Dual-degree alum receives service award
Long before she was leading organizations and helping shape conversations around equity and inclusion, Dorothy “Dottie” Reese (SW ’79, PHTM ’80) was a Tulane student soaking in every lesson she could.
“I was like a sponge,” Reese once said of her time at Tulane. “I was just taking in everything that I could from every direction. I enjoyed the relationships with my instructors, the field placement experiences, and the camaraderie of my classmates.” That curiosity — paired with a deep commitment to helping others — would become the foundation of a career defined by mentorship, leadership and service.
This spring, Tulane recognized Reese’s decades of impact by honoring her with the 2026 Scott Cowen Service Award at the 52nd Annual Tulane Alumni Awards Gala. The award celebrates alumni whose exceptional volunteerism and service strengthen the university and its community. For Reese, the recognition reflects more than 40 years of mentoring Tulane students and alumni while championing service across New Orleans and beyond.
I was like a sponge. I was just taking in everything that I could from every direction. I enjoyed the relationships with my instructors, the field placement experiences, and the camaraderie of my classmates.
Dorothy "Dottie" Reese, MPH, LCSW-BACS, CCDP
Reese is a licensed social worker who received a dual master’s degree in social work and public health from Tulane, then built a career that has crossed industries and institutions. She began in hospital social work, helping build social work departments and patient-centered programs designed to improve patient care and advocate for underserved populations.
After graduating from Tulane, Reese became director of social services at New Orleans General Hospital, where she helped build a social work department from the ground up. She went on to lead and strengthen the social work department at Pendleton Memorial Methodist Hospital in New Orleans, overseeing senior, volunteer and auxiliary, and Vietnamese Community Services, and establishing an Office of Diversity Initiatives – which she later scaled across the newly branded UHS Methodist Hospital System. “Understanding people’s backgrounds, neighborhoods and resources matters,” Reese said. “You can’t expect every patient to have the same access or experience. Cultural competency is essential to care.”
That philosophy would shape the next chapter of her career.
In 2006, Reese co-founded her own consulting business, DMM & Associates, LLC, a performance management consulting firm that has worked with organizations across the region, including the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, healthcare systems, law firms, federal agencies, and state governmental agencies seeking training in equity and inclusion. During her career, Reese has taught executives, judges and healthcare professionals and has served on the faculty at Tulane School of Social Work and Cornell University.
“I’m proud that my education at Tulane prepared me to continually grow and evolve,” Reese said. “My degree gave me options, and I have pursued those options, going from a small hospital environment to taking on responsibilities in multiple departments in a hospital to having a successful consulting business.”
With a résumé filled with leadership roles and accolades, Reese is well known for showing up for others. Over four decades, she has mentored countless Tulane students and alumni, helping them navigate careers in healthcare, social work and public service.
That spirit of giving back has earned Reese a long list of honors, including the 1914 Distinguished Alumni Award for Community Service from Tulane School of Social Work in 2024, selection as the 67th president of the Allstate Sugar Bowl Committee in 2025, St. Charles Ave Magazine Community Activist of the Year, Weiss Award for leadership and humanitarian service, Role Model of the Year from the YWCA, distinguished service and leadership recognition from the Urban League of Greater New Orleans and recognition as a New Orleans Magazine Outstanding Woman Leader to name a few.
Reese traces her commitment to service back to Tulane School of Social Work, where she learned that real impact comes through supporting others.
“We really are at our best when we lift others,” she said. “Service matters. When you show up with compassion and consistency, you can change lives.”
For Reese, service has never been about recognition. It has been about creating pathways, building stronger communities and ensuring others have the support they need to succeed. The Scott Cowen Service Award shines a light on a lifetime spent doing exactly that.
