William James College to Honor Mental Health Advocates During 2017 Annual Gala

William James College, the largest graduate psychology college in New England and a leader in educating mental health professionals, will host its annual gala on March 30 from 6-9 p.m. at the State Room in Boston. The 2017 theme, “Bridging the Gap,” will illustrate the extensive need to equip mental health professionals to meet the challenges of our increasingly diverse society.

Emceed by WCVB Anchor Ben Simmoneau, the gala will include a speech by William James College President Nicholas Covino and recognize the following honorees for their contributions to the field of mental health:

• Marc Jacobs, MSW will receive the Mental Health Humanitarian Award.
• Charles River Community Health will receive the Community Service & Teaching Award
• Robert D. Hill, PsyD will receive the Florence H. Lerman Mintz Alumni Award.

“Every year, unmet mental health needs lead to expensive and heartbreaking consequences to our society,” said Covino. “I commend this year’s honorees for their relentless dedication to improving access to mental health care for those who need it.”

More information about the honorees is listed below:

Marc Jacobs joined Jewish Family Service of Metrowest (JFS) as the Chief Executive Officer in 1996. Under his leadership the JFS array of services has multiplied, constantly responding to changing community needs and working to Stand Up for Those Left Behind.

Prior to joining JFS, Marc built his career in organizations serving youth and families at risk. He is widely published in the areas of youth development, life skills education with adolescents, and foster parent training. He holds Master's Degrees from Boston University School of Social Work and Clark University. The current JFS Syrian Refugee Humanitarian Project is a large and diverse coalition creating new lives and possibilities, especially for young children, the innocent victims of that horrific war.

Charles River Community Health's (CRCH) mission is to improve the health and well-being of the communities of Allston, Brighton, Waltham and surrounding areas by providing quality, comprehensive, coordinated care that is patient-centered, family friendly, and community focused. We value caring for everyone with dignity, respect, and compassion, reducing cultural, financial and other barriers to care, and eliminating health care disparities for our patients. We serve more than 12,000 community members every year through our two health centers and two school sites; and serving mainly low-income, immigrant, minority populations who have tremendous barriers to care.

Bob Hill is the co-founder of Match Beyond, an innovative college program which helps young adults in the Boston area earn college degrees and advance their careers. Prior to Match Beyond, Bob was a teacher of U.S. History for fifteen years at Match Charter Public High School and at Attleboro High School and became Match's first full-time college coach in 2012. Bob is a graduate of the doctoral program in Leadership Psychology at William James College. He also holds advanced degrees from Simmons College and Providence College in teaching and education administration respectively. The learning and insights that came from Mr. Hill's work as a college coach underlie the design of Match Beyond. Currently, Mr. Hill supports Match Beyond students on their path to college degrees and quality employment.

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