Humboldt State Associate Professor Ken Nakamura, director of the master's of social work program, was honored on April 29 as the UC Berkeley School of Social Welfare Alumni of the Year.
Nakamura helped to develop the HSU master's program, focusing on the severe shortage of social workers in rural and Native American communities on the North Coast. Over the past 15 years, he established strong partnerships between the department and the community through his teaching, field instruction, and coordination of the field program.
He is also active on numerous boards and commissions in Humboldt County, particularly with efforts to increase ethnic and cultural awareness for the health and well-being of local families.