Bates College Alumni Council — 2022 Impact Work
Vice President
Below you will find some highlights from the work of the Alumni Council this past academic year. Even as we begin gathering again in-person, both on campus and in our local communities, we recognize that challenges persist for many members of our Bates family, and we continue to be inspired by the many ways Batesies have rallied together to support each other and Bates.
Through our annual awards program, this year we recognize ten alumni for their commitment to the college, service to their communities, and distinction in their careers. Their names are listed below. Four of these distinguished alumni were honored this spring and we will honor the remaining recipients either in person or virtually later in the year. Please nominate outstanding alumni for us to consider in 2023.
Three members of the Alumni Council completed their terms in June 2022; we are thankful for the dedicated service of Michael Hogan ’85, Jeremy Chase ’91, and Tracy O’Mara Peacock ’94, S’92, P’24, P’26. We also congratulate and celebrate former Council member Benjamin Robinson III ’86, who has been selected to serve on the Bates Board of Trustees. As we say goodbye to these stellar volunteers we welcome five new members to the Alumni Council; their names are listed below. If you are interested in serving on the Council in the future, please consider submitting a nomination.
Thank you for making our work representing Bates alumni so rewarding. Please do not hesitate to reach out to alumni@bates.edu if you are looking for ways to be more connected or have feedback — we are here for you.
It’s a great day to be a Bobcat.
Kevin Moore ’93, Alumni Council President
Leah Elsmore ’12, Alumni Council Vice President
Jennifer Crawford ’01, Alumni Council Past President
The Bates College Alumni Council is the governing body of the Alumni Association and serves as the primary liaison between the Association and the Bates administration, faculty, and student body. The purposes of the Alumni Council are to
- Support the mission, vision, values, and strategic directions of the college, advancement office, and alumni engagement
- Be a positive, energetic ambassadors for Bates
- Demonstrate the highest levels of commitment of personal capital to the college and alumni engagement
If you have questions or suggestions about alumni engagement, the Alumni Council can be one of your most effective means of communicating your ideas and concerns. Please send your feedback to us at alumni@bates.edu and check out our website site at www.bates.edu/alumni/alumni-council/.
Increase engagement and volunteer options for alumni through the support of regional networks and support career development opportunities for both alums and student
Council Champions: Monica Rodriguez ‘12 and Michelle Pham ‘15
Highlighted FY22 accomplishments:
✔ Collaborated with staff to provide feedback and suggestions to make the Bates Alumni webpage more user-friendly
✔ Supported the college’s career advancement programs including the Bates Bridge and advocated for participation and engagement with the platform
✔ Participated in conversations to support the Professional Development series and offered suggestions for next year’s programs and new topics for Lighthouse Career Associates to consider
✔ Identified regional leaders and initiated conversations to promote uniformity throughout the regional networks. This includes a plan to start calls (2-3/year) with regional leaders this summer to talk about what has been most successful in their areas re: programming/promotions/etc. and what they would like to try for programs as we move into in-person/virtual/hybrid-style events
✔ We had a very strong Alumni Council presence and participation at each of the regional events with President Spencer. For these events, we had four members attend in Boston, three members attend in NYC, and one member attend in Washington, D.C. We also had one member participate in a virtual event, sponsored by the class of 1985
Ensure that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are a central component of the Council’s work
Council Champions: Leah Elsmore ‘12
Highlighted FY22 accomplishments:
✔ Worked to create an Alumni Council Equity and Inclusion mission statement to ensure that these principles are a central component of the work of the Council
✔ Supported Bates staff on broader strategic direction of DEI and alumni engagement, providing input on alumni events and engagement strategies
✔ Promoted DEI events by sharing and promoting upcoming events with alumni networks
Recognition of Alumni Excellence
Council Champions: Jen Crawford ‘01
2022 Alumni Award Winners:
- Alumni Community Service Award: Carlton Finch ’45, Carolyn McNamara ’08, and Amanda Webb Dickerson ‘01
- Distinguished Young Alumni Award: Allen Kendunga ’18, and Mikey Pasek ‘12
- Sesquicentennial Prize: Jeff Tulis ‘72
- Bruce Stangle Award for Distinguished Service: David Morris ‘89
- Helen A. Papaioanou Distinguished Service Award: Sally Ehrenfried ‘89
- Alumni Professional Recognition Award: Lisa Marshall Schwiebert ’86, and Natalie Adler ‘92
In 2022, the Council created a new Professional Recognition Award as we recognized a gap in our ability to highlight alumni excellence and engage more alums.
We received 19 new nominations for the 2022 Alumni Awards.
Governance – FY22
Process Improvements:
✔ Continued to utilize a schedule of shorter, yet more frequent virtual Council meetings to continue our work more efficiently and effectively through the COVID-19 pandemic
✔ Began the process of a thorough bylaw review to ensure that all procedures are reflective of the evolution of the Alumni Association.
✔ Reevaluated our new member nomination and vetting processes to better ensure genuinely diverse alumni representation on the Alumni Council.
Membership:
✔ We received 25 nominations in FY2022 for the Alumni Council.
✔ New members who will be joining the Alumni Council this fall: Chuck James ’78, Natalie Rodriguez ’92, Matthew Bogyo ’93, Patrick Quirk ‘03, and Henry T. “Hank” Geng ’13
✔ The following members have completed their second term on the Alumni Council and will be rolling off: Jeremy Chase ’91, Mike Hogan ’85, and Tracy O’Mara Peacock ’94.
FY22 Guiding Principles of Leadership
✔ Continued to increase the Alumni Council profile among the Bates community by advertising awards and new member nominations, alumni events, and giving opportunities
✔ Ensured that the Alumni Council has 100% participation in the Bates Fund to support the operations of the college
✔ Participated in in-person events when possible as the college began to pivot back to pre-pandemic networking opportunities
Meet your Alumni Council – Membership 2021-2022
23 alumni representing 6 decades, 18 classes, and 11 states
Jennifer Crawford ’01 – President
South Boston, MA
Serving since 2015
Kevin Moore ’93 – Vice President
Hanover, MA
Serving since 2017
Dan Barsky ’03
Miami Beach, Fla.
Serving since 2019
Steve Brackett ’85 P’22
Boston, Mass.
Serving since 2019
Jeremy Chase ’91
Larchmont, NY
Serving since 2016
J.J. Cummings ‘89
Virginia Beach, VA
Serving since 2021
Cat Djang ’13
Brooklyn, NY
Serving since 2017
Leah Elsmore ’12
Denver, Colo
Serving since 2019
Fadia Felfle ’15
New York, N.Y.
Serving since 2019
Mahvash Hassan ‘90
Piedmont, CA
Serving since 2021
Katie Hawkins Vail ’05
Portland, ME
Serving since 2017
Mike Hogan ’85
Boston, MA
Serving since 2016
John Howard ’86
Cos Cob, CT
Serving since 2018
Karen L. Finocchio Lubeck ’92
Marblehead, MA
Serving since 2018
Don McDade ’74
Portland, ME
Serving since 2018
Tracy O’Mara Peacock ’94
Wilmette, IL
Serving since 2016
Michelle Pham ‘15
New York, NY
Serving since 2021
Erica Seifert Plunkett ’86
Holliston, MA
Serving since 2017
Benjamin Robinson, III ‘86
Charlotte, NC
Serving since 2021
Monica Rodriguez ’12
New York, N.Y.
Serving since 2019
Arsalan Suhail ’09
Charlotte, NC
Serving since 2017
Arsalan Suhail ’09
Lebanon, NH
Serving since 2017
Louis Weinstein ‘68
Charleston, SC
Serving since 2021
Graeme Welds ‘15
New York, NY
Serving since 2021
Contact Us
Alumni Engagement
2 Andrews Road
Lewiston, Maine 04240
Phone: 1-888-522-8371
alumni@bates.edu