2023 Alumni Awards Profiles

Lorie Hill ’68Lorie Hill ’68

Reunion: 55th
Residence: Walnut Creek, California 
Grinnell major: English
Other degrees: MA in English and teaching from the University of Wisconsin (1970); MA in psychology from Sonoma State University (1974); Ph.D. in psychology from Wright Institute (1980)
Profession: Psychologist, psychotherapist, and educator

3 ways Lorie embodies Grinnell College’s mission of lifetime learning and service

  1. Starting with a small women’s collective, Lorie built a group practice for people in the Bay Area struggling with mental health and substance abuse problems.
  2. For eight years, Lorie commuted to California men’s state prisons where she conducted mental health assessments and provided therapy for inmates with complex psychological issues.
  3. Lorie created a nonprofit organization in Oakland called Providing Alternatives to Violence that focused on anger management, violence prevention, diversity, and unlearning prejudice.  

Something you probably didn’t know about Lorie

Her 50th reunion gift to Grinnell College was designated to the Liberal Arts in Prison Program. 

Lorie Hill ’68 poses with a tennis trophy

Bonus Lorie Fun Facts

  • From 2009-2013, she served as director of clinical services at the Mental Health Center for John F. Kennedy University, supervising about 100 faculty and students. 
  • In 2000, she was a recipient of Grinnell College’s Joseph F. Wall ’41 Alumni Service Award and began violence prevention and diversity programs at five San Francisco area homeless shelters. 
  • She gave a presentation at the Harry Belafonte’s Meeting on Nonviolence, a keynote speech at the Unlearning Racism Ford Scholars Conference, and a diversity and violence prevention training in Russia. 

A quote about Lorie

“Lorie is a model of what I think a Grinnellian should be. She is smart, competent, caring and kind. She is innovative with a passion for social justice. She still has boundless energy in her mid-70s. While almost all her classmates retired years ago, Lorie continued to spend her time creating a more perfect world.”

Phil Bertenthal ’68

Read more 2023 Alumni Award Recipient profiles.