The University of Texas at Austin School of Social Work announces a transformative $3.5 million gift from Revolution Recovery (formerly known as Austin Recovery) to establish the Lori Holleran Steiker Endowed Faculty Chair in Substance Use and Recovery. This endowed chair will provide permanent support for excellence in research, teaching and programming focused on substance use, recovery and well-being.
In addition to establishing the chair, the gift provides essential seed funding to develop a recovery high school and long-term family support programs — initiatives that UT Social Work will lead in collaboration with partners across the University and throughout the community.
The new chair is named in memory of Lori Holleran Steiker, Ph.D., a distinguished faculty member, beloved colleague, and nationally recognized leader in the recovery field. Her pioneering work, deep compassion and tireless advocacy profoundly shaped adolescent recovery efforts on campus and across the nation.
“Lori Holleran Steiker personified excellence, and her legacy is rightfully recognized with this new chair,” said Allan Cole, dean of UT Social Work. “She was the teacher that teachers aspire to be, the researcher that researchers aspire to be, and the authentic and courageous individual we all aspire to be. Her leadership in research, education and advocacy related to substance use disorders will continue to impact innumerable lives.”
Mary M. Velasquez, Ph.D., will serve as the inaugural holder of the Lori Holleran Steiker Chair. Dr. Velasquez currently serves as the Centennial Professor in Leadership for Community, Professional and Corporate Excellence and as the director of the Health Behavior Research and Training Institute, a nationally renowned center specializing in the development and dissemination of health behavior interventions.
A behavioral scientist with more than 20 years of continuous funding from the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Velasquez has conducted groundbreaking research on integrated primary care, screening and brief intervention, fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, alcohol and drug misuse, prenatal health, HIV prevention, and smoking cessation.
“It is an understatement to say how honored I am to be the inaugural holder of a chair named in memory of my wonderful friend and colleague, Dr. Holleran Steiker,” said Velasquez. “The work she led — and the work we continue to advance today — around substance use, recovery and behavioral health is among the most important that social workers undertake. I am eager to help expand our school’s impact through this new opportunity.”
Dean Cole added, “No one is more appropriate for serving as the inaugural holder of this chair than Dr. Velasquez. A consummate researcher, wise teacher, and exemplary leader, she embodies the commitment to healing and human flourishing that Lori championed throughout her life.”
“We are so pleased to be able to make this gift to UT Social Work,” said Seth Winick, Revolution Recovery board chair. “Our board can think of no better partner to lead the way for the recovery high school and its integrated youth and family support programs. This investment ensures Lori’s groundbreaking adolescent recovery work continues. It strengthens recovery research and benefits the next generation of practitioners.”
Dr. Holleran Steiker served UT Social Work for 24 years as the Steve Hicks Professor of Addiction, Recovery and Substance Abuse Services and as associate director of education and training at the Addiction Research Institute. She also held appointments in the Dell Medical School Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the School of Undergraduate Studies, where she served as director of instruction, engagement and wellness. She passed away on Sept. 22, 2024, after living for several years with metastatic cancer.
“I had the privilege of being one of Lori’s mentors early in her career and chairing her promotion committees,” Dr. Velasquez said. “Watching her soar as a scholar and leader was one of the great joys of my professional life. She touched so many with her brilliance, generosity, and heart. Being named to a Chair that bears her name is an honor that carries deep personal meaning for me.”
Looking ahead, Dean Cole emphasized the profound impact this gift will have on young people and families across Texas.
“We envision creating an innovative model for adolescent recovery — one integrating education, health care and recovery support for teens and their families,” he said. “This will provide life-saving access to recovery education and holistic care across our state. At the same time, it will prepare generations of compassionate educators, clinicians, researchers and social workers who will continue to change lives through meaningful and transformative work.”