Natalie Wossene is senior director, Azure product marketing at Microsoft. Previously she was director of sales and marketing at Intel Corporation in Seattle. Natalie earned a B.A. in political science from Haverford in 2008, an M.A. in urban education from the University of Pennsylvania in 2010, and an M.B.A. from Cornell's S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management in 2014. As an undergraduate at Haverford, Natalie served as co-chair of the Customs Week Committee, Students' Council co-vice president, on the Senior Class Gift Committee, and on the Search Committee for the vice president of institutional advancement. Natalie received the Student Council Student Life Award and served as a student representative to the Board of Managers. Her volunteerism and commitment to Haverford did not stop at graduation. As an alum, she is a former member of both the Alumni Association Executive Committee and the Young Alumni Advisory Group, having served as president on both committees. She has been a member of the Multicultural Alumni Action Group, a giving day advocate, an admission volunteer, a reunion volunteer, and she has participated in the Center for Career and Professional Advising’s “Fords on Friday” alumni speaker program. Natalie became a member of the Haverford Corporation in 2021. Natalie and her husband Elijah Moyo have three children: Mambo, Waleed, and Murphy. The family resides in Seattle, WA.
Alumni Association Awards
Nominations are accepted on a rolling basis for all alumni and friends of the College. Traditionally, alumni have been nominated within a reunion year, though this is not a requirment. However, it is particularly meaningful to receive an award while celebrating with classmates during Alumni Weekend. To learn more about Alumni Weekend, visit hav.to/alumniweekend.
Award Committee
- Bruce Andrews '90
- Will Gould '91
- Jake Ogata Bernstein '19
- Kaley Klanica '00
- Paul Minnice '09
- Shashi Neerukonda '08
- Petra Riviere '96
Enjoy the 2023 Alumni Awards Ceremony
2023 Honorees
Natalie Wossene '08
Kannerstein Award
Akira Iriye '57 P'86
Distinguished Achievement Award
Akira Iriye is a historian of American diplomatic history, especially United States-East Asian relations, and international issues. Born in Tokyo, Japan, he came to the United States in 1953 to attend college. He received his B.A. in history from Haverford in 1957 and his Ph.D. from Harvard in 1961. Akira began his career as a lecturer in history at Harvard, then taught at the University of California at Santa Cruz, the University of Rochester, and the University of Chicago before being appointed as a professor of history at Harvard University in 1989, where he became Charles Warren Professor of American History in 1991, retiring in 2005. Since then, he has been a guest professor at Waseda University, Ritsumeikan University, and the University of Illinois. Akira is the author of a number of important works on the interaction between Asia and the United States and has been a consistent proponent of raising global community consciousness. He is the only Japanese citizen ever to serve as president of the American Historical Association, and has also served as president for the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations. Akira and his wife Mitsuko reside in Gwynedd, PA, and one of their two daughters, Masumi, is a member of the Haverford Class of 1986.
Kari Nadeau '88
Distinguished Achievement Award
Dr. Kari Nadeau is the chair of the department of Environmental Health at Harvard School of Public Health and John Rock professor of Climate and Population Studies. She practices Allergy, Asthma, Immunology in children and adults. She has published over 400 papers, many in the field of climate change and health. Kari, with a team of individuals and patients and families, has been able to help major progress and impact in the clinical fields of immunology, infection, asthma and allergy. Kari is a member of the National Academy of Medicine, and the U.S. EPA Children’s Health Protection Committee. For more than 30 years, she has devoted herself to understanding how environmental and genetic factors affect the risk of developing allergies and asthma, especially wildfire-induced air pollution. Her laboratory has been studying air pollution and wildfire effects on children and adults, including wildland firefighters. She oversees a team working on air pollution and wildfire research along with a multidisciplinary group of community leaders, firefighters, engineers, scientists, lawyers, and policy makers. Kari was appointed as a member of the U.S. Federal Wildfire Commission in 2022, and works with other organizations and institutes across the world, including the WHO. She also launched four biotech companies and founded the Climate Change and Health Equity Task Force. She started the Sustainability Health Seed Grant initiative, the Climate Change and Health Fellowship program, and developed climate change and health courses at Stanford. Kari earned her B.S. from Haverford, and her M.D./Ph.D. from Harvard Medical School, followed by a pediatric internship and residency at Boston Children’s Hospital. She moved to California for residency and fellowship in the Stanford-UCSF Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology Program, joining the medical school faculty as an instructor, followed by promotions to assistant professor, associate professor, and professor.
Kiame Mahaniah '93
Haverford Award
In April 2023, Kiame Mahaniah was appointed Undersecretary for Health for the Healey/Driscoll administration, serving in the Executive Office of Health and Human Services of Massachusetts. Until his appointment, Kiame’s career had been spent in community health centers, focused on the pursuit of social justice and equity for the most disenfranchised in our community. Most recently, he served as CEO of the Lynn Community Health Center in Lynn, MA. Kiame is a practicing physician and holds a teaching appointment at Tufts University School of Medicine. Born to a Congolese father and an American mother, Kiame spent his childhood in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and his adolescence in Geneva, Switzerland, before attending Haverford College. Upon graduation as an independent major in political economy of the third world, he attended Jefferson Medical College and completed his family medicine residency at the University of Pittsburgh. While at Haverford, he was active on the track team and in club soccer and served on the Student and Honor Code council. His work-study job, and likely his favorite all-around activity as an undergraduate, was working in the bindery, in the basement of the Magill Library, under the gentle tutelage of Bruce Bumbarger. Kiame is married to Katrin Schneck, and enjoys living vicariously through his adult children, Laura and Kieto. Kiame remains forever grateful to Haverford College for having been his introduction to American life, for granting him a near complete scholarship, and for opening his inner life to the world of Quaker thought and spirituality.
Rebecca Fisher '18
Young Alumni Award
Rebecca Fisher is a co-founder and tour guide at Beyond the Bell tours in Philadelphia with another Haverford alum, Joey Leroux '18. Their cornerstone tours are the Badass Women's History Tour and the LGBTQ History /Gayborhood Tour. She majored in Italian with a concentration in Peace, Justice ,and Human Rights, graduating in 2018. Rebecca wrote her thesis about inclusive tourism and has presented her research internationally. She's passionate about the intersection of tourism and social justice. As an alum, and a Tuttle creative resident, Rebecca led the new “People’s History” tour of campus and co-designed a complementary Library exhibit with librarians called “In Perpetuity.” Both cover topics such as Quaker’s historical relations with the Lenape people, boycotts held by the Black Students League in the 1970s, and how BIPOC community members have contributed to Haverford. Rebecca resides in Philadelphia, PA.
2022 Honorees
-
Jonathan Evans '77 P'18 - Kannerstein Award
Jonathan Evans '77 P'18
Kannerstein Award
Jonathan Evans '77 P'18 has spent a rich and varied career centered around international development, emergency relief, peace work, community-building, and more recently, farm management. After earning a B.A. in history from Haverford in 1977, and an M.A. in international relations from Johns Hopkins University, employment with Africare sent Jon to Burkina Faso. His subsequent work with Catholic Relief Services included posts in Jerusalem/West Bank/Gaza and in Indonesia. Jon has also enjoyed short-term U.S.-based and international assignments with the American Friends Service Committee, Friends Committee on National Legislation, U.S. Department of State, and World Bank. Jon’s affiliation with the Haverford Corporation began in the late 70s, with a few breaks during his years overseas. From 2008-2018, he served as president/clerk of the Corporation. While serving on the Board of Managers and the Corporation, Jon was a member of the Lives That Speak steering and planning committees, played a leadership role in establishing the Douglas and Dorothy Steere Professorship in Quaker Studies, and co-chaired the 14th Presidential Search Committee. In addition to having served on more working groups and committees at Haverford than one can really imagine–though Jon has a list, in case you are interested–Jon is fairly certain that during his tenure on the Haverford Board from 2007-2020, he never missed a board meeting. Even if that is not accurate, his wife, Melissa, is sure that it is. Jonathan and Melissa reside in Gradyville, PA. They have three children, including Jeremy ‘18.
Photo: Melissa Graf-Evans
-
Samuel Angell '82 - Haverford Award
Samuel Angell '82
Haverford Award
Samuel Angell '82 has devoted the bulk of his legal career to defending clients on death row. For over 22 years, he has been an assistant federal defender in the Capital Habeas Unit of the Federal Community Defender Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Sam has represented more than two dozen clients on death row. He has had considerable success as a member of his unit’s legal teams. Six of his clients won completely new trials, four of whom have been released from prison. Eight other clients have had their death sentences vacated and are no longer on death row. For a challenging and heartbreaking month in 2014, he was temporarily assigned to the Arizona Federal Defender to work on a legal team representing Joseph Wood who was ultimately put to death in a botched execution. Sam graduated from Haverford in 1982, with a B.A. in music. Upon graduation, he was assistant director of Admissions at Haverford, under Bill Ambler from 1982 to 1985. He went on to receive a J.D., magna cum laude, from Cornell in 1988, where he was an editor of the Law Review. As an undergraduate, Sam was a member of the Bi-Co Chamber Singers and Honor Council. As an alum, Sam has served as a reunion planning and giving volunteer for the past 30 years, as well as an extern sponsor for the Center for Career and Professional Advising. He has been a member of the College’s Corporation since 1985. Sam and his wife Jeanne raised three sons in Havertown, PA.
Photo: Jeanne Angell
-
Dr. Harold D. Weaver '56 P'03 - Distinguished Achievement Award
Dr. Harold D. Weaver '56 P'03
Distinguished Achievement Award
Dr. Harold D. Weaver '56 P'03 is an associate at Harvard’s Hutchins Center for African and African American Research and Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies. Raised on Black college campuses in Georgia and Delaware, Hal later moved to Pennsylvania to attend Westtown School and Haverford College, where he graduated with a B.A. in sociology and political science in 1956. He was elected class president, vice president, and Student Council member, and participated in varsity track and field, basketball, and football, in which he was an NCAA nationally-ranked punter. Beginning in Communist Moscow with the official 1959 USA-USSR young-adult exchange, Hal has sought to build bridges between conflicting cultures and nations. He received a doctorate from UMass Amherst for his dissertation, “Soviet Training and Research Programs for Africa,” and is currently reworking the groundbreaking manuscript into a book, Decolonization and the Cold War: African Student Elites in Moscow in Early 1960s. A pioneer in Africana studies, he founded and chaired the Africana Studies Department at Rutgers, where he began a 50-year journey to return Paul Robeson (and later, Bayard Rustin) to his proper place in history. A member of Wellesley (MA) Friends Meeting, Hal also works to break down barriers within the Religious Society of Friends with his ministry, the BlackQuaker Project, through publications, governance, film festivals, and advocacy for Truth and Justice. Publications include Black Fire (2011), edited with Paul Kriese and Stephen Angell, and the 2020 Pendle Hill pamphlet, Race, Systemic Violence, and Retrospective Justice: An African American Quaker Scholar-Activist Challenges Traditional Narratives. Governance roles include the Quaker United Nations Office, AFSC, Pendle Hill, Friends General Conference, FWCC, and the Haverford College Corporation. Hal resides in Newton, MA, and Oaxaca, Mexico, with his partner, Anne Steere Nash, who grew up on the Haverford campus. Hal’s son, Sundiata, graduated Class of 2003.
Photo: John Meyer (Pendle Hill)
-
Loren Ghiglione '63 - Distinguished Achievement Award
Loren Ghiglione '63
Distinguished Achievement Award
Loren Ghiglione '63, a veteran of a half century in journalism and journalism education, is professor emeritus at Northwestern University. Before directing journalism programs at Northwestern, Emory, and the University of Southern California, he owned and edited the Southbridge (Mass.) Evening News, and ran its parent company, Worcester County Newspapers, for 25 years. He won two dozen regional and national awards for reporting and editorial writing. He also authored or edited nine books, guest curated a 1990 Library of Congress exhibit on the American journalist, and served as a four-time Pulitzer Prize juror and president of the American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE). As ASNE president in 1989-1990, he pushed for greater diversity throughout the news industry and initiated a groundbreaking study of LGBTQ+ individuals in America’s newsrooms. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Science in 2004. He graduated from Haverford in 1963, with a B.A. in history. He was editor of the student newspaper, secretary of the Student Council, a member of Founders Club, and played on the football team. As an alum, Loren has served as a reunion planning volunteer, a member of the communications committee for the Educating to Lead Educating to Serve campaign, and a member of the Haverford Board of Managers. He resides in West Tisbury, MA, with Nancy, his wife, BMC ’65, serves on West Tisbury’s Task Force Against Discrimination and the advisory board of the Sand Creek Massacre Foundation, and writes a column for Martha’s Vineyard Magazine.
Photo: Jeanna Shepard (Vineyard Gazette)
-
Ankur Arya '12 - Young Alumni Award
Ankur Arya '12
Young Alumni Award
Ankur Arya '12 is an educator and the Founder and Executive Director of Leading Youth Through Empowerment, Inc. (LYTE). LYTE strives to change the academic trajectory of under-represented youth by preparing middle school students to attend rigorous high school programs and then colleges, through personal mentoring, rigorous teaching, and leadership. He became passionate about educational equity through his own academic experience. As an adolescent he transitioned from a Title I middle school to a prestigious private high school. This experience highlighted disparities in education. Ankur attended Haverford College and graduated in 2012 with a B.A. in political science and minor in education. As an undergraduate, he played on the tennis team and was the president of the South Asian Society. He received a Master’s in school leadership from Wilmington University in 2018. He taught 7th and 8th grade math at Thomas Edison Charter School in Wilmington through Teach for America Delaware. There he found himself amidst a hardworking and talented group of students. Inspired, he helped them get into top performing high school programs in the area. These collaborative after school efforts were the beginning of LYTE. Under the leadership of Ankur, nearly all of his students have gone to college. Students have received millions of dollars in financial aid and scholarship to both high school and college. Ankur is married to Alexandra Obando ‘12 and the couple resides in Media, PA. They have a 2-year-old daughter named Ana Lucía.
Photo: Dustin Holloway '11
-
Brandon Alston '14 - Young Alumni Award
Brandon Alston '14
Young Alumni Award
Brandon Alston '14 is a Ph.D. candidate in the department of sociology at Northwestern University, with graduate certificates in African American studies and teaching and learning. His research examines how surveillance systems operate across poor neighborhoods, prisons, and parole programs. This research has been supported by organizations including the National Academies of Sciences, the American Bar Foundation, the Institute for Citizens and Scholars, the Social Science Research Council, and the Washington Center for Equitable Growth. Brandon’s work has received awards from national and regional professional associations, including the American Sociological Association, the Midwest Sociological Society, and the Association of Black Sociologists. Brandon is also a member of the Edward Bouchet Graduate Honor Society. At Dominican University, he serves as the inaugural sociologist in residence providing career support to students who major in the liberal arts. Brandon’s work also extends beyond college campuses and into Black communities, where he has implemented social interventions centered on mental health and gun violence. Previously, Brandon earned a Master of Science in Management (M.S.M.) from Wake Forest University Business School, where he was a corporate fellow. He also received a Bachelor of Arts in sociology and religion (with distinction) from Haverford College, where he received the Mellon Mays Fellowship.
-
James Pabarue '72 - Sheppard Award
James Pabarue '72
Sheppard Award
James Pabarue '72, now retired, was a founding shareholder in the Philadelphia-based firm Christie, Pabarue, Mortensen, and Young, P.C. He has had over 36 years of experience and represented a wide variety of commercial clients, non-profit organizations, and individuals in litigation matters. His practice areas included commercial litigation, insurance coverage litigation, employment disputes and criminal matters. Jim began his career as an assistant district attorney in Philadelphia, trying hundreds of jury and non-jury trials. Thereafter, as an assistant United States attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, he was lead counsel on a number of high profile cases. In his private law practice, Jim represented commercial clients, non-profit organizations, and individuals in litigation matters. He also headed the firm's employment law group and advised and represented employers in employment matters. In the employment area, in addition to advising employers with respect to their employment practices, he represented employers in cases involving allegations of sexual harassment, racial and gender discrimination, FMLA and ADA violations, and age discrimination. Jim has been a frequent lecturer, speaking most often on issues of discrimination and diversity. Jim earned a B.A. in English from Haverford in 1972, and a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1978. While at Haverford, he was a member of Founders Club. As an alum, Jim is a founding member of the Multicultural Alumni Action Group, has worked closely with the Office of Multicultural Affairs to help provide support to students from all backgrounds during their time at the College, and is a former member of the Alumni Association Executive Committee. Jim is married to Eleanore Pabarue (BMC ‘76) and the couple resides in Blue Bell, PA.
Photo: Patrick Montero
-
Thomas Garver '56 - Perry Award
Thomas Garver '56
Perry Award
Thomas Garver '56 is a retired art historian living in Madison, Wisconsin, who worked for nearly 30 years as a curator and director of several American Art Museums in Massachusetts, California, and Wisconsin, before beginning several other art-related endeavors, one with a unique Haverford connection. Tom reports, “O. Winston Link, a New York photographer, created admissions brochure photos at Haverford in 1952. After graduation, I was studying in New York City and worked part time for him for about a year. This included three trips with Winston to work on his documentation of the last years of steam powered railroading.” Decades later, Tom became Link’s agent, wrote the text for the second book of Link’s popular railroad photos, and subsequently was the organizing curator of the O. Winston Link Museum in Roanoke, Virginia. Tom majored in psychology at Haverford, taking a B.A. in 1956, and later an M. A. in history of art at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. As an alum, Tom has been dedicated to the College, and to his class through his unbroken annual giving record, his in-kind gifts of more than 400 late 19th and 20th Century photographs by Winston Link and other well-known photographers to the College’s collections, establishment of a named scholarship directed towards students from the upper Midwest, and the creation over a twenty-five year period of three extended biographies of his classmates in the Class of 1956 which have helped to maintain its unity and continuing support of the College.
Photo: Eric Tadsen
-
Dorrit Lowsen '97 - MacIntosh Award
Dorrit Lowsen '97
MacIntosh Award
As president and COO of Change Finance, Dorrit Lowsen '97 seeks to leverage the power of capital markets to promote a more just and sustainable world. Dorrit's professional experience spans a range of industries including IT, environment, and finance, and a range of modalities including Fortune 500, start-up, government, and non-profit. Following a decade-long international career as a technology leader, Dorrit joined Agora Partnerships, founded by fellow 'Ford, Ben Powell ‘93, as COO where she oversaw development of the first accelerator program to channel investment capital to impact-driven companies in Latin America. She went on to produce award-winning work on energy and environmental policy at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing during the preparation for the Paris Climate Agreement before returning to the U.S. to join Change Finance’s founding team. Dorrit has participated in all sides of the impact investing equation – as an entrepreneur, as an investor, and as a field-builder. She holds an M.B.A. from New York University’s Stern School of Business, an M.S. in computer science from the University of California at Santa Cruz, and a B.A. in computer science from Haverford College. At Haverford, Dorrit has served as an active admissions representative for a number of years. She is also an extern sponsor for the Center for Career and Professional Advising, a reunion giving advocate, and a member of the Impact Advisory Council for Haverford's Mi3 course in impact investing. Dorrit and her husband, Ben Lowsen, live in Alexandria, VA with their son, Asher.
Photo: Patrick Montero
-
John Katsos '07 - Forman Award
John Katsos '07
Forman Award
John Katsos '07 is associate professor of Business Ethics, Law, and Social Responsibility at the American University of Sharjah, and research affiliate at Queen’s University Belfast. He's regarded as an expert and advocate for business being a tool for peace, community-building, reconciliation, and social impact. John’s research is based on fieldwork on businesses in Syria, Myanmar, Iraq, Sri Lanka, Lebanon, and Cyprus. His research has appeared in the Harvard Business Review, Washington Post, Global Policy, Business and Society, Multinational Business Review, and Journal of Business Ethics, among others. He graduated from Haverford with a B.A. in religion. As an undergraduate, he was a member of Honor Council and JSAAPP, played soccer and club rugby, sang in the Humtones, and helped create the Quaker Bouncers. After Haverford, John earned dual J.D. and M.B.A. degrees from George Washington University, then moved to the Middle East to conduct his research in conflict zones. John sits on the boards of the UN Global Compact UAE, the UN PRME Business for Peace Working Group, and five social enterprises, including DiverseCity Global and PeaceIQ. He is also an expert consultant for the UN Business and Human Rights Working Group of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, where his work was a core component to recommendations to the UN General Assembly on the human rights obligations of local companies in conflict zones. John is married to Kristina (Kouhartsiouk) Katsos BMC ’07 and the couple resides with their daughters and dog in Sharjah, UAE.
Photo: Kamran Farooqui
-
Linda Gerstein - Friend Award
Linda Gerstein
Friend Award
Linda Gerstein is professor of history and chair of Independent College Programs at Haverford and also, at the moment, acting chair of Russian at Bryn Mawr. She has been a member of the faculty since 1965 and specializes in Russian and modern European history. Her biography of Nikolai Strakhov marked the first full-length intellectual biography of Strakhov in any language, providing a guide to the individual and to nineteenth-century Russian intellectual life. She has also written about the Russian dissident intelligentsia and about Russian Art Nouveau architecture. Linda has trained generations of Haverfordians, including many who have become prominent in academia, international policy, and business. She has co-led Bi-Co alumni tours in 1978 and 1988, created a study trip for Haverford/Bryn Mawr undergraduate students to Warsaw, Budapest, and Prague in the tumultuous spring of 1989, and guided the Haverford Baltic/St. Petersburg Alumni cruise tour in 2016. Linda earned a B.A. and an M.A. from Radcliffe, and a Ph.D. from Harvard. Her husband John Chesick was professor of chemistry at Haverford. Linda resides in Penn Valley, PA.
Photo: Patrick Montero
2021 Honorees
-
Ted Love '81 P'15, P'17 - Kannerstein Award
Kannerstein Award
Ted Love ’81 P’15, P’17 is CEO of Global Blood Therapeutics in San Francisco, CA. Global Blood Therapeutics is a bio-pharmaceutical company that has developed a promising treatment, and is pursuing a cure, for sickle cell disease. Ted has more than 20 years of broad leadership and management experience in the bio-pharmaceutical industry. He also currently serves on the boards of directors of Royalty Pharma, Seattle Genetics, and the Biotechnology Innovation Organization, for which he serves as chair of the Emerging Companies Section. Ted earned a B.A. in biology from Haverford in 1981, and an M.D. from Yale University in 1985. He completed a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in cardiology at the Massachusetts General Hospital. While at Haverford, Ted served on Students' Council. As an alum, Ted served on the Board of Managers from 1993-2005. He was re-elected to the Board in 2015 and his second term ended in 2018. He is a former member of the Alumni Association Executive Committee and a former Admission Representative. During the Educating to Lead, Educating to Serve Campaign, Ted was a member of the Committee of One Hundred and he supported the Access and Achievement: Multicultural Program Endowed Fund during that campaign. Ted also served as a campaign co-chair for the Lives That Speak Campaign. He established The Love Family Scholarship Fund in 2012, and the Love-Wintner Scholarship in 2020. Ted is married to Joyce Love and the couple reside in Sonoma, CA.
Watch Ted's Acceptance Remarks
Photo: Kent Clemenco
-
Stephen Harper '76 - Haverford Award
Haverford Award
Stephen Harper ’76 directed the death penalty clinic at Florida International University College of Law from 2013 until his retirement in the summer of 2020. Prior to that, he worked for 29 years at the Miami-Dade Public Defender's Office, the last 17 as co-coordinator of the Capital Litigation Unit. In that role he was primarily responsible for the gathering and presentation of mitigation evidence in capital cases. It was also during that time that Steve turned his attention to ending the juvenile death penalty in the United States. In 2002, he took a two year leave of absence and coordinated the national Juvenile Death Penalty Initiative. That project ended with Steve's oversight of the drafting and filing of amicus briefs in Roper v. Simmons, arguing that adolescents are substantially different than adults and far less culpable. The Court agreed and ended the juvenile death penalty in the United States. Its finding that “kids are different” created a paradigm shift in the way the justice system now perceives and treats adolescents. Roper was the foundation for subsequent cases (Graham v. Florida, Miller v. Alabama, Montgomery v. Louisiana) all of which resulted in many youthful offenders being resentenced and freed. Stephen graduated from Haverford in 1976, with a B.A. in sociology and anthropology. He is married to Odalys Acosta and the couple reside in Hollywood, FL.
-
Liz McGovern '91 - Haverford Award
Haverford Award
Liz McGovern ’91 is a social justice advocate, nonprofit leader, and physician. Her career has been defined by a commitment to establishing and perpetuating equity-driven, inclusive, and participatory approaches to health and human welfare. She served at urban community health centers for over 15 years, working with refugee, immigrant, and vulnerable populations, and has volunteered on crisis and public health missions in Guatemala, Haiti, and Ethiopia. In 2011, Liz founded WEEMA International, which partners with rural communities in southwestern Ethiopia to provide safe water, life-saving healthcare, quality education, and economic opportunities. While at Haverford, Liz majored in biology and received her B.A. in 1991, followed by her M.D. in 1997, from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. As an undergraduate she was a member of the lacrosse, basketball, and soccer teams. Liz is married to Scott Early and the couple reside with their family in Acton, MA.
-
Richard Besdine '61 P'89 - Distinguished Achievement Award
Distinguished Achievement Award
Richard Besdine ’61 P’89 has devoted his career to development and advancement of geriatrics through university-based and public health care policy work; he has developed and managed research, health care delivery systems and educational programs on aging at a university base, and served as a senior healthcare executive in the federal government. After doing his training in Scotland (there were no geriatrics programs in the U.S. at the time), he returned home to start one of the first American geriatric medicine programs at Harvard University. Over the next 40 years, he built similar programs at the University of Connecticut and at Brown University. He’s currently professor of medicine and professor of health services policy and practice at Brown University and is board certified in internal medicine, geriatrics, and infectious disease. Richard has authored more than 125 scholarly publications on aging and edits widely in medicine. Richard’s proudest honor was international. He was selected as Morgagni Lecturer at the University of Padua during the 250th Anniversary celebration (2011) of the publication of Giovanni Battista Morgagni’s seminal 1761 book De sedibus et causis morborum per anatomen indagatis (“On the sites and causes of diseases as investigated by anatomy”). He graduated cum laude from Haverford in 1961 with a B.S. in biology and went on to attend the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He trained in internal medicine, infectious diseases, and immunology at Boston's Beth Israel Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Richard is married to Fox Wetle; they reside in Barrington, RI.
Watch Richard's Acceptance Remarks
Photo: Fox Wetle
-
Brianna Duncan-Lowey '15 - Young Alumni Award
Young Alumni Award
Brianna Duncan-Lowey ’15 is a graduate student in virology at Harvard Medical School. Her doctoral thesis work focuses on immune systems in bacteria, which helped uncover the evolutionary origin of components of the human antiviral immune system. Prior to attending Harvard Medical School for her doctoral studies, she was awarded a post-baccalaureate fellowship at the National Institute of Health where she studied the Hepatitis C Virus. Brianna's work has extended beyond the laboratory, as she has shared her passion for science, and for higher education to advance the careers of students from communities historically excluded from science and medicine. She volunteered with Generation Hope, a not-for-profit organization that helps teen mothers obtain college degrees; and she now volunteers with Dana-Farber's CURE (Continuing Umbrella of Research Experiences) Program and Harvard's Health Professions Recruitment Exposure Program (HPREP), both high school science enrichment programs created to address poor health outcomes in underserved communities. Brianna received a B.A., with honors, in biology from Haverford in 2015, and she minored in environmental studies. As an undergraduate she was an Honor Council representative and was also a member of the softball team. Brianna resides in Boston, MA.
-
Orion Kriegman '96 - Forman Award
Forman Award
Orion Kriegman ’96 is the executive director of the Boston Food Forest Coalition, a nonprofit land trust, building edible parks in the city. Among the projects Orion has been involved with is Egleston Community Orchard (ECO), a rain-fed garden filled with fruit trees, bushes, vegetable beds, flowers, and art. ECO serves as the neighborhood park, hosting local festivals, outdoor movies, and cultural events. After a young man was shot on the street in front of ECO, the neighborhood experienced how creating community spaces helps reduce violence and forges relationships across race and class divides. Prior to this, he was co-director of NET New England, where he led Jamaica Plain New Economy Transition supporting community leaders to create an economy that is place-based, sustainable, and reduces race and class inequity. He was an associate at Tellus Institute, where he served for many years as coordinator of the Great Transition Initiative, an international network of scholars and activists examining the requirements for a transition to a sustainable planetary civilization. In the past, he has focused on ways to enhance meaningful community participation in the development of urban neighborhoods. He also worked for two years in Guatemala, helping the government and civil society implement the policies outlined in the peace accords. Orion graduated from Haverford in 1996, with a B.A. in political science. While at Haverford he trained with the Bryn Mawr badminton team, winning a place on the collegiate All-American team his senior year. He resides in Jamaica Plain, MA.
Watch Orion's Acceptance Remarks
Photo: Jovielle Gers
-
Eric (Rick) Sterling '73 - Kaye Award
Kaye Award
Eric (Rick) Sterling x’71, ’73 was executive director of the Criminal Justice Policy Foundation for 31 years promoting drug policy and criminal justice reform. Eric frequently lectures and testifies in the U.S. and Canada and his analysis is sought by researchers and the news media. He has been featured in numerous documentary motion pictures. He helped found and served on the boards of non-profits such as Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM), Marijuana Policy Project, Students for Sensible Drug Policy, etc. His public service includes the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission. In the 1980s, as assistant counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary, he wrote drug, gun control, pornography, and money laundering laws. Entering Haverford in 1967, he was in the 2-year Humanities concentration. He withdrew in 1969 to work in the anti-war movement. Eric graduated from Haverford in 1973 with a B.A. in religion, was an editor of the Bi-College News, and was a member of Founders Club. At the 1973 Commencement, he introduced Prof. Louis Green, the speaker. He received his J.D. from Villanova University in 1976. As an alum, Eric has been an extern sponsor for more than four decades, spoke at regional alum gatherings and was a member of the Corporation. He became a Quaker at Haverford and serves on the Ministry and Worship Committee at Bethesda Friends Meeting. He is married to June Beittel and they reside in Chevy Chase, MD. Their daughter, Maya Sterling, graduated from Vassar ’20.
Photo: Ben Droz
-
Alan Klein '81 - Perry Award
Perry Award
Alan Klein ’81 is a partner with the law firm of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, where he is co-head of the firm's Mergers and Acquisitions Practice. He joined the firm in 1984, and became a partner in 1993. Among myriad professional achievements, Alan was named a 2017 "M&A Trailblazer" by the National Law Journal and a 2012 "Dealmaker of the Year" by The American Lawyer. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of Montefiore Health System, the Jewish Theological Seminary, The Library of America and The Dalton School, where he is the past President of the Board, a director of Lawyers for Children and past Board Chairman of Film Forum. Alan earned a B.A. in history, with honors, from Haverford in 1981 and a J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School in 1984. During the Educating to Lead, Educating to Serve Campaign, Alan was a member of the Committee of One Hundred as well as the Scholarship Steering Committee and endowed the Judith Fondiller Klein Memorial Scholarship Fund in memory of his mother. He was the New York Regional Campaign Chair for the Lives That Speak campaign. An exhibit selected from Alan’s collection of rare first editions and memorabilia of the poets Wallace Stevens and William Carlos Williams opens in March at the Lutnick Library on campus and online. Alan's brother, David, is a member of the Class of 1985. Alan is married to Lauren Klein and they reside in New York, NY, with their two children.
-
Jenifer Schweitzer Brooks '91 - Perry Award
Perry Award
Jenifer Schweitzer Brooks ’91 is chief marketing officer at Gerson Lehrman Group, Inc. (GLG), where she oversees all aspects of the company’s global marketing operations, Americas events, and expert management efforts. Jenifer has nearly two decades of experience as a senior marketing executive, including six years at Bloomberg, where she led Global Brand Management. Before joining GLG, she was chief marketing officer at Golub Capital, a credit asset management firm with $35 billion in assets under management. Jenifer earned a B.A. in history from Haverford in 1991, and a J.D. from New York University School of Law in 1994. While at Haverford, she was a member of the lacrosse team. As an alum, Jenifer has been involved with reunion planning and giving since her 5th reunion and has increased and honed her volunteer skills on the fundraising side since joining the Annual Giving Executive Committee in 2013. During her volunteer tenure she has moved from member, to vice chair, and is now chair of the Committee. She played a leadership role in cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding leadership Annual Giving and future Major Gift donors during the Lives That Speak Campaign, and she continues to partner strategically with the Individual Giving office to make peer giving asks. She was also a key player in the Class of 1991's 25th reunion fundraising effort. She is married to Bruce Thorpe and has 2 children, ages 16 and 9. The family resides in New York, NY.
Photo: Alexander Kur
-
Thien Le '05 P'24 - Sheppard Award
Sheppard Award
Thien Le ’05 P’24 is a vice president and financial advisor at Morgan Stanley where she focuses primarily on the wealth management needs of high net worth individuals and families globally. She has global experience in capital markets, merchant banking, and wealth management and is passionate about helping people and communities around the world. She won first place in the Global Sustainability Challenge in New York, developing a five-year plan for a nonprofit organization and spearheaded the steering committee for the Environment and Social Finance Forum in Asia. Thien was a board member of Vietnam Relief Effort, a nonprofit based in New York, where she oversaw microfinance projects, disaster relief projects, and building schools in Vietnam. In 2020, Thien was named as a MAKERS@ Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, a recognition that celebrates women who are groundbreakers, advocates, and innovators in their given field. She earned a B.A. in economics and East Asian Studies from Haverford in 2005. While at Haverford, she was president of the Asian Student Association. Thien is a founding member of the Multicultural Alumni Action Group, was a member of the Alumni Association Executive Committee, and is a Center for Career and Professional Advising extern sponsor. She spearheaded and secured funding for the establishment of the Tetsutaro Inamuru Scholarship in honor of the first Asian alum who graduated from Haverford. She currently serves as a member of the Corporation. Her daughter, Katelyn Vo, is a member of the Haverford Class of 2024. Thien resides in Greenwich, CT.
-
David Thomas '71 - MacIntosh Award
MacIntosh Award
David Thomas ’71 is co-founder of International Integrators, a collaborative, global community dedicated to the promotion of Integrative Health. He has varied expertise from a distinguished career in law, business, entrepreneurial ventures, and community service. During David’s 37 years living in Boston, he was an active volunteer and leader in the Beacon Hill Civic Association, the Hill House Community Center and the Beacon Hill Business Association. He led several community initiatives, including a successful effort to reduce noise pollution caused by faulty and outdated subway construction, and also representing the community in requiring a local university to house its students in more appropriate locations. He earned a B.A. in Spanish from Haverford in 1971 and a J.D. from Georgetown University in 1974. Since his graduation, David has been very involved with Haverford. He is a former member of the Board of Managers, and served as chair of the Property Committee for 11 years; his term ran from 1996 to 2008. David chaired the National Gifts Program Committee during the Educating to Lead, Educating to Serve Campaign, and was a member of the Campaign Executive Committee. He is also a past member of the Alumni Association Executive Committee. He was the recipient of the Kannerstein award in 2011. He has served as an Admission Representative for many years, focusing more recently on interviewing international applicants. David is married to Kathryn Hayward and the couple reside on the Mediterranean island of Mallorca, Spain.
2020 Honorees
-
Chris Norton ’80 P’08 P’11 - The Kannerstein Award
The Kannerstein Award
Chris Norton is president of the Washington Center, an organization that provides residential internships in public policy and public service to college aged students, for academic credit. He is a retired managing partner of the Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. after nearly 20 years with the company, and he served as chairman of the board of Loomis Chaffee School. Chris earned a B.A. in history from Haverford in 1980. As an alum, his long and distinguished service to the College spans decades. Among other significant contributions, Chris served on the Board of Managers for over a decade, including an executive role as vice chair, as well as chair of the Development and Long Range Planning Committees. He was also an effective and longstanding fundraising volunteer in the Educating to Lead, Educating to Serve campaign and a co-chair of the Lives That Speak campaign for Haverford. A generous advocate of the College, Chris contributes to several endowed funds, including his own newly endowed Norton Family Professorship in Music. Chris is married to Carter Norton and the couple have five children, including Kate Norton Magovern ’08 and Kiley Norton ’11. Chris also shares his family connection to Haverford with his father, Nicholas Norton ’52, brother, Andrew ’84 and uncle, D. Norton Williams ’39. Chris and Carter reside in New Canaan, CT.
-
Peter Ewell ’70 - The Haverford Award
The Haverford Award
Peter Ewell is president emeritus of the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS). His work focuses on assessing institutional effectiveness and student learning and involves both research and direct consulting with institutions and state systems on collecting and using assessment information in planning, evaluation, and budgeting. He has directed many projects on this topic and has consulted with over 425 colleges and universities and 27 state systems of higher education on topics including assessment, program review, accreditation, and student retention. He is an internationally recognized consultant who has authored or co-authored eight books and numerous articles on the topic of improving undergraduate instruction through curriculum and instructional reform, and the assessment of student learning. In 1998, he led the design team for the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), which has since been administered to more than six million students at more than 1650 colleges and universities. In addition, he has prepared commissioned papers for many education agencies and has been involved in program evaluation, organizational development, and strategic planning for a variety of non-profit and arts organizations. Peter graduated from Haverford in 1970 with a B.A. in political science. As an undergraduate he was a member of the Sailing Team and the Glee Club. He went on to receive a Ph.D. in political science from Yale University in 1976 and to teach at the University of Chicago. Peter is married to Jennifer Mauldin and the couple resides in Boulder, CO.
-
Thomas Spray ’70 - The Distinguished Achievement Award
The Distinguished Achievement Award
Thomas Spray was chief of cardiothoracic surgery and holder of the Mortimer J. Buckley Endowed Chair in Cardiac Surgery at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and Professor of Surgery at the Perelman School of Medicine or the University of Pennsylvania. Thomas received his medical degree and training in general and cardiothoracic surgery at Duke University, and specialty training in cardiac pathology at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health before joining the faculty of Washington University in St. Louis, going on to become the chief of pediatric cardiac surgery there. He was recruited to Philadelphia in 1994. Thomas has contributed over 300 peer-reviewed papers top the literature in congenital and adult cardiac surgery, and is an editor of 6 major textbooks. He has held numerous leadership positions in national and international professional associations, including the presidency of the American Association of Thoracic Surgery in 2009. He was the 2009 awardee of the American Heart Association’s William W. L. Glenn Lectureship and received the prestigious Plus Ratio Quam Vis medal from Poland’s Jagiellonian University in 2017. Under Thomas’ direction, neonates, infants, and children with a wide variety of complex cardiac and pulmonary abnormalities can be fully evaluated and treated by a specialized multidisciplinary team at CHOP. While at Haverford, Thomas majored in biology and received his B.A. in 1970. He was a member of the Corporation from 1973 to 2001. Thomas retired in 2018 and now resides in Flat Rock, NC.
-
Shreyas Shibulal ’15 - The Young Alumni Award
The Young Alumni Award
Shreyas Shibulal is the founder of Micelio, a platform to foster the electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem in India. The platform includes the Micelio Fund, a resource that will make seed stage investments in startups in the EV space. The platform also includes a product development facility, Micelio Discovery Studio, to support these startups. Shreyas was a computer science major at Haverford, graduating in 2015. He went on to graduate from Haverford's 4+1 engineering program, receiving his Masters in Embedded Systems Engineering in 2016 from the University of Pennsylvania. Shreyas has always had a passion for automobiles. While an undergraduate, Shreyas spent his summers building his own car and interning at Tesla. When he moved back to India, Shreyas wanted to combine his passion for automobiles, his experience in technology and his calling to start a business venture with a social conscience. Catalyzing the EV ecosystem through Micelio was a natural fit. Shreyas' vision, commitment, and initiative in sustainable mobility all point to the values of the Haverford community, and their impact. Shreyas’ father, SD Shibulal, is a co-founder of Infosys and a current member of the Haverford Board of Managers. Shreyas’ sister, Shruti Shibulal, is a member of Haverford’s Class of 2006. Shreyas is married to Bhairavi Madhusudhan Shibulal and the couple resides in Bangalore, India.
-
Carmen Crow Sheehan ’00 - The Forman Award
The Forman Award
Carmen Crow Sheehan has worked for the Peace Corps since 2012, in Washington DC, the republic of Georgia, and most recently Albania where she is currently based as regional safety and security officer. She also served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ecuador from 2000-03. Carmen has spent her time post-graduation dedicated to humanitarian aid and development largely in the international sphere, having also worked for the American Refugee Committee in Darfur, the International Medical Corps in northern Uganda and Mozambique, and Jhpiego in support of health programming in 30+ countries. Carmen received a B.S. in biology from Haverford in 2000, and as an undergraduate played on the women’s basketball team. She also studied abroad in Australia during her junior year. Carmen went on to receive an M.S.W. from Tulane University in 2004, and an M.P.H. for International Health and Development from Tulane in 2005. Carmen is joined in Tirana by her husband Colin and their two daughters.
-
David Wessel ’75 - The Kaye Award
The Kaye Award
David Wessel is director of the Brookings Institution's Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy, the mission of which is to improve the quality and efficacy of fiscal and monetary policies and public understanding of them. He joined Brookings in 2013 after 30 years on the staff of The Wall Street Journal where, most recently, he was economics editor and wrote the weekly “Capital” column. He is a contributing correspondent to The Wall Street Journal and appears frequently on NPR's Morning Edition. He is the author of two New York Times bestsellers – In Fed We Trust: Ben Bernanke’s War on the Great Panic and Red Ink: Inside the High-Stakes Politics of the Federal Budget. David majored in economics at Haverford and was an editor of the Bi-College News. David is a former Reunion volunteer and campaign fundraising committee member. Currently, he works as a committed advocate for the Center for Career and Professional Advising. He regularly shares job postings with the office and is a former extern sponsor. In addition, he is a co-founder and funder of the Public Policy Forum, hosted each year for the past six years. David is married to Naomi Karp. The couple have two children and the family resides in Washington, D.C.
-
Christopher Dunne ’70 P’98 - The Perry Award
The Perry Award
Christopher Dunne graduated from Haverford in 1970, with a B.A. in political science. As an undergraduate, he was a member of the Founders Club, served on the Haverford News, and was class president for three years. He was elected permanent class president at his 25th Reunion. After Haverford, Chris earned a J.D. from Georgetown Law, an S.M. in Physiology from Harvard in 1981, and an M.P.A. from Harvard in 1982. Chris has been a dedicated College advocate since his graduation. He is currently chairing his 50th Reunion Committee and is a giving advocate. He previously served as a member of the Board of Managers, president of the Alumni Association Executive Committee, a campaign fundraising committee member, an admission volunteer, and chair of the Haverford Fund. Chris received the Kannerstein Award in 2000. He is a member of the Haverford Monthly Meeting and the Corporation of Haverford College. Chris practiced law for 38 years and had a second career in development as principal gift officer at Ursinus College and as senior associate director of Institutional Partnerships at the Harvard School of Public Health. Dedicated to his community, Chris currently is vice chair at Independence Public Media of Philadelphia and served as a volunteer attorney and board member of the Support Center for Child Advocates, receiving their Distinguished Advocate Award in 2011. Chris is married to Genny Dunne and the couple have three daughters and five grandchildren. Their daughter, Jessica Dunne Reshefsky, is a member of the Class of 1998. The couple resides in Haverford, PA.
-
Polly Ross Ribatt ’90 - The Sheppard Award
The Sheppard Award
Polly Ross Ribatt s an independent educational consultant who also works part time as the CFO of local start up soccer club. In addition, she is a corporation member of Beacon Academy, a 14-month school between 8th and 9th grades designed to prepare motivated and promising urban students for success in competitive independent high schools and beyond. Polly earned a B.A. in history from Haverford in 1990 with a concentration in Growth & Structure of Cities at Bryn Mawr, and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago in 1994. While at Haverford, she was a member of the tennis and squash teams, and was captain of both teams during her senior year. Since her graduation, Polly has been a passionate advocate for the College’s mission and has consistently contributed her time to alumni and Haverford community engagement in a number of ways. She is a current admission volunteer, a former member of the Alumni Association Executive Committee where she was an especially active liaison to Career Services, and she served as the Boston regional chair during the Lives That Speak campaign. Additionally, in her many volunteer roles, she has hosted a variety of Boston area events for all alumni, parents, and friends over the years. Polly is married to Gregg Ribatt and the couple have three biological children and provide a permanent home to another child they first met through Polly’s work at Beacon Academy. The family resides in Brookline, MA, just outside Boston.
-
Eric Sedlak ’80 - The MacIntosh Award
The MacIntosh Award
Eric Sedlak is a partner at K&L Gates LLP in Tokyo. He has practiced law in Chicago, San Francisco, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Singapore, and Tokyo. He has advised on matters in over 40 countries, on every continent except Antarctica. As of 2019 he is a vice president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan, and chairs its external affairs advisory council. He also served on the boards of the American Chambers of Commerce in Vietnam and Singapore. Eric earned a B.A. with honors in economics from Haverford in 1980, and a J.D. from New York University in 1984. While at Haverford, he was a member of the cross country team. Eric has been involved as a volunteer in many ways since his graduation. He formerly participated as a member of the International Council, a Reunion volunteer, and a class volunteer. He is currently a member of the Corporation of Haverford College and an admission volunteer. In his role as an admission volunteer, Eric has made it possible for prospective students in Japan to meet, in person, with an alum — a previously unavailable option in the region. Additionally, during the most recent admission cycle, Eric completed more interviews than any other volunteer. He also helps staff college fairs in Japan. Eric is married to Junko Hoshizawa and the couple have twin daughters. The family resides in Tokyo, Japan.
-
Gabi Koeppel ’90 - The MacIntosh Award
The MacIntosh Award
Gabi Koeppel is an independent consultant in real estate law. Previously, she was assistant general counsel for the Rouse Company. Gabi earned a B.A. in English from Haverford in 1990, and a J.D. from the University of Maryland in 1993. While at Haverford, she was a member of the field hockey team. Gabi serves as a giving advocate and is a former member of the Annual Fund Executive Committee and Reunion gift chair. Gabi has also been a dedicated admission volunteer for a number of years. She has worked diligently to go above and beyond in completing in-person interviews and video interviews for both domestic and international perspective students. She also serves as a willing resource for other volunteers and as a regular host for admitted student receptions. Gabi is married to Aaron Velli and the couple have two children. The family resides in Chevy Chase, MD.
-
Tom Donnelly P’09 - The Friend of Haverford College Award
The Friend of Haverford College Award
Tom Donnelly is the head coach of Haverford’s men’s track and cross country programs. A 2014 inductee into the USTFCCCA Hall of Fame, Tom enters his 45th year with Haverford in the 2019-20 seasons. Tom has taken Haverford to 76 Middle Atlantic and Centennial Conference championships, including 64 titles since the 1993 season. His runners have earned 172 cross country and track & field All-American awards since 1980, including 29 individual NCAA championships and an NCAA championship relay team. Tom’s career reached a coaching pinnacle when Haverford won the 2010 NCAA Division III Championship, the first team in College history. On top of his coaching abilities, Tom fosters a culture of excellence and leads by example. He represents everything that Haverford strives for and cares just as much about shaping better students/people as he does about creating better runners. Prior to Haverford, Tom was an All-American in cross country and track at Villanova University. Tom has two sons, Patrick and Edward Donnelly. Patrick graduated from Haverford in 2009.