Women’s History Month Special
Speakers
- Milly Alvarez, LCSW, Retired Director of Towne House CLC
- A tribute to Cecile Weaver, MSW, Towne House CLC
- Tamara Hunter, Executive Director of Putnam Clubhouse
About the Speakers
Milly Alvarez
Milly Alvarez, LCSW, was the Program Director of Towne House Creative Living Center in Oakland under Cecile Weaver and then became Director in 1987 until she retired in 2010. Towne House Creative Living Center, which is now called Towne House Wellness Center, was a program of Bay Area Community Services (BACS) that acted as a day clubhouse program for adults with mental illness and a supportive community for people who came for socialization and finding meaningful work. She obtained her Master’s of Social Welfare at UC Berkeley in 1979. Milly Alvarez gave a special tribute to Cecile Weaver and discussed the values and philosophy of Towne House for all who were trained there and their roles in inspiring so many in their mental health careers.
Cecile Weaver
Cecile Weaver (1918-2020) earned a Master’s of Social Welfare at UC Berkeley in 1968, worked in adoptions, founded the Children’s Center in Berkeley, and led Parent Effectiveness training groups. In 1972, she began working one day a week, which developed into 15 years at Towne House CLC. Later, at BACS, she developed similar programs throughout Alameda County. An important part of the Towne House program was the Transitional Employment Program that NAMI CC Executive Director Gigi Crowder greatly expanded when she worked there in the 1990s.
Tamara Hunter
Tamara Hunter is the Executive Director and founding member of the Contra Costa Putnam Clubhouse, a program that offers adults recovering from mental illness respect, hope, and unlimited opportunities to access the same worlds of friendship, housing, education, healthcare, and employment as the rest of society.
Tamara chose to change her profession and work in the field of mental health at the age of 40 when her nephew, diagnosed with bipolar disorder, ended his life at the age of 21. Her experience includes working as a case manager and mental health advocate in the behavioral health court system and with the department of corrections. Eventually, that led to founding the Clubhouse Model programs, one of the most effective treatment programs in assisting people living with serious mental illness in their recovery. She also serves as a faculty member of Clubhouse International, an international organization that helps start, grow, and accredit Clubhouses all over the world.