| |
David S. Liederman
1935 - 2001
For more information, contact
Joyce Johnson
Phone: 804/492-4519
Cell: 703/980-7641
E-mail: jjohnson@cwla.org
January 12, 2001, New York --
David S. Liederman, past Executive director of the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA), died as the result of pancreatic cancer at his home in New York City on January 12, 2001. He was 65 years old. A public memorial service was held in New York on January 14 and another is scheduled in Washington, DC on March 7, hosted by CWLA in conjunction with its 2001 national conference. (Click here for details.)
David joined CWLA in 1984 and served 15 years, resigning in July, 1999 to become the president and CEO of the Council on Accreditation (COA). Under David's leadership, CWLA's membership grew to more than 1,000 voluntary and public agencies throughout the U.S., whose combined staffs of over 200,000 assist more than 3 million troubled children and their families. A tireless advocate for vulnerable children and families, David logged thousands of miles yearly traveling the world to speak out on their behalf.
David was a co-founder and national vice chairman of Generations United, representing more than 100 national groups, which was established to promote cooperation among generations.
David began his professional career in the early 1960s as a youth worker in public housing projects in the Boston area, where he worked with disadvantaged youths and their families. He served two terms in the Massachusetts House of Representatives and in 1972, was selected as one of 50 Outstanding Legislators in the United States by the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University. In 1973, soon after being elected to a third term, he resigned his seat to become the first commissioner of the Massachusetts State Office for Children. In 1975, David was named Chief of Staff to Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis and served in that capacity for four years. David was Executive Director for Public Affairs for the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of New York from 1979 to 1984.
During his decades of service, David has received national recognition from both governmental and academic bodies for his work as a leading advocate of improved services and legislation for children and their families. In 1997, he received the National Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Social Workers. He was also honored with Distinguished Alumni Awards from both the University of Pittsburgh and Springfield College.
David earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, his Master of Education at Springfield College and his Master of Social Work at the University of Pittsburgh.
He is survived by his wife, Terry Gioia, three children from his first marriage: Wendy, Larry, and Keith, two brothers, and three grandchildren.
David's death comes as a terrible shock to everyone who worked with him at CWLA over the years, and we send our deepest sympathies to the Liederman family. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to CWLA, COA, or any children's services organization in David's name.
 Back to Top  Printer-friendly Page  Contact Us
|
|
