Alumni Association Board of Directors Award Recipients
We look forward to recognizing our 2023 award recipients at the Alumni Awards & Recognition Ceremony on Saturday, June 3 at 11am in the Arthur Zankel Music Center, Helen Filene Ladd '22 Concert Hall.
Nominations for alumni awards are collected each fall and reviewed by members of the Alumni Awards Committee for presentation each spring. If you know a Skidmore alumna/us who meets the criteria for one of these awards, visit the Annual Alumni Awards page to learn more and fill out a nomination.
Reunion 2023 Awards Recipients
Scott Jacoby ’93 is a Grammy-winning writer, producer, engineer, mixer, and musician. He is founder and CEO of the New York City-based EUSONIA record label and recording studio, as well as the president of SCOJAC Music Productions.
Scott, whose interests span all genres of music, has worked with artists such as Vampire Weekend, John Legend, Kelly Clarkson, Coldplay, Sia, Janelle Monae, and Ronnie Spector. He has also composed scores for award-winning feature-length films, documentaries, television shows, and national television commercials.
Like his mother, Sandra Jacoby ’66, Scott majored in psychology at Skidmore. His identity as a musician in high school in Rye, New York — playing drums and writing and producing his own music — translated well at Skidmore. He played in jazz ensembles on campus and was part of the hip-hop scene in Saratoga Springs, performing in a number of jazz and funk groups and opening for bands such as De La Soul.
“Music was a big part of the college experience for me,” he says. “But I never expected to pursue it as a career.”
Scott traveled to East Africa through Skidmore College’s study abroad program and became inspired by medical anthropology, which studies how health is shaped by historical and cultural backgrounds. “The experience was incredibly transformative,” he says, “and I started thinking about a career at the nexus of psychology, anthropology, and medicine.”
He applied for a Fulbright Scholarship that would have brought him back to Africa, but his application was denied because he didn’t have the required medical degree to explore his interests. Determined to meet that requirement, Scott went to Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City. All the while, his passion for music kept building, and he knew he could not pursue two all-encompassing careers. After two years, he left medical school to become a recording artist, with his first single “I Like You” hitting No. 1 on the Japanese radio charts.
Scott also began working extensively as a writer and producer for other artists, such as Grammy-nominated R&B artist Maiysha. In 2006, Scott won a Grammy Award for his engineering work on comedian Lewis Black’s album “The Carnegie Hall Performance.” In 2011, he scored the film “My Last Day Without You,” producing the theme song of the same name, which was nominated at the 2012 Black Reel Awards for Best Original or Adapted Song. In 2013, he mixed the Vampire Weekend single “Unbelievers.” The song was a popular track on the album “Modern Vampires of the City,” which was the winner of the 2014 Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album. Recently, Scott has continued producing, writing, and mixing for a diverse array of groundbreaking artists, including SZA, Jason Mraz, Cory Henry, Natasha Bedingfield, Stormzy, and Rachel Platten.
As a regular guest lecturer at Skidmore every year, Scott discusses advanced music technologies and provides a general overview of the industry. Since 2000, his studio has mentored more than 50 interns, many of whom have gone on to prominent music careers. Among them are Alex Bilowitz ’07, a multi-platinum writer/producer; professional drummer and film composer Zach Nicita ’10; and guitarist and producer Ian Bakerman ’15.
Five years ago, Fred Guttenberg ’88 started his public-life commitment against gun violence after a devastating tragedy: His 14-year-old daughter, Jaime, was one of the 17 students and staff murdered during the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on Feb. 14, 2018.
Four months earlier, Fred’s brother, Michael, had passed away from pancreatic cancer related to his service as a physician at Ground Zero in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
In the wake of these two distinct American tragedies, Fred has traveled the country talking about both events, interweaving perspective, perseverance, and resilience.
“What I learned from my brother and from the many gun violence prevention warriors whose relationships and friendships I now rely on is that it is in life’s hardest moments that our country’s heroes and leaders are born,” he says.
To honor their daughter, Fred and his wife, Jennifer, established Orange Ribbons For Jaime, which provides college scholarships and supports various causes that were important to her. ORFJ most recently created Paws of Love, which embodies Jaime’s spirit and her love of dogs. The program provides companion dogs to families directly affected by gun violence. Fred also created Orange Ribbons for Gun Safety to support his advocacy and political work.
He is a frequent commentator on television news programs and has been featured in myriad online and print media. He is the author of the book “Find the Helpers: What 9/11 and Parkland Taught Me About Recovery, Purpose, and Hope” (Mango Publishing, 2020) and co-author of the book “American Carnage: Shattering the Myths That Fuel Gun Violence” (Mango Publishing, 2023).
In 2019, Fred collaborated with his Florida representative to introduce Jaime’s Law, federal legislation that would require background checks on the sale and transfer of ammunition. California has since passed its own version of the law, and Fred is working with multiple other states to pass similar legislation. Over the past five years, he has partnered with U.S. representatives, senators, and President Joe Biden to fight for gun safety legislation, and he is proud of his involvement in negotiating and passing the Safer Communities Act. The legislation, signed into law by President Biden in July 2022, enhances background checks for potential gun buyers under age 21 and provides funding to implement red-flag laws and shore up mental health programs.
As a business major at Skidmore who grew up on Long Island, Fred has had the entrepreneurial bug for as long as he can remember. As an adolescent, he collected, repaired, and sold old bikes and lawnmowers. Eventually, he started rebuilding and selling cars. After graduation, he started an automotive detailing and accessories business on Long Island. He sold the business a few years later and moved to Florida, where he would eventually work for Johnson & Johnson in sales and management for a dozen years. He then teamed up with a business partner for the next 15 years, building a network of Dunkin’ Donuts shops from Florida to Tennessee that ultimately consisted of 19 locations.
Fred says he’s honored to receive the Creative Thought Matters Award of Distinction. “Ultimately, what matters more than the moment is how you respond to it, which is really creativity at the highest level,” he says. “How you react to the moment in front of you is what defines you.”
Angel B. Pérez ’98 remembers walking across the stage to receive his diploma, thinking about how Skidmore had changed his life by giving him the opportunity to go to college. “I said to myself, ‘I’m not exactly sure how I’m going to pay this forward, but I’m going to dedicate my life to doing so,’” he says.
Today, he is CEO of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), which represents more than 27,000 admission and counseling professionals worldwide committed to helping young people go to college. Angel works with the NACAC leadership, staff, board, and membership to expand access to higher education through policy, advocacy, education, and training.
As a tireless champion for underrepresented communities and a creative advocate for reform, Angel is a nationally recognized leader on issues of equity and access in American education. He is a frequent contributor and commentator in media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Chronicle of Higher Education, National Public Radio, and CBS Evening News.
Named by Forbes in 2019 as the most influential voice in college admissions, Angel strives to build an educational ecosystem that better represents today’s society.
“Higher education is experiencing an incredible number of challenges. I have dedicated my life not only to students but also ensuring that institutions like Skidmore thrive so they can continue their transformative work to help students succeed,” says Angel, who has served as chair of diversity on the Skidmore Alumni Association Board.
Born in Puerto Rico, Angel moved with his family as a teenager to the South Bronx. He came to Skidmore on a full scholarship through the College’s Opportunity Program for disadvantaged students.
“Becoming a student at Skidmore was the beginning of an entirely different trajectory for me,” says Angel, who was the first in his family to go to college. “Skidmore changed my life.”
As a student, he served as an Opportunity Program mentor, first-year orientation organizer, and residence hall director. “What I didn’t realize at the time was that not only was I receiving leadership development training, but I was also preparing for a career in higher education,” he says.
Angel, who majored in social work, started his career as an admissions counselor at Skidmore before becoming the director of Upward Bound, the Center of Urban Education program at Pace University that prepares low-income high school students for college. He earned his master’s degree at Columbia University and received a doctorate from Claremont Graduate University, along with a Teaching Certification in Higher Education Pedagogy from the Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning at Harvard University. As a Fulbright scholar, Angel traveled to France to represent American higher education in liberal arts in the exchange of best practices between the two countries.
Before joining NACAC, Angel was vice president for enrollment and student success at Trinity College in Connecticut. He’s looking forward to celebrating his 25th reunion at Skidmore and is honored by the College’s recognition of his life’s work, which is far from over.
“This award is so special to me and it has fueled me even more,” he says, “especially given what has happened over the last several years with racial reckoning in America, which has highlighted that we still have a long way to go before we achieve a diverse and equitable society.”
Few have surpassed the dedication, contributions, and leadership that Joan “Joanie” Layng Dayton ’63 has infused into the fabric of Skidmore over the past 60 years. Her passion for serving Skidmore has been transformative.
As chair of Skidmore’s Journey Campaign for five years (1993-1998), Joanie was one of the driving forces in supporting the creation of the Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery. Opened in 2000, the museum would elevate Skidmore to national prominence in the academic and art worlds, and it continues to be a model for other teaching museums.
“Skidmore is an interdisciplinary liberal arts school with a strong arts program, so having a teaching museum that would involve the whole college curriculum in integrated ways was very exciting,” she says. “There was a need for it, and the museum has become a beacon for the campus, with a culture and flavor all its own.” She and her husband, Bob, established the museum’s Dayton Director Chair to ensure the museum’s continued growth.
Joanie is also a Skidmore parent, aunt, and cousin many times over. Two of her sons graduated from Skidmore: Scott Dayton ’93, who is celebrating reunion with her this year, and Tobin Dayton ’91. She is a past recipient of the Outstanding Service Award (1993), the 50th Reunion Service Award (2013), and the Skidmore College Board of Trustees’ Kembel-Cook Award (2002). In 2003, Skidmore presented her with an honorary doctor of humane letters degree. A founding member of the Tang National Advisory Council, Joanie served as chair from 2009 to 2016.
She has served as trustee (1986-2002), including as chair (1998-2002); Friends of the President Committee member; Presidential Search Committee member; and gift planning co-chair of her class and campaign volunteer, among numerous other roles. She headed a very active alumni club in Minneapolis beginning in the 1970s.
“I am honored and humbled by this award. I went along for the ride at Skidmore, and serving the College continues to be very satisfying,” she says. “Throughout it all, I have loved my associations with terrific board members and faculty. It has allowed me to continue my liberal arts education in ways unimagined and offered me so much more than I have given.”
Joanie, originally from Glen Ridge, New Jersey, majored in art at Skidmore. “There were a few professors who lit the fuse. I think that’s the whole point of education, especially in higher education,” Joanie says. One of those professors was acclaimed metalsmith and jewelry designer Earl Pardon, a major contributor to the rise of American studio art. Joanie was inspired by his course on jewelry making.
Joanie married in 1964 and moved to Minneapolis, where she and Bob renovated the Harold Inc. department store into a specialty shop for women’s clothing, shoes, and jewelry, with a beauty salon. Joanie also founded a gallery of American crafts within the store, and she retired in 1990 as the vice president and gallery director.
Joanie has also served on the board of the Frederick Weisman Museum at the University of Minnesota. She was a longtime board member of the Minneapolis Children’s Medical Center and served on the boards of Minneapolis Children’s Medical Center Foundation, the Guthrie Theater, Planned Parenthood, and most recently as trustee of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis.
When Linda Jackson-Chalmers ’73 thinks back to her days at Skidmore, she recalls how her experience influenced her as a leader and activist with a belief that anything is possible. “I learned that dreams are meant to be realized and efforts are rewarded,” she says.
Growing up in the inner city with nurturing and well-minded parents, Linda and her three siblings were expected to attend college. “I am from a culturally rich but financially limited background,” she says. “The challenge for me was whether I could compete at the same level as students from affluent backgrounds. But Skidmore gave me the confidence that I was just as competitive as anyone else.”
Linda, a studio art major, was a member of the first Opportunity Program (OP) class at Skidmore. OP provides economically disadvantaged students access to a high-quality liberal arts education at the College. This year, Linda is not only celebrating her 50th Reunion with the Class of 1973, but she is also marking the 50th anniversary milestone of the first OP graduating class.
For decades, Linda has been a champion for diversity and inclusion at Skidmore, beginning as a sophomore, when she was an OP tutor and counselor and helped make political and cultural activism part of campus life. Linda is a longtime trustee, serving as chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and is a member of the Alumni Association’s Nominating Committee. She has been a volunteer for numerous capital campaigns and was part of the Presidential Search Committee that appointed President Marc Conner.
“I’m honored to receive the 50th Reunion Service Award,” she says. “Beginning with Lucy Skidmore Scribner, who created a school to empower women, to the Opportunity Program that encouraged me to go to Skidmore, to President Conner’s Racial Justice Initiative, there has always been an emphasis on diversity and creating a warm and welcoming environment for all people at Skidmore. I’d like to believe I played a small part in this effort.”
A lifelong Albany, New York, resident, Linda began her career as an art teacher at the Arbor Hill Elementary School while earning her master’s degree in education administration at the University at Albany. She was chair of the school district’s elementary and middle school art programs for nearly 10 years before becoming principal at the same school, forging partnerships with Parsons Child and Family Center, Urban League of Albany, the Albany Boys & Girls Clubs, Arbor Hill Community Center, and YMCA, among others. She would eventually become assistant superintendent for human resources and community relations, working with parents and diversifying the teaching workforce before retiring in 2012.
Linda has received numerous honors recognizing her outstanding commitment to students, families, and community, including the Hudson-Mohawk Association Presidents’ Award; the Urban League of Albany Education Award for outstanding service and innovative community programs; and the YMCA Black and Latino Achievement Award. Linda was named a Woman of Excellence by the Albany-Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce in 2003 and inducted into the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities Alumni Hall of Distinction. She received a Skidmore Outstanding Service Award in 2008.
Linda is also on the American Institute of Art and History Board of Directors, serving as co-chair of its Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and is Board of Trustees president of the African American Cultural Center of the Capital Region.
Julianne Cartwright Traylor ’68 is a senior law school administrator, human rights educator, political science researcher, consultant, and grassroots activist specializing in international human rights law and policies with a focus on the United Nations (UN); development and gender issues; and economic, social, and cultural rights.
Reaching the heights in international human rights law and policy, Julie has not wavered in her service and commitment to Skidmore. As a longtime trustee, she has contributed to numerous committees, from the Trusteeship Committee that she currently co-chairs to the Academic Affairs, Student Life, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committees.
She has been an Alumni Association Board of Directors member and now serves as the Board of Trustees’ liaison to the Alumni Board’s Nominating Committee. As a class agent, she continues to serve on her class Reunion Planning Committee. She accepted an honorary doctorate from Skidmore in 2001 on behalf of victims of human rights abuses in the United States and globally.
A powerful voice for building awareness of human rights issues around the world, Julie is a frequent speaker on U.S. and international human rights issues for nongovernmental organizations, civic organizations, universities, and law schools. She was the first African American woman to serve as the board of directors chair of Amnesty International USA. She is co-chair of its Ginetta Sagan Fund Award Committee, which recognizes and assists women working on improving women and children’s rights in countries throughout the world.
Currently, Julie is associate director of international programs at the University of San Francisco School of Law, including its postgraduate Master of Laws Program that provides advanced training in specialized areas of law for lawyers.
Julie, a major in government at Skidmore, grew up in Atlanta in the segregated South. Her parents, both educators, provided a nurturing, supportive foundation that Skidmore mirrored during her time as a student. Julie, who came to Skidmore on a scholarship when she was 16, visited the UN for the first time with her International Organizations class.
She earned her master’s degree in political science from the University of California, Berkeley, received advanced training in international human rights law at the Boalt Hall School of Law at UC Berkeley, and studied at the International Institute of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France. She was a visiting scholar who worked on human rights and gender and development issues at the International Peace Research Institute, Oslo, Norway, for five years.
Julie is a founding board member of Human Rights Advocates, an international organization based in Berkeley and accredited by the United Nations Economic and Social Council. She is an official NGO representative at the UN, working on a broad range of human rights issues in the United States and globally.
“I’m deeply honored to receive this Outstanding Services award. I’ve seen major changes over time at Skidmore — including the Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum, the Arthur Zankel Music Center, the Billie Tisch Center for Integrated Sciences, and soon the new McCaffery-Wagman Tennis and Wellness Center — along with President Conner’s Racial Justice Initiative that provides the framework for our diversity, equity, and inclusion work at Skidmore,” Julie says. “I’m continually energized and so proud to be a part of continuing to move the College onward and upward.”
Debora "Debbie" Freedman Clower ’83 has been a loyal and consistent volunteer for over two decades. She came to Skidmore as a legacy following her mother, life trustee Sara Lee Lubin Schupf ’62, and has shown her love for the College ever since. Debbie has served as class co-president, class agent, and reunion fund chair. She joined the President’s Leadership Council in 2006 and currently serves as co-chair.
“Staying connected to Skidmore has been really important to me. When I first came on the leadership council, it was an exciting opportunity to give back, and it has benefited me both personally and professionally,” she says.
Debbie is currently assistant vice president of family philanthropy and leadership volunteer engagement at Drexel University in Philadelphia. Prior to this role, she served for almost seven years at the same university as the assistant vice president of the Presidential Advisory Councils, working within the Office of Institutional Advancement to welcome and steward members of the President’s Councils so they feel engaged and connected.
“Higher education continues to evolve, but the importance of collaboration, communication, and creativity remains the same. Skidmore has stayed true to its mission, and this type of bold thought has kept me connected all these years later.”
Debbie, who majored in American studies at Skidmore, began her career in account management at Grey Advertising in New York City. She also worked in corporate marketing for television station WNET-Channel 13. Following a role as director of special events at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, she worked part time for an executive search firm and as a fundraising consultant while raising a family.
“Skidmore, as a small liberal arts college, allowed me to have many diverse career opportunities and, most importantly, enabled me to be open-minded in any endeavor I chose to undertake,” she says.
The eldest of four children, Debbie was raised in Winnetka, Illinois. She spent her junior and senior years at Emma Willard School, a private all-girls school in Troy, New York, before enrolling at Skidmore.
After graduating from Skidmore, Debbie moved to New York City, where she met her husband, Greg. As newlyweds, they settled outside of Philadelphia, where they have lived and raised their family over the past 35 years. Their eldest daughter, Megan, and her husband, Will, live in Chicago, as does their youngest daughter, Tillie. Their middle daughter, Courtney, has settled in Philadelphia and will be married in October. Debbie has been a trustee at Please Touch Museum, Agnes Irwin School, Emma Willard School, and the Bryn Mawr Hospital Foundation.
“I’m humbled by this award and grateful, as it has given me space to reflect on the past 40 years on what I have done and why I have done it,” Debbie says. “The connections to your alma mater do not go away and actually become stronger over time.”
For more than two decades, Deborah "Debbie" Peavey Graves ’83 has been a consistent presence and advocate for Skidmore. Always ready and willing to help, Debbie is a member of the Alumni Board Nominating Committee, a member of the Loyalty Circle, and has served on the Palamountain Corporate Committee. She has been a reunion volunteer for each five-year period over the past 20 years, opening her home to host reunion events. She once again volunteered for her class’s 40th reunion this year.
“I’m amazed and honored to receive this award,” she says. “Volunteering at Skidmore doesn’t feel like work. It’s fun to make reunion happen, and the Alumni Relations staff in particular is a joy to work with.”
Debbie is a senior court analyst and district fiduciary liaison in the Fourth Judicial District of the New York State Unified Court System, which covers 11 counties in the northeastern part of the state. An operations unit staff member of the district administrative office, Debbie trains and provides ongoing support to fiduciary clerks and judges’ chambers for the state fiduciary appointment program, as well as assists with the scheduling of court reporters districtwide.
She also works on a variety of other tasks and projects, with the opportunity to travel to different courthouses to conduct training sessions and work with judges and staff. Before joining the state court system, Debbie served as a civil litigation paralegal for 16 years at both Carter Conboy in Albany, New York, and The Mills Law Firm in Clifton Park, New York.
Debbie, who grew up on Long Island and majored in dance and theater, was active in her high school theater department, participating in musicals and crewing for dramas. With aspirations of performing professionally in musical theater, she included Skidmore in her search for colleges that taught dance and had a theater department. During the summer prior to her first year at Skidmore, she took part in a six-week dance program on campus that still stirs up fond memories. “We did ballet, modern dance, and jazz six hours a day. It was nirvana,” she says, adding that she has remained good friends with two other student participants.
At Skidmore, she immersed herself in dance and theater. After college, she went to New York City, where she ultimately served on the administrative staff of The Joffrey Ballet, one of the premier dance companies in the world, and then took a job as a development associate at The Acting Company, a national touring theater repertory company. During the same period, she also studied under Rhett Dennis, who was a leading educator in American jazz dance and a faculty member at the world-renowned Luigi’s Jazz Dance Centre on Broadway. She met him through the summer dance program at Skidmore, where he was a guest faculty member.
She met her husband, Dan, at Skidmore. They eventually settled in the Saratoga area to raise a family. Debbie, a past president of the Rotary Club of Wilton, is actively engaged as an elder and youth group volunteer at the Presbyterian-United Church of Christ in Saratoga Springs.
A longtime volunteer and philanthropist, Kim Wachenheim Wagman ’88 truly has Skidmore in her blood. She shares her love of the College with two siblings, two cousins, her grandmother, and her son, Kyle Wagman ’15. Her remarkable insight, experience, and contributions have touched virtually every aspect of student life. A Skidmore trustee since 2019, Kim has been a member of the President’s Leadership Council for more than 10 years.
Kim, who grew up and still lives in Rye, New York, graduated as an elementary education major at Skidmore and earned her master’s degree in education at Manhattanville College. She taught first grade at the Fieldston Lower School, a private independent school in the Bronx, before raising her family of three children, Kyle, Avery, and Grant.
Kim and her husband, David, joined the Parents Council (2011-2015) as volunteers when their son, Kyle, became a Skidmore student. They served as project chairs of the Class of 2015 Parents Fund and set a new record. The Wagmans focused on two main priorities: scholarships for 2016 incoming students and sustainability initiatives ranging from geothermal energy to campus-grown food and waste recycling.
Kim most recently played a key role in shepherding her family’s lead gift to advance the new McCaffery-Wagman Tennis and Wellness Center, a truly transformative project that will improve the lives of all Skidmore students.
“My family has had a long-standing relationship with Skidmore College, and I am proud to continue that commitment,” Kim says. “My time on the President’s Leadership Council and the Board of Trustees has allowed me to play a role in shaping the future of Skidmore. I have had great experiences as a student, parent, and active alum and want to do everything possible to see Skidmore continue to grow and thrive in every aspect of its mission.”
As a student, Kim was attracted to the campus environment and the Saratoga Springs community. She played on the tennis team, as did her sister, Amy Wachenheim McCaffery ’01. But the College’s faculty inspired her more than anything else.
“I felt like I really got to know my professors as human beings instead of just someone teaching in front of the class,” Kim says. “They were nurturing and supportive, and my son, Kyle, had the same experience.”
Kim’s family has also given generously to the Billie Tisch Center for Integrated Sciences, which opened last fall. Other major contributions include the Porter-Wachenheim Presidential Scholarship in Science and Mathematics, the Wachenheim Family Scholarship endowment, and the Wachenheim Gallery in the Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery. Kim and her family have also supported the Skidmore Fund and the Friends of Skidmore Athletics.
Kim is also a trustee emeritus at Rye Country Day School. All three of her children attended the pre-kindergarten through grade 12 college preparatory school, where her father served as the Board of Trustees president.
“Supporting education has always been a priority in my family,” Kim says, “and so it has always been natural for us to be involved in the schools we care about and make our contributions as meaningful as possible.”
In her Commencement speech, Rachael Thomeer ’18 emphasized how everyday actions can make a world of difference to the people we interact with on a daily basis, from simply saying “hello” to helping someone in need. “This is what the Skidmore community has meant to me,” she said, urging her classmates to give back to the College and the community at large.
As a political science major, she was class president from sophomore to senior year and served on the senior gift committee and as student government elections commissioner, among other student government positions. She also was a peer mentor for first-year students and worked as a tutor and peer academic coach. Throughout her time at Skidmore, she advocated for financially disadvantaged students.
“I believe it’s important to talk about financial inclusivity, but there can be such a taboo around the subject. As class president, I felt I had a platform to speak openly and advocate for financial inclusion to raise awareness and try to lower barriers,” says Rachael, originally from the suburbs of Buffalo, New York, and now a New Hampshire resident. She continues to inspire loyalty to Skidmore as class president, reunion volunteer, Skidmore Fund volunteer, and Career Development Center volunteer mentor.
Rachael was attracted to Skidmore’s creative spirit, studio art opportunities, and emphasis on interdisciplinary studies, as well as by the generous financial aid she received, although she wasn’t sure about her major in the beginning.
“It was important to me that I went to a school where I would have the opportunity to explore the arts, education, political science, and more, so I could figure out the right path for myself. I ended up focusing on political science because it felt like a direct way to effect change,” says Rachael, who completed her senior thesis on Saratoga Springs city elections.
Rachael started her career as a regional campaign manager for the Committee to Elect House Democrats in New Hampshire, quickly moving up as house caucus director and serving as the point of contact for the over 400 candidates running for election. Responsible for everything from political strategy to fundraising and campaign management, she was an integral part of the election process that resulted in the youngest and most diverse group of candidates the state had ever seen.
“In New Hampshire’s citizen legislature, lawmakers receive only $100 a year for their work and have a handful of staff to support all of them,” she says. “So, a lot of my job was helping these local candidates — people who were volunteering to serve their neighborhoods — navigate the political system.”
Rachael is now a research project coordinator at the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice at Dartmouth College, where she is working full time on a study of COVID-19 vaccine confidence among long-term care workers.
“It is such an honor to be chosen for this young alumni service award,” Rachael says. “I’ve always been interested in exploring as many different topics as possible. Skidmore offered me a place to foster that curiosity and learn about politics as well as art and classical mythology and science. It expanded my horizons in ways that still impact me today.”
When she’s not working, Rachael is the Upper Valley Young Professionals events chair, is involved with local political, art, and theater groups, and enjoys quilting and glass working.