College of Public Health alumni Jose Benitez and Joanne M. Stanton were inducted into the 2018 Gallery of Success during Homecoming weekend. The gallery, located in the lower level of Mitten Hall, honors alumni who have used their experience at Temple to make an impact in their field.

In a separate ceremony on Oct. 16, alumna Tina Sloan Green was inducted into the League for Entrepreneurial Women Hall of Fame, which recognizes recognizes alumnae who have demonstrated entrepreneurial spirit and made outstanding achievements as innovators, entrepreneurs and leaders.

Benitez is the executive director of Prevention Point Philadelphia and a member of the Mayor’s Task Force to Combat Opioid Use. Before joining Prevention Point, Benitez served as the director of the HIV Social Services Department at the North Philadelphia Health System, the HIV program coordinator for Hahnemann University Hospital and various social services roles at Action AIDS Inc. He was a founding board member for the Gay and Lesbian Latino AIDS Education Initiative in Philadelphia. 

With more than 15 years of experience as a senior medical and scientific communications writer, Stanton focuses on children's environmental health issues. She co-authored Behind Closed Doors: Uncovering the Practices Harming Our Children’s Health and What We Can Do About It, a book that aims to relate the experiences of Stanton and other parents regarding various child health-related topics, share resources for parents, and educate readers on ways they readers can impact public policy.

Laura A. Siminoff, dean of the College of Public Health and Laura H. Carnell Professor of Public Health, introduced the honorees.

“These alumni approach public health from very different angles, but they share a common dedication to action and advocacy on behalf of vulnerable populations,” said Siminoff.

A pioneer for inclusion in athletics

After becoming the first African-American appointed to the U.S. national women’s lacrosse team in 1969, Sloan Green received a master’s degree from Temple University in 1970. From 1973 to 1992, she served as head coach of the Temple women’s lacrosse team, making her the first African-American head coach in the history of women’s intercollegiate lacrosse. She also co-founded the Black Women in Sport Foundation. After retirement, she was granted professor emerita status in the College of Education.  

“Much of Mrs. Sloan Green’s career has centered on the inclusion of women of color in sports, and this speaks to some of the core concerns of public health,” said Dean Siminoff at the induction ceremony. “Women of color are significantly underrepresented in university sports, as well as in leadership and administrative roles in all levels of sport.”