Periodically, CEHSP honors its exceptional alumni with the Distinguished Alumni Award. This recognition is reserved for those who have made significant contributions to their fields. The 2025 awardees are: Lynn Brave Heart and Angela Maier.

“We are thrilled to honor Lynn and Angie this year, two extraordinary alumni who have had different life and career paths, but are united by their dedication to making a difference in the lives of others," said Jill Pinkney Pastrana, CEHSP Dean. “We look forward to having them return to UMD in April so we can celebrate them and their many accomplishments." 

The Distinguished Alumni will be on campus in early April for a reception with CEHSP faculty, staff and students. They'll also engage in activities within their respective departments.

Lynn Brave Heart 

Lynn Brave Heart received a Master of Social Work from UMD in 2022. She was an Indian Child Welfare Act Scholar. A proud member of the Oglala Lakota Nation, Brave Heart leads the State of Minnesota Guardian ad Litem Program’s Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) Division.

"Lynn's tireless work to preserve American Indian families and culture not only makes UMD social work proud, but should make the state proud,” said Nomi Ostrander, acting head of the Department of Social Work. “Starting with the assumption that families will be reunited and supported represented a tectonic shift for American Indian child welfare. We are so happy to recognize Lynn's efforts as one of our Distinguished Alumni."

With her team, Brave Heart helped build the ICWA Division from the ground up. She is a champion of change to continually improve and enforce child welfare best practices for American Indian children. The division has worked with closely with UMD's Tribal Training and Certification Partnership to develop innovative trainings, policy guidance, and other essential tools to ensure every effort is made to preserve children’s ties to their cultures and communities. 

In addition, Brave Heart collaborates with statewide leaders as a representative for the Indian Child Welfare Advisory Council. The ICWA Division she leads contributed to the passage of key amendments to the Minnesota Indian Family Preservation Act.

Brave Heart has fond memories from her time at UMD, characterizing it as “one of the most magical times of my life.” She forged lasting friendships in the MSW program and found the support to grow. “Ever since I have been connected to UMD I’ve always had some sort of resource or opportunity. I have so much gratitude for that," she said.

Angela Maier

Angela Maier received a Master of Arts in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) from UMD in 2004. She is a licensed speech-language pathologist with more than two decades of experience in inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation settings in Arizona, Colorado and Minnesota. 

Maier currently serves as co-executive director of programs and operations of Minnesota Connect Aphasia Now (MnCAN), a nonprofit organization that offers support and community to people living with aphasia (a language impairment caused by a stroke/brain injury or progressive disease). Along with her executive leadership role, she continues to facilitate an aphasia conversation group as she’s passionate about inspiring people with aphasia to meet their life participation goals for functional communication to allow them to engage in life.

"After 20 years in the field, Angie made a brave decision to leave the familiar behind and use her experience and expertise in the nonprofit arena," said CSD Associate Professor Sharyl Samargia-Grivette. "Under her insightful leadership, MnCAN programs have grown by 38 percent with seven new groups added in the past three years. Angie has demonstrated a steadfast dedication to individuals with aphasia and their families by minimizing isolation, building confidence and renewing hope."

When Maier started at UMD, the program was new. She entered with a class of 14 peers and credits the faculty, class sizes and cohort with making it an exceptional experience that laid the academic foundation for her to practice as a speech-language pathologist and eventually an executive director. Experiences in the program also solidified her approach as a patient-centered clinician. 

“The small class sizes were perfect. I connected with my cohort. We did everything together—classes, projects, social things outside of class,” she said. “I actually saw one of my grad colleagues last week. We maintain a strong connection. I made lifelong connections in the program.”