Featured Alumni

Roy Earnest

Class of 1982

In late July, Roy Earnest (’82) received the Icon Award from KPIX for his work on the Kahuna Kupuna Benefit Surf Contest in Pacifica, California. Meaning “Big Chief, Wise Elder” in the Hawaiian language, this contest started in 2000 to create a more inclusive surf competition for older adults, addressing a gap he saw in the community. Over the next 25 years, Roy provided surfers aged 40 to 80 the opportunity to ride the waves on anything from surfboards to inflatable mats. But for Roy, this was more than just a surf contest; it was a way to give back to the community he loved and promote healthy aging—two causes he dedicated his education and career to.

A fellow Berkeley student, he entered the halls of Haviland because of its strong and focused programming for those interested in working with older adults, like himself. During his time here, he not only worked in the In-Home Support Services Unit in Marin County and at the San Francisco Senior Center, but also met his wife of 41 years, Nancy Littlefield (’81). Upon graduation, Roy would go on to work for Catholic Charities, manage a 110 HUD-subsidized unit apartment complex in the Mission for older adults, join the advisory council for the Foster Grandparent and Senior Companion Program, start a beach cleanup program that would turn into the Pacifica Beach Coalition, and serve as a program officer for the Northern California office of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), overseeing grants for AmeriCorps, VISTA and Senior Corps volunteer programs. He would also produce Surfing for Life (1990), a documentary about older surfers as an example of healthy aging. This production won Best Documentary and the Audience Award at the 1999 Hawai’i International Film Festival and catalyzed the Kahuna Kupuna Benefit Surf Contest.

These days, Roy dedicates his time to serving as Chair of the Pacifica Age-Friendly Community Initiative and staying active through volunteer work—because, as he jokes, “Social workers never retire; they keep going to meetings.” Reflecting on his journey and offering advice to current Haviland students, Roy emphasized that Haviland is just the beginning—education and growth continue throughout a lifetime, and he’s living proof of that:

They should be proud that they’ve chosen a great profession with a great history of helping people in a professional, thoughtful way…We learn ethics, how to treat people with respect, and give people the room to figure out what they want to do with their lives.

Thomas Weisbrich

Class of 2025

Last May, Thomas Weisbrich (‘25) graduated from Berkeley’s MSW program. Primarily working in behavioral health before his time at the university, Thomas completed his undergraduate education in Psychology at the University of San Francisco before transitioning to work at the Progress Foundation, which provides residential treatment to those experiencing mental health crises and homelessness. Here, he served as a counselor and case manager before being promoted to an assistant manager and later to a program manager. In program management, Thomas became enamored with policy and organizational management, the more macro aspects of social work, leading him to Berkeley.

Thomas loved his time in Haviland. While he appreciated the coursework the program offered, the true treasure was the cohort of radical students he learned from. They pushed Thomas’s critical consciousness, his ability to create imaginative solutions for overcoming client problems, and to never accept the status quo. Beyond the classroom, Thomas’s internships at CASAS and the San Francisco Human Service Agency’s Planning Team were pivotal to his career. His work at CASAS was particularly influential as it introduced him to the political, organizational, and financial landscape of aging services and prepared him for a summer internship and his post-graduation employment.

Following graduation, Thomas started working at Contra Costa County’s Area Agency as a Program Analyst, overseeing their Senior Nutrition Program, which provides congregate and home-delivered meals to older adults experiencing food insecurity. Here, he manages grants and contracts between the county and local community-based organizations, totaling $7 million in combined funding. Comparing it to his colleagues in direct practice, Thomas finds that while they have a caseload of clients, he has a caseload of organizations with which he partners closely to maximize their effect.

Reflecting on his time at Haviland, Thomas emphasized that students should take advantage of every opportunity that presents itself during their education. This includes getting to know students you usually don’t talk to or speaking with the guest lecturer you may never see again:

Now is your time to push yourself into new ideas, new places, new friendships, and expand your network… You never know what may lie behind a door you open, and right now you are surrounded by doors.

Cathy Spensley

Class of 2006

Cathy Spensley (’06) began her journey in social work as a caregiver for her mother. Diagnosed with dementia, Cathy moved her mother across the country, and then, soon after, to a nursing home. Over the three years her mother was there, what surprised her was how much she enjoyed going. She visited every day, not just her mother, but other residents in the nursing home as well. She quickly became ingrained in the facility’s culture, organizing outings for residents, and realized she had a passion for working with older adults. Already in the non-profit space, after a career in journalism, Cathy decided to attend Berkeley’s School of Social Welfare because it specialized in gerontology. Upon her admittance, she was instructed to obtain a volunteer position as evidence of “formal” social work, resulting in a job supporting the Older Adult Day Support Center at the Felton Institute—what would become her longtime employer.

Growing up in a Quaker school community, attending Berkeley felt like home. Cathy understood the importance of service, equity, and various social causes, and took pride in attending a place that understood that too. She had a love for the lush environment and engaging professors who promoted critical thinking skills. It was a setting of thoughtful education that extended to her placements, where she could partake in in-depth learning. Her first was the Institute of Aging, where she worked in the Adult Day Health Center as a case manager. Her second was at Adult Protective Services (APS) in San Francisco, where she worked in various areas and served as the site for her dissertation on self-neglect and recidivism in APS.

Following her graduation, a fan of the environment and non-profit work, Cathy continued her job at the Felton Institute (then the “Family Service Agency of San Francisco”), working with older adults with severe mental illnesses in the support center, before being promoted to Senior Division Director. In this role, she continued promoting the success of Felton, helping grow the organization through management and the development of new programming for older adults. However, her favorite part of the position is recruiting, screening, and hiring new staff and case managers. Our aging populations need to have empathetic, experienced, critical thinkers to rely on, and Cathy facilitates that connection.

Reminiscing on her time at Haviland, Cathy fondly remembers living vicariously through her peers in her gerontology cohort during practicum and thought-provoking classes that pushed her to consider opposing viewpoints. She also expressed the importance of being able to move with the times:

Things are going to change, and you’re not going to be in control. You have to go with the flow and be the problem-solver and innovator you are. You have to keep your sense of humor and everything else that keeps you going every day.