Jack C. Westman, M.D., was a Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and president of Wisconsin Cares, Inc., an organization that promotes public policies to enhance the well-being of childrearing families. Dr. Westman received a B.S., M.D., and M.S. from the University of Michigan and was an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Michigan Medical School before joining the University of Wisconsin in 1965.
Nancy K. Westman received a B.A. from the University of Michigan and devoted her volunteer life to supporting the well-being of young persons and their families. She was co-chair of Project Understanding, a Mississippi-Wisconsin program that began in 1968; treasurer of Canyon Scholars, a Mexican-U.S. scholarship program for Tarahumara Indians that began in 1999; and treasurer of the Bethel Parish Shop.
The Westman’s endowment gift to the University of Michigan Medical School was inspired by their lifelong commitment to child advocacy, family well-being, children’s and parents’ rights, and public policy.
The annual Jack and Nancy Westman Lectureship was established to promote interest in the actual life circumstances of young people – the families, neighborhoods, and communities in which they live.