Marilyn Flynn, dean of the USC School of Social Work, presented the inaugural Dean’s Service Awards at the school’s Board of Councilors annual meeting, which was held in Los Angeles from Oct. 11 to 13.

The awards recognize those who have provided extraordinary acts of service in support of the school. This year’s honorees were:

Nancy Berglass, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, whose goal is to shape and elevate the national security debate through innovative, fact-based research, ideas and analysis, and director of the Iraq Afghanistan Deployment Impact Fund, a grant program that has distributed nearly $250 million to and strengthened the capacities of scores of nonprofit organizations serving the unmet needs of the men, women and families impacted by military deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Berglass has helped the School of Social Work build relationships with like-minded philanthropic organizations, such as the Newman’s Own Foundation and California Community Foundation, which have supported the efforts of the USC Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans and Military Families (CIR). The center, which is housed at the School of Social Work, promotes the health and well-being of service members, veterans and military families through research, education and outreach that encourages successful transitions to civilian life.

Berglass has spent more than 25 years working to address the needs of families, children, low-income communities, troops and veterans, women and other underserved populations through a variety of leadership positions in the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors. She has been a leader in the development of the field of philanthropy that addresses the domestic impact of foreign wars. Berglass has also served as the chief architect of other notable philanthropic initiatives, including the NAMES Project Foundation/AIDS Memorial Quilt.

“Nancy Berglass has been a true champion of CIR over the past four years,” said Anthony Hassan, CIR’s director. “She has been directly and indirectly responsible for more than $3 million of gift and grant funding for our center, which has been invaluable to our success and growth. It is my sincere honor to have her as a friend and colleague.”

Deloitte Consulting LLP, a consulting firm that offers business advice on research, analytics, strategy and operations.

Deloitte has provided pro bono work to help CIR design, administer and analyze the Los Angeles Veterans Survey, which will poll 3,000 active service members and veterans; 1,000 spouses and partners; and 500 service providers to help identify opportunities for program development, public policy and community collaboration. In conjunction with the Los Angeles Veterans Collaborative, a CIR-administered group of community stakeholders from organizations serving veterans and military families, the center will use the data to help build effective community networks and promising preventive strategies combating transitional challenges such as post-traumatic stress, the effects of traumatic brain injury and homelessness.

Deloitte’s participation in this project adds not only essential manpower to this effort, but it also elevates the integrity and credibility of the findings and final report in the eyes of service providers, policymakers and other stakeholders in the military veteran community.

Earlier this year, the consulting firm also chose the Veterans Collaborative as the Los Angeles recipient of its volunteer work for Deloitte’s 14th Annual IMPACT Day, which reflects the company’s commitment to community outreach. The goals of the Collaborative are to strategically improve access to services, identify and reduce barriers to care, and influence policy to improve the lives of veterans and their families living in the greater Los Angeles area.

“Deloitte’s pro bono support has provided additional resources to the CIR research team, allowing us to expand our L.A. veterans needs survey from a small study of 500 to a very large study with more than 3,000 respondents,” Hassan said. “This generous gift will undoubtedly lead to a greater understanding of the needs and opportunities for our veterans and their families.”

Mark Spratt, MSW/MPA ’03, a member of the school’s Board of Councilors and an advocate for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

Spratt’s path as a social worker has been a nontraditional one. While he was a Master of Social Work student, Spratt interned at the Department of Mental Health Center on Crisis and Disaster Relief, where he learned first-hand how the United States responds to national disasters, including the events on Sept. 11, 2001. Spratt found the systems in place lacking in terms of technological advancement, so he elicited the support of fellow USC students to streamline the deployment of mental health counselors during a man-made or natural disaster. Spratt is now a senior manager in Deloitte Consulting’s Human Capital practice, where he supports Fortune 100 companies with their global business transformations and process improvements.

He is also a member of the USC Alumni Association’s Board of Governors and sits on the board of directors of the USC Lambda LGBT Alumni Association. Spratt established a scholarship for USC MSW students called the Matthew Holland Scholarship in Social Work, in honor of his partner, for those who have demonstrated a commitment to LGBT issues through academic work, community involvement or other personal contributions.

“Mark is a tireless advocate for the school both within the university and in his business activities, and is always looking for opportunities to use his network for the advancement of the school and the education of our students,” Dean Flynn said.