The William T. Grant Foundation is proud to announce that two members of our Senior Program Team recently received distinguished awards, honoring their work and contributions to their fields. Edward Seidman, Ph.D., senior vice president of programs at the Foundation, is the 2009 recipient of the Seymour B. Sarason Award for Community Research and Action, and Rebecca Maynard, Ph.D., senior program associate, received the 2009 Peter H. Rossi Award for Contributions to the Theory or Practice of Program Evaluation.

The biennial Sarason award was established by the Society for Community Research and Action (SCRA) in 1993 to honor those following in the tradition of Seymour Sarason, a preeminent researcher in the field of educational and community psychology. Recipients are expected to exhibit innovation and critical thinking in the fields of human services, education, and psychology, and published a substantial amount. They should also have transformed their work into action-based research or practice. As this year’s honoree, Dr. Seidman will speak in August at the American Psychological Association’s 2010 Convention in San Diego, California.

The Rossi award, given by the Association for Public Policy and Management (APPAM), recognizes significant contributions to the theory or practice of program evaluation, while honoring the work of prominent sociologist Peter Rossi. Rossi produced groundbreaking work on American homelessness in the 1980s, as well as important research on the effectiveness of a number of social programs. Dr. Maynard was honored for the breadth of her work in program evaluation, including designing, conducting, and analyzing many randomized controlled trials and program demonstrations, in the areas of education, employment and training, and social welfare. She is currently the University Trustee Professor of Education and Social Policy at the University of Pennsylvania.