Volunteer Engagement Committee

Council Champion: Heather Beebe ’85

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The Volunteer Engagement Committee was tasked with providing input to inform the redesign of the Alumni Volunteer Center on the Bates website. Improvements included a new landing page with an updated look and feel, new photos and engaging copy, and most importantly, an easier-to-navigate webpage that requires fewer clicks to access information. The link to sign up to volunteer is now front and center. Additionally, a new digital volunteer guide was added to the site. This guide addresses the “life cycle of volunteerism” – acknowledging that people have different capacities and interest levels for volunteering at different stages of life – and that any volunteer hours are welcome and appreciated. The committee members: 

✔ Conducted market research on 16 peer institutions’ websites.

✔ Provided summaries and recommendations on web user perspectives for the Bates site.

✔ Provided recommendations on topics such as ease of access, breadth of volunteer opportunities, ease of signing up, ease of contacting Bates, and volunteer recognition.

Professional Development

Council Champion: Jen Crawford ‘01

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For FY26, the Professional Development subcommittee continued planning and hosting a webinar series that leveraged the remarkable breadth and depth of professional experience within the alumni community. The series continues to receive positive feedback: participants praised the panels for being insightful, inspiring, and highly relevant. Sessions are recorded and posted on the Bates YouTube channel for continued access. The Alumni Council hopes to continue this popular program in FY27.

✔ Jan 28, 2026 – Alumni Perspectives on AI Innovation

AC members Chuck James ’78 and Alex Hahn ’97 moderated the first panel of the series, which included 3 alumni: Steve Coupet ’09, Joselle Deocamp-Gautam ’01, and Kyle Flaherty ’97, as well as Bates Professor and Chair of Digital and Computational Studies, Dr. Carrie Diaz Eaton. This session delved into how interdisciplinary thinking, communication skills, and the ethical grounding of a liberal arts degree are not just relevant but essential to solving the biggest AI challenges of our time. This event was incredibly popular with 237 registrations and 115 attendees tuning in for the conversation.

✔ Feb 25, 2026 – From Bates to Beyond: Insights from Psychology Professionals Webinar
AC member Matt Bogyo ‘93 moderated a discussion with Amanda Nickerson, PhD. ’94, Chris Howells, Psy.D. ’03, and Irene Mapfunde, MSW, LICSW ’19, sharing how they successfully translated their liberal arts education into thriving careers across the mental health and scientific landscape. This event had 75 registrations and 35 attendees.

✔ April 16, 2026 – From Idea to Impact: Meet Bates Entrepreneurs
AC member Jen Crawford ’01 and Susan Peillet Yule ’78 moderated a riveting discussion with David Akinyemi ’21, Asad Butt ’01, Allen Kendunga ’18, Michelle Pham ’18, and Carine Warsawski ’07 about the grit and reality of launching a business. This event had 40 registrations and drew 33 attendees.

✔ May 19, 2026 – Bates in the Arts – Navigating Your Creative Path
AC member Priscila Guillen ’20 will facilitate this conversation with panelists Singha Hon ’14, Samuel Mironko ’21, Brennen Malone ’17, exploring the winding path of a creative career. This session is focused on how to navigate the professional arts world. 

Impact and Awareness Committee

Council Champion: Terence Welch ‘83

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The Impact and Awareness Committee’s mission is to increase awareness of the Alumni Council among the Bates Alumni community, thereby enhancing the effectiveness and impact of the Council and the initiatives and programs it sponsors.  Often, alumni first learn about the Alumni Council when they are invited to serve on it.  This subcommittee hypothesizes that if the Council is better known amongst the larger alumni community, it could garner more candidates interested in serving and continue to improve the engagement and impact of Council-sponsored activities and programs.  This year’s accomplishments included:

✔ Utilizing a Brand Ladder approach to poll members’ views on ways the AC enhances alumni’s connection to Bates, feelings of community, and access to beneficial experiences and impressions. 

✔ Creating sub-groups to focus on ways to customize content and means of connecting with volunteers. Examples of sub-groups include Engaged Volunteers (thinking about how to maintain their engagement) and Young Alumni (how to engage them early on for lifelong connections to the college). 

✔ Identifying what messaging will resonate with different sub-groups to help build AC awareness, and better engage those groups with Alumni Council activities.

✔ Reached out to the other Alumni Council committees to identify ways to increase overall alumni awareness of activities such as award nominations, professional development webinars, and volunteer opportunities.

Recognition of Alumni Excellence

Council Champion: Chuck James ’78

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2026 Alumni Award Winners:

✔ Alumni Community Service Award: Peter Basiliere ’76

✔ Alumni Professional Recognition Award: Noah Petro ’01

✔ Bruce Stangle ’70, P’96, GP’26 Award for Distinguished Service to the Bates Community: Christopher Lanoue ’99, P’26

✔ Distinguished Young Alumni Award: Rachel Ebersole ’17

✔ Helen A. Papaioanou Distinguished Service Award: Erica Seifert Plunkett ’86

We received 39 new nominations for the 2026 Alumni Awards. Awards will be presented at the Presidential Address and Annual Meeting of the Alumni Association during Reunion Weekend. 

Governance – FY26

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Membership:

• Leah Elsmore ’12 will complete her term as President in June 2026, and John Howard ’86 will begin his term as President in July 2026. Natalie Adler ’92 has been elected Vice President and will begin her term in July 2026.

• We received a record 59 nominations for new members of the Alumni Council

• New members who will be joining the Alumni Council this fall: Jeffrey D. Beaton ’12, George C. Carr ’07, Kush Sharma ’23, Gretchen Shorter Davis ’61, and Jay N. Gorayeb ’20.

• Leah Elsmore ’12 has completed her term on the Alumni Council and will be rolling off.

FY26 Guiding Principles of Leadership

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✔ Continued to increase Alumni Council profile among the Bates community by advertising awards and new member nominations, alumni events, and giving opportunities on social media.

✔ Ensured that the Alumni Council has 100% participation in the Bates Fund to support the operations of the college.

✔ Ensured that the Alumni Council has 100% participation in voting for Alumni Award recipients.