Adele Corvin

Community Activist/Civic Leader

San Francisco State University

Adele Corvin is widely recognized as a committed community member, gifted leader and passionate advocate. A native San Franciscan, Ms. Corvin has worked tirelessly to strengthen the fabric of the city she loves through her service to various civic, social service and cultural institutions.

Ms. Corvin's drive to ensure the well-being of society's most vulnerable led her in 1980 to found the San Francisco Adult Day Services Network. This collective of agencies has earned a sterling reputation for providing health care services to frail elders and adults with disabilities and for its collaborative advocacy efforts. Her groundbreaking work in this regard led to commendations from the National Adult Day Services Association and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Her concern for, and action on behalf of, the people of San Francisco is also evident in the leadership roles she has undertaken with the Bay Area chapters of the American Red Cross and United Way. As board chair of both organizations, she furthered the critically important mission of each entity. Ms. Corvin currently serves as president of the Morris Stulsaft Foundation, which is dedicated to providing opportunities to Bay Area youth. Ms. Corvin has also played a vital role in the Bay Area Jewish community. As president of the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma counties, Ms. Corvin served as the chief lay leader for one of the Bay Area's largest philanthropies. She led the agency as it fulfilled its vision of "building a vibrant, connected, and enduring Jewish community that is a force for good locally, in Israel, and around the world."

A selfless and generous volunteer, Ms. Corvin has left her mark on more than twenty not-for-profit organizations including the Goldman Institute on Aging, the Jewish Home and Senior Living Foundation, the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, Mount Zion Hospital and KQED. Ms. Corvin's tireless service and significant contributions have been commended by many organizations. Among the prestigious commendations she has received is the Judith M. Chapman Award, which is bestowed by the Jewish Community Federation on a woman who exemplifies significant and sustained volunteer leadership in the Jewish and civic communities, who serves as a role model for others, and values her identity as a giving and active member of the Jewish community.

In recognition of her outstanding service, the Board of Trustees of the California State University and San Francisco State University are proud to confer upon Adele Corvin the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.