEO of PUENTE Learning Center in Los Angeles, taking over the position from Sister Jennie Lechtenberg, who founded the organization 30 years ago. PUENTE serves the neighborhoods East of LA and houses a charter school, and provides after-school, job training and a variety of classes for everyone from ages 3-80+, mainly serving immigrants.
“I am still involved with the Obama Alumni network and in some efforts during the President’s last year in office,” said Bazan, who added, “I come to Durham regularly so I’m very ‘bicoastal!'” Bazan can be reached at andrea@puente.org.
Angela M. MacDonald, MSW/M.Div. ’10, relocated to Denver, Colorado a year ago. She is a behavioral health manger in the Community Health department of Centura Health, a 16-hospital system that is one of the largest employers in Colorado. Her primary charge is the system-wide rollout of Mental Health First Aid, a national 8-hour mental health curriculum through the National Council for Behavioral Health. MacDonald was recently interviewed by Colorado Public Radio about this effort.
“There are a wide variety of initiatives that are housed under Community Health. Delivering Mental Health First Aid is a new initiative that I have had the honor of personally developing,” said MacDonald, who was certified as a Mental Health First Aid instructor in June 2015.
Donald Strauss, MSW ’70, Ph.D., of Towson, Md., is the chief of psychotheraputic services at MPA, Inc. His practice for the past 45 years has been focused on intensive work with individuals with catastastropic deteriorative disorders such as MS and ALS, non-geriatric end-of-life issues and life-altering extensive burns. In addition, he has taught part-time in four universities. Strauss recently published three articles and a poem in the Journal of Supportive and Pallative Care. He writes on the genuine conduct of patient care.
