Distinguished Alumna of the Year Andrea Colunga Bussey, in foreground, with SWAN Board of Directors, from left, Liz Nowicki, Jennifer Luna-Idunate, Eric Metcalf, and Joan Asseff.
AUSTIN, Texas —Andrea Colunga Bussey, LCSW, is the recipient of the 2011 Charles I. Wright Distinguished Alumna of the Year Award from The University of Texas at Austin School of Social Work. The award was announced at the school’s annual spring alumni reception held April 21, at the Neill-Cochran House Museum. The reception was co-hosted by the School of Social Work and the Social Work Alumni Network (SWAN), the school’s alumni organization. The award was presented to Colunga Bussey by Dean Barbara White at the School of Social Work commencement ceremony May 21.
Andrea Colunga Bussey, BSW ’82 and MSSW ’93, is Division Director for the Office of Children Services, Travis County Health & Human Services and Veterans Service (TCHH&VS). Throughout her career, Colunga Bussey has been actively connected with the School of Social Work as an alumna, field instructor, and adjunct faculty specialist. She has also served on the school’s Professional Linkage Committee, and received the school’s Field Instructor of the Year Award in 2008. In 2007, she received the Social Worker of the Year Award from the Capital Area Branch of the Texas Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW/Texas).
The Charles I. Wright Distinguished Alumni Award, established in 1990, is named in recognition of its first recipient, Charles I. Wright, MSSW ’61. Wright served for many years as director of the Texas Baptist Children’s Home in Round Rock, Texas, and is a loyal and supportive alumnus of the School of Social Work. Each year, the SWAN Board of Directors selects one from among its many distinguished alumni nominated for recognition of his/her outstanding achievements.
SWAN offers programs and activities that strengthen and maintain communication between alumni and provides opportunities or professional development and career advancement. All graduates of the School of Social Work are considered members of SWAN. For more information about SWAN, contact Director of Alumni Relations Jennifer Luna-Iduñate (512) 475-8131 or jluna-idunate@mail.utexas.edu.