2013 Distinguished Alumni Award: Sarah Short Austin (BA '54, SAS '62)
Sarah Short Austin is a highly regarded urban affairs veteran and nationally recognized leader in public policy. Throughout her professional career she has held senior-level positions in the public and private sectors.
She served as corporate director for McDonnell Douglas Corp; was director of community relations for General Dynamics, Corp; was founding director of the Greater Cleveland Roundtable in Cleveland; and held the Albert Levin Chair of Urban Studies and Public Service at Cleveland State University. She also was the executive vice president of the National Urban Coalition in Washington, D.C. and has served in senior level positions at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services including three White House appointments to the National Institutes of Health Committees. Short Austin has the unique distinction of serving on the board of trustees of all of her alma maters, including 33 years at Case Western Reserve, where she is currently trustee emerita. She also is a founding trustee and former vice chair of the Morehouse School of Medicine. Her career and community involvement coupled with how she used her CWRU education, has brought distinction to the greater alumni community and the university.