ACOSA Award Winners
ACOSA is pleased to announce the following winners of the 2011 ACOSA Awards and
2009 and 2010 Marie Weil Outstanding Scholarship Awards.
2011 ACOSA Career Achievement Award
Dr. Lee H. Staples
School of Social Work, Boston University
Dr. Staples has worked over 38 years in many roles-as an organizer, supervisor, staff director, trainer, consultant, coach,
and educator. His work has included social change efforts related to welfare rights, public and private housing, youth
leadership development, family day care, mental health and consumer rights, labor (hospital workers), public health,
environmental justice, immigrant rights, international NGOs, neighborhood and statewide community organizing. He has
held leadership positions in a number of professional associations, has presented 30 papers at academic conference
and has engaged in extensive community organizing, training, and consulting with more than 100 groups across the
United States and internationally, including Bosnia, Croatia, Denmark, Israel, Netherlands, Puerto Rico and Morocco.
His major publications include 24 articles and book chapters as well as his 2004 book Roots to Power: A manual for
Grassroots Organizing (2nd Ed.) and his 2008 co-authored book Youth led Community organizing: Theory and Action.
2011 ACOSA Emerging Scholar Award
Dr. David Androff
School of Social Work, Arizona State University
Dr. Androff's dissertation research has been a springboard for his meritorious scholarship. He documented the
impact of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in the community of Greensboro, North Carolina. Dr.
Androff's dissertation research is groundbreaking and cutting-edge, in part, because he was the first scholar
to examine the use of TRC in the United States. It is also meritorious because he is the first social work
scholar to connect TRC research to the promotion of social justice and healing within a social work framework.
He has published 12 articles on this topic in his short three years as an assistant professor. Dr. Androff's
dissertation research has resulted in an emerging international reputation and opportunities to disseminate
his work across the globe. He has presented his work at conferences in Mexico, Hong Kong and Bangladesh.
In addition, ACOSA is pleased to announce that with the support of our publisher, Taylor and Francis, the 2009 and 2010
Marie Weil Outstanding Scholarship Awards were reinstated. This award recognizes outstanding scholarly
published work in the Journal of Community Practice for the year.
2009 Marie Weil Outstanding Scholarship Award
"One Small Revolution: Unionization, Community Practice, and Workload in Child Welfare"
Tara La Rose
School of Social Work, Ryerson University
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
2010 Marie Weil Outstanding Scholarship Award
"Family-Centered, Community-Based Asset Building: A Strategic Use of Individual Development Accounts"
Trina R. Williams Shanks
School of Social Work, University of Michigan
Center for Social Development, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Stephanie C. Boddie
Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion and Public Life, Washington, District of Columbia
Center for Social Development, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Solana Rice
PolicyLink, Oakland, California
