GSEAA Honors Alumni Dr. Sharon Rose Powell and Dr. Randall O. Westbrook

The Distinguished Service Award is given by the GSEAA once every two years to alumni who have rendered outstanding service to education and/or to the Rutgers Graduate School of Education. The presentation of this Award highlights a commitment to education and the values of the Rutgers GSE. This year, the GSEAA recognizes Dr. Sharon Rose Powell and Dr. Randall O. Westbrook for their distinguished careers and dedication.
   
 Dr. Sharon Rose Powell received her Ed.D. in Counseling Psychology from the GSE in 1983 and since then has been very active and visible in the community. She is founder of the Center for Supportive Schools, is currently a licensed psychologist for adolescents, couples and families. Her career-long areas of focus have been student leadership development and school reform. An educator and consultant in leadership training, she has developed numerous peer leadership models including the Peer Group Connection program. She is a frequent presenter on professional development initiatives, leadership training, and the developmental issues of adolescents during critical transitions in their lives. Dr. Powell was featured in an earlier edition Rutgers Magazine.
   
   Dr. Randall O. Westbrook, who earned his GSE degree in Philosophy of Education, is currently a lecturer in the School of Education at Fairleigh Dickinson University and was recently a guest editor and contributor to The Journal of Negro Education. In addition, he authored “Elusive Quest: Reflecting on Bell and Brown” for the Harvard Law School Journal on Racial and Ethnic Justice. His career-long area of focus has been his advocacy work on racial and social justice and equity in education. A prolific and talented writer, author, speaker and scholar, Dr. Westbrook’s work was featured in the 2019 GSE Alumni Spotlight.