On October 25, 2022, the Austin chapter of the Anti-Defamation League honored Southwest’s Associate Professor of Leadership and Administration, Dr. Steven Tomlinson, and his husband, Eugene Sepulveda, with the 2022 Raymond and Audrey Maislin Humanitarian Award at its annual Golden Door Awards Dinner. The Raymond & Audrey Maislin Humanitarian Award is given to an individual, organization or family for working to foster greater harmony and cooperation in the community. Tomlinson and Sepulveda were recognized for their, “community involvement in Austin and their work fostering relationships that contribute to successful businesses, social impact, equitable infrastructure and sustainable communities.”
“Eugene and I have admired Ray and Audrey Maislin for decades and been inspired by their examples of courage and compassion, and we were humbled to to get an award named for them,” said Tomlinson. “We are thankful for the vital work the ADL does to promote respect and understanding in our communities, especially now. I was grateful that Cynthia and Frank Kittredge and so many colleagues from the seminary attended the event. Receiving this recognition in a gathering that included Southwest friends made the evening especially meaningful.”
The namesakes for the award, Raymond and Audrey Maislin, have been recognized many times for their philanthropy and support of communities that include both Austin and Houston, and themselves received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the ADL in 2012. The Maislin’s are largely credited for the ADL Austin being among the most vibrant chapters in the country of the nationwide organization. Previous awardees of the Maislin Humantiarian Award include Tommie and Lynn Meredith, who is a member of the Southwest Board of Trustees.
“All of us at Southwest are immensely proud of Eugene and Steven who were deservedly awarded the Raymond and Audrey Maislin Humanitarian Award at this year’s Anti-Defamation League dinner,” said the Very Rev. Cynthia Briggs Kittredge, Dean and President. “Their creative and brilliant partnership witnesses throughout the city and nation that love and justice overcomes prejudice and hate.”
At the event, Tomlinson and Sepulveda gave moving remarks in receipt of the award, with both urging those in attendance to embrace compassion as a tool to combat hate. Tomlinson’s remarks were recently published in Southwest’s weekly blog, Sowing Holy Questions.
