Alumni Association Award Recipients

Honors one alumna/us, graduated at least 10 years, who has translated her or his Skidmore experience into distinguished achievement through professional work and/or community service.

Susan Marsh Elliott ’74, a highly accomplished diplomat, is president and CEO of the National Committee on American Foreign Policy, an organization dedicated to the resolution of international conflicts.

During her 27-year career as a U.S. diplomat, Susan held many leadership positions, including as U.S. ambassador to Tajikistan (2012-2015). Before she retired in 2017, she served as civilian deputy and political advisor to the U.S. European Command, a unified combatant command headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. 

Susan, who grew up in Hoosick Falls, New York, graduated from Skidmore’s nursing program. She chose the College because of financial aid support and the hands-on medical training she knew she would receive at New York University Hospital as part of the academic program. She worked in coronary care at a Vermont hospital before earning a master’s degree from Russell Sage College and a doctoral degree in nursing science and administration from Indiana University. For nearly 10 years, she taught nursing at Ball State University in Indiana and the University of Virginia. 

Susan transitioned from a career in nursing and academia to become a significant figure in U.S. diplomacy in 1990. “I was 38 years old, and I decided to switch careers,” says Susan, who also speaks Russian, Greek, Spanish, and Tajik. “What has helped me be successful is my undergraduate education at Skidmore, because it demonstrated that if you have a strong liberal arts education and you’re motivated, you can do anything. Diplomacy is all about written and verbal communication skills, and a lot of what we learned in the nursing program was how to effectively communicate.” 

In one notable experience during her time as ambassador, President Barack Obama asked all U.S. ambassadors to encourage their respective host country governments to sign the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. In honor of the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, she developed a plan to better enable the Tajik government to address the rights and needs of disabled citizens. 

“Tajik officials were shocked that I would want to directly interact with children who had disabilities,” Susan says. “But this was especially important to me, partly because of my healthcare background and also because my brother has developmental disabilities.”

Prior to her ambassadorship in Tajikistan, Susan served as deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. In this role, she contributed to U.S. policy in South and Central Asia and coordinated with the U.S. military to establish supply routes in support of military operations during the U.S. War in Afghanistan. 

Susan was also minister-counselor for political affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow (2009-2010) and consul general at the U.S. Consulate General in Belfast (2007-2009). In Belfast, she directed relations with Northern Ireland, assisting with the peace process, economic development, and cross-community projects. Her overseas assignments also included Athens, Greece, and Lima, Peru.

Honors one member of the 50th reunion class (Class of 1974) who has demonstrated outstanding service to the College.

Working for a book publisher shortly after graduation, Denise Marcil ’74 was invited to a nearby New York City Alumni Club meeting. She decided to “just show up.” That initial step into volunteering has evolved into nearly five decades of indefatigable service to Skidmore College. 

Denise, who became alumni club president, has since served as a volunteer in nearly every capacity, including as an alumna trustee (1986-1989), a vice president on the Alumni Association Board of Directors (2004-2007), and class president. She hosted a mini-reunion in 1991 at her New York City home for the classes of 1973, 1974, and 1975. 

“I’ve grown and benefitted so much from participating as a volunteer, making many valuable connections and friendships and developing leadership and interpersonal skills along the way. So, honestly, I’ve received more than I’ve given back,” she says.

She continues to support Skidmore with her gifts of time and talent, mentoring students as a Career Development Center volunteer. She is also a member of the President’s Society. For her 50th reunion, she is a Legacy Gift planning chair for her class and a reunion volunteer. Denise received the Outstanding Service Award in 1989.

She was on the Board of Trustees when David Porter was appointed as Skidmore’s fifth president in 1987, and early on, he established a commission to chart a new course into the 21st century. As a member of the commission, Denise played an integral role in developing recommendations for a campuswide strategic plan that emphasized academic excellence, long-term financial stability, and greater diversity within the campus community and curriculum. In the early 1990s, Denise chaired the Friends of the Scribner Library Committee during the renovation and expansion of the library. 

“My time on the Board was an extraordinary experience. I learned how a multi-million-dollar organization is run, working with brilliant people on the board who were business and academic leaders,” she says. 

Denise recently retired from a distinguished career in the publishing industry. An English major at Skidmore, she started her career as an editorial assistant and assistant editor at Avon Books and Simon & Schuster. She worked as a literary agent at the Bobbe Siegel Agency before founding her own company, Denise Marcil Literary Agency Inc., which specialized in discovering and cultivating new authors. In 2008, Denise co-founded the Marcil-O’Farrell Literary Agency LLC with partner Anne Marie O’Farrell.

For 44 years, she represented an eclectic range of commercial fiction and nonfiction, from suspense, thrillers, and contemporary women’s fiction to practical nonfiction and business books. Many of the books have appeared on national bestseller lists, including The New York Times’. She built the brands of writers, including New York Times bestselling author Sherryl Woods, whose Sweet Magnolias novels were turned into a hit Netflix television series of the same name. 

Outside of Skidmore, Denise is on the Friends of the Ferguson Library Board in Stamford, Connecticut. In 2011, she created an authors’ series as a fundraiser, with Kathryn Stockett of The Help featured as the first author. Most recently, in light of book bans in schools and libraries across the United States, Denise initiated the Freedom to Read Committee, which has developed programming around challenges to intellectual freedom. Among her many other honors, Denise was voted one of the 10 Outstanding Working Women by Glamour magazine in 1985 and met President Ronald Reagan at the White House.

Honors up to five members of the Skidmore community who have demonstrated outstanding service to the College for at least 10 years as an alumna/us, trustee, faculty member, administrator, staff member, parent or friend. Alumni recipients must be members of a celebrating reunion class.

Harold Herz ’89 has been a longtime committed volunteer, leader, and advocate for Skidmore College, known for his unwavering optimism and drive for positive change. His approach to volunteerism and leadership is characterized by a passion for doing the right thing, a willingness to take the initiative, and an unparalleled ability to bring people together for a common cause. 

As vice president for strategic communications on the Alumni Association Board of Directors for six years (2016-2022), as well as serving on the Awards and Nominating committees, Harold played an integral role in steering the Board’s goals and achievements and reshaping membership roles and responsibilities. After completing two terms, he has continued to actively support regional planning. 

One of Harold’s most impactful, longstanding efforts has been the development of the Charlottesville and greater Virginia regional alumni club, building energy and camaraderie among Skidmore alumni. During the COVID-19 pandemic, his efforts were instrumental in fostering connectivity among alumni through class-based virtual events. As an entrepreneur, he generously devoted his time to helping students navigate their post-Skidmore journeys. An admissions volunteer early on, he served as a liaison between prospective students in the greater Virginia area and Skidmore. Harold is a reunion volunteer for his class this year and a Loyalty Circle member. 

Most recently, Harold and Anne Margiloff Wargo ’89 partnered with the Office of Advancement to establish a collective Alumni Memorial Scholarship, which provides students with financial aid in honor of a friend or classmate who has departed. This kind of scholarship is meaningful to Harold, who with his family established the Dr. Matthew and Elise Herz Scholarship Fund more than 20 years ago to honor his parents. The fund provides science scholarships to students at Framingham High School in Massachusetts. 

Growing up in Framingham, just outside of Boston, Harold comes from a family of scientists, including his father, who was a chemist, and mother, a pediatric nurse and social worker. Inspired by numerous Skidmore faculty, Harold majored in biology before studying and working as a research associate in the Neurology Department at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine.

“There were so many great professors at Skidmore — biology professors Bernard Possidente and Roy Meyers, as well as psychology professors Gus Lumia and Bill Lefurgy — and many of them were ahead of their time,” he says. 

Harold’s interests would eventually turn toward entrepreneurship, and in 1992, he moved to Charlottesville, where he and his college roommate, Mike Lane ’89, co-founded the Outback Lodge, a popular restaurant and pub that remained open until 2002. Since 1994, he has owned and operated HKH Properties, a residential real estate company with 50,000 square feet of premium properties in Charlottesville and Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Harold’s Skidmore family legacy includes his sister, Ellen Herz ’92. 

“I’m truly honored to receive the Outstanding Service Award. I’ve never looked at my volunteering as work,” Harold says. “My goal has been to strengthen the bond between the College and alumni, and to encourage more alumni to get involved with their alma mater. Skidmore is an amazing place, and the quality and diversity of students just keep growing.” 

Honors up to five members of the Skidmore community who have demonstrated outstanding service to the College for at least 10 years as an alumna/us, trustee, faculty member, administrator, staff member, parent or friend. Alumni recipients must be members of a celebrating reunion class.

Amy M. Munichiello ’94 is Americas technology, media and communications, and telecom talent leader at Ernst & Young (EY), one of the largest professional services firms in the world. As a strategic human resources executive, she is passionate in the belief that investing in the next generation of leaders will result in high-performing teams and business success. She has tirelessly leveraged her leadership position to nurture deep coaching relationships with Skidmore students to create a recruiting pathway for internships and entry-level consulting opportunities. Dozens of alumni — including many still with EY — owe their early successes to Amy.

For 30 years, Amy has been engaged with Skidmore students, alumni, faculty, and staff as a career advisor, sponsor, and advocate in various roles. She has remained connected to the Career Development Center (CDC), helping students develop networking and job-seeking skills and participating in multiple alumni and student programs over the years. She served for six years on the Alumni Association Board of Directors as the chair of career and professional development (2017-2022) and still returns often to campus as a guest lecturer.

Amy is also a coach for the widely known MB107 (Business and Organization Management) course, the cornerstone of the management and business major and minor. She has been integrally involved in Professor Colleen Burke’s Skidmore-Saratoga Consulting Partnership, an advanced seminar that enables students to gain hands-on consulting experience in the local public and private sectors. 

The eldest of three children and the only daughter, Amy grew up in an environment where she seldom saw women transcend traditional gender roles. “Having access to role models and mentors has played a pivotal role in shaping my career journey, not only creating awareness of what is possible but also helping me to understand the paths to get there.”

When Amy arrived at Skidmore, she was recovering from knee surgery due to a soccer injury and was unable to perform the traditional work-study job in the dining hall. Instead, she took a job at the CDC, which became a game-changing experience that spanned all four years. While organizing career workshops and employer visits, she met Mairead Jacoby ’89, who introduced her to consulting careers in the professional services firm Accenture. Mairead mentored Amy for two years, guiding her through course selections and the job search process, culminating in Amy’s first job as a change management consultant at Accenture.

Professor Jeannette Oppedisano also served as a role model as a businesswoman and educator, shaping Amy’s understanding of how prioritizing and investing in human capital can impact business success. Amy’s role as head resident stands out as another defining experience in her leadership growth. Amy lives in Boston with husband Tony Reidy '94 and their two children. She is a certified leadership and team coach and is on The Conference Board’s Learning, Development & Organization Performance Executive Council.

“The Outstanding Service Award underscores the profound chain reaction of meaningful connections and nurturing relationships. Skidmore has enriched my life with invaluable experiences, and it’s deeply fulfilling to offer these life-changing opportunities to other students,” she says. “Through each small act of guidance, just as others have provided me, we spark a chain reaction of growth — what starts here can indeed lead to giant impacts in the world.” 

Honors up to five members of the Skidmore community who have demonstrated outstanding service to the College for at least 10 years as an alumna/us, trustee, faculty member, administrator, staff member, parent or friend. Alumni recipients must be members of a celebrating reunion class.

Aaron A. Prills ’99 has been a pillar of support through his continuous volunteer work and fundraising efforts for nearly 25 years. His dedication in championing Skidmore began shortly after graduation as a class agent before he became a class fund chair for many years. He currently serves as a President’s Society chair for his class and is a longstanding Loyalty Circle member. Known for his hands-on approach, Aaron handwrote more than 20 personal appeals to his classmates this year. He continues to encourage financial participation at all levels.

“Being involved as a fundraising volunteer has allowed me to keep up with all that is new and changing at Skidmore, and it is a chance to give back,” Aaron says, pointing to some of the latest campus additions, such as the Billie Tisch Center for Integrated Sciences and the McCaffery-Wagman Tennis and Wellness Center, which is under construction. When the Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery was completed in 2000, “I felt such pride for the campus,” he adds.

Carving out a successful career that has spanned marketing and finance, Aaron is a director of marketing at Mastercard. Prior to this, he was a director of marketing for First Data. He held various leadership roles at General Electric and has had extensive leadership training through GE’s premier sales and marketing leadership program. Aaron earned his MBA at the University of Michigan, graduating with distinction.

Aaron was also a founding member and chief technology officer of Casey Quirk, which provides strategy-driven consulting services to investment and wealth managers. Established in 2002, the company was sold in 2016 to Deloitte, a leading global provider of audit and assurance, consulting, financial advisory, risk advisory, tax, and related services.

Aaron grew up in Glastonbury, Connecticut, where he learned the value of volunteering from his grandmother, an Irish immigrant, who emphasized education and community involvement. A business major at Skidmore, he was drawn to the small, personalized classes and the “creative thought matters” mindset.

Aaron was influenced by many of his business professors, especially Bill Edwards, who shed light on the possibilities in business consulting, which became the initial path Aaron pursued after graduation. 

“It is wonderful to be recognized, but I never expected to receive an Outstanding Service Award,” he says. “I look forward to my kids being a part of the ceremony and hope it helps them understand the importance of giving back.”

Aaron lives in Ridgefield, Connecticut, with his wife, Melinda Prills ’99, and their two children. A favorite place when they return to campus is the Skidmore Community Garden, which wasn’t there when he and his wife were students. The garden, managed through the Sustainability Office, supports Murray-Aikins Dining Hall with organic produce and is used as an educational resource. It especially makes them smile when a few students stop what they’re doing to chat with the family.

“Skidmore still feels like my campus home did 25 years ago, with a nice community feel to it,” he says. “But it has also evolved and grown, and I think that is exciting.”

Honors one alumna/us, graduated one to 10 years, who has demonstrated outstanding service to the College.

In his alumni message to Student Government Association members a few years ago as they were gearing up for elections, Nigel Smith ’19 shared what he learned about leadership as class president during all four years at Skidmore: be authentic, become a student of the people (in his case, a student of the students), and practice humility to build a strong team. 

Nigel has exemplified these leadership qualities and much more in his continued support for the College and as he elevates his career, intellect, and passion for positive change. He has served Skidmore in many capacities, continuing a tradition of service that began as a student. In addition to class president, he was a member of the Senior Gift Executive Committee, student representative on the Alumni Association Board of Directors, and student representative on the Institutional Policy and Planning Committee. 

A young alumni member of the Board of Trustees, Nigel has served on the Student Life and Communications committees and is currently on the Advancement, Audit/Risk Management, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) committees. He continues to serve as class president and class agent. 

“To receive the David H. Porter Award for Young Alumni Service at this stage of my career and time in life is a loud voice telling me to keep going, do the work, and reinvest in the next generation,” Nigel says. 

In the five years since graduation, Nigel, who lives in metropolitan Atlanta, has had an impressive career. He was recently appointed vice president for compliance strategy and integration manager in the Compliance Risk Management Non-BSA Division of M&T Bank. Last year, he was appointed vice president and environmental finance asset manager for M&T’s Community Banking Division, a newly created position focused in part on the portfolio of existing renewable energy investments. Before that, he was vice president and consumer protection office compliance consultant. 

In between his rising leadership roles at the bank, Nigel earned his MBA from the University of Georgia in 2023. He also completed M&T’s two-year EquityOne program, created for unseen and highly talented leaders within the bank. 

A political science major, Nigel began his M&T career as a management development program associate, specializing in compliance risk management. After the death of George Floyd in 2020, Nigel created a small-group discussion model for crucial conversations with DEI themes. The effort has since evolved into a nine-member team and been adopted as a tool by several business lines, including the bank’s DEI Office. He also played a pivotal role as one of the project managers responsible for integrating personnel, systems, and risk infrastructure during M&T’s largest acquisition deal to date in 2022.

Nigel was exposed to various facets of Atlanta and surrounding areas in Georgia as a result of his father’s service in the Air Force and family background, providing him with a diverse and enriching upbringing that laid the foundation for his appreciation of different cultures and perspectives.

“I would not be where I am and who I am today if my parents, family, mentors, key teachers, and professors did not invest in my future and believe in my potential during my academic journey and professional career,” he says. “So, my continued ‘yes’ to Skidmore is because Skidmore said yes to me.”