People

Barbara Ransby, director of the Social Justice Initiative, was named to the board of directors of the Woods Fund Chicago.

Barbara Ransby, director of the Social Justice Initiative and professor of African American studies, gender and women’s studies, and history, was named to the board of directors of the Woods Fund Chicago. The independent grant-making foundation benefits Chicago area nonprofits that promote social, economic and racial justice through the support of community organizing and public policy advocacy.

Siim Sööt, professor emeritus of geography and former researcher in the Urban Transportation Center, was appointed by Washington Gov. Jay Inslee to serve on a panel to oversee a proposed $18 billion expansion of the Seattle transit system.

Jesus Ramirez-Valles, professor and director of community health sciences in the School of Public Health, will spend a month in residence at the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center working on his book Queer Aging: Stories of the Gayest Male Generation. This is his second residency at the Bellagio Center, where he worked on his book Companeros: Latino Activists in the Face of AIDS (University of Illinois Press, 2011).

Roberta Feldman, professor emerita of architecture, curated the exhibition “House of Cards: Rebuilding” with the National Public Housing Museum. The exhibition features photos and videos of Chicagoans struggling with eviction, foreclosure and homelessness, and the organizations that assist them.

Carrie Sandahl, associate professor of disability and human development, and her 7-year-old daughter Audrey participated in the Fashion Forward Mixed-Ability Fashion Show Gala to benefit Tellin’ Tales Theatre. Ten mother-daughter pairs modeled creations by local fashion designers for the May 2 event