The "Wise Elder" Changemaker Award
The "Wise Elder” Changemaker Award celebrates the life work and current accomplishments of exceptional San Diegans who are 65 years or older. The UCSD Life Course Scholars program welcomes nominations of individuals who have had a significant impact on people, land, communities, and movements for justice, equity, sustainability, health, healing, and inclusion across our region. Their change-making work may be through the arts, advocacy, activism, organizing, cultivation, care and repair, bridge-building, paradigm-shifting, community healing, wisdom-sharing, and (re)connection with cultural traditions and the living world around us.
The Second Annual
Wise Elder Changemaker Awardees
have been selected!
Congratulations to:
Patrice Baker
Jeri Dilno
Deforrest (DeDe) Hancock
Stanley Rodriguez
and a shared award goes to dynamic duo, Paul Watson & Bill Oswald
The Second Annual
Wise Elder Changemaker Awardees
have been selected!
Congratulations to:
Patrice Baker
Jeri Dilno
Deforrest (DeDe) Hancock
Stanley Rodriguez
and a shared award goes to dynamic duo, Paul Watson & Bill Oswald
With deep thanks to the
Stein Institute's Center for Healthy Aging and
Wakeland Housing and Development Corporation
for their generous support of this award.
Stein Institute's Center for Healthy Aging and
Wakeland Housing and Development Corporation
for their generous support of this award.
Find the event recording with the speakers and read more about each awardee below!
2023 Wise Elder Changemaker honoree Panel Recording
View the recording transcript | |
File Size: | 66 kb |
File Type: | vtt |
The 2023 Inaugural "Wise Elder" Changemaker Awardees
Patrice BAker
"You start by engaging people from the heart. People can tell when you are genuine and when |
“Everything [Patrice] does is motivated by love and respect for her community. Combining a fierce commitment to equity with gentle wisdom and dancing eyes, Patrice has been advocating and fighting for her community for decades - for equal access to education, to clean air and water, to healthy food, to quality health care, to affordable housing, to green jobs, and most recently to climate adaptation. She is an authentic warrior for social justice, and has taught me more than perhaps anyone I have ever met about how to make change.”
~ Nominator, Fonna Forman Read more about Patrice's work in Groundwork San Diego
Pass the Mic: Community Voices for Change in Chollas Creek |
Jeri Dilno
"Jeri is revered and recognized by many in our community and has spent time with many young people sharing her story of the fight for LGBT rights.
At 86 years old, she is still an activist and talks the talk to all that will listen. If ever there was a more appropriate moniker, Jeri Dilno is a Wise Elder Changemaker!" ~ Nominator, Shelly Lorenze Read more about Jeri Dilno's contributions to SD Pride here!
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"Her journey of bravely and resiliently struggling with her sexuality, fighting for herself and the LGBT rights leaves tremendous value for generations to come, and illuminates her tenacious and conscientious dedication
to build today’s world of love, peace, and equity." ~ Student, Hong Nguyen |
Deforrest (DeDe) Hancock
“She raises awareness on subtopics like race, gender,
and myths of homelessness in a way that promotes discussion and change in her community. Last year she presented with our Director of Leadership & Advocacy Mehrsa Imani at the SD city council on what our HEAL Network does and debunking those myths of the causes of homelessness such as homeless individuals all use drugs, violent, criminals, bad choices leading them to homeless, choosing not to find employment which is all untrue and Dede is one of those individuals that debunks all these myths. She uses her story to raise awareness on all these topics.” ~ Nominator, Jaylene Sanchez |
“DeDe had the idea to drill down into permanent supportive housing and demonstrated tremendous care and empathy when conducting interviews with seniors who had or were experiencing homelessness.”
~ Nominator, Stacey Livingstone Read DeDe's story of how she became homeless here:
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Stanley "Stan" Rodriguez
"Dr. Stanley Rodriguez is a leader in the Indigenous language and culture revitalization movement. He tirelessly gives his time and talent to educate Native and non-Native people about the language, culture and history of the Kumeyaay, the original people of San Diego County and northern Baja California. He serves as director and professor at Kumeyaay Community College, where he uses a pedagogy of experiential place-based learning to engage students. He advises the State of California on issues related to Indigenous cultural heritage. Dr. Stan is a human treasure and a very wise elder changemaker."
~ Nominator, Dr. Nan Renner |
See how Stan keeps cultural traditions alive through service:
State, local leaders gather for Community Climate Action Day |
The Dynamic Duo: Paul Watson and Bill oswald
"Paul and Bill are a longstanding working pair, a dynamic duo. They describe themselves as two brothers ("from another mother"); they are two peas in a pod, one more in the grassroots the other navigating tree tops, for decades making each other whole in their diverse tireless campaigns for the public good. They are Executive Director and Associate Executive Director of the Global Action Research Center (Global ARC) and together they have partnered with the university in many ways to foster health, opportunity, justice, and participatory planning. They are wise men, community organizers, strategic thinkers, powerful facilitators, and deep connectors. They have been doing important work in City Heights and Southeast San Diego for two decades now. I nominate the pair of them for this award, but as a team."
~ Nominator, Keith Pezzoli
~ Nominator, Keith Pezzoli
Check out their work at The Global Action Research Center!