Alumni Recognition

The Choate Rosemary Hall Alumni Association Distinguished Alumni Service Award is awarded to an alumnus, alumna or group in recognition and appreciation of consistent and substantial service to the school.

• 2021 - Tom Wall '76 
• 2020 - Susan Barclay '85
• 2019 - Chali Sophonpanich ’79
• 2019 - Sunpitt Sethpornpong ’84
• 2019 - Pirapol Sethbhakdi '85
• 2019 - Isareit Chirathivat ’96
• 2018 - Lee Sylvester P'87
• 2017 - Bob Gaines '56
• 2016 - Erin Brennan Allan ’93
• 2015 - Anne Marshall Henry ’62
• 2015 - John G. Russell ’46
• 2014 - Cornelia “Connie” Terry Ferguson ’69
• 2014 - William “Ted” Little ’49
• 2013 - Alice Chaffee Freeman ’63
• 2013 - Jeffrey “Woody” Laikind ’53
• 2012 - Stephen E. Gilhuley ’62
• 2011 - Thomas Wachtell ’46
• 2010 - Ronna Chao Heffner '85, Silas Chou P'93 '96 '02 and their respective families
• 2009 - Putney Westerfield '47

In 2010 the Choate Seal Prize and Rosemary Hall Alumnae Award were combined to create the Choate Rosemary Hall Alumni Award, which is given annually.

2021 - Henry Hipps, III ’90, Deputy Director on the K-12 Education team for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation  — Henry oversees the Gates Foundation’s work on improving the implementation of high-leverage solutions that support teachers and increase student achievement. Previously, Henry was senior director at the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools and founder and CEO of Trajectory Learning which delivered web-based K-12 courseware with culturally-relevant content designed to increase student engagement.

2020 - Maria Semple ’82, novelist and screenwriter — Maria is the author of This One Is Mine, Where'd You Go, Bernadette, and Today Will Be Different. Her television credits include Beverly Hills, 90210, Mad About You, Saturday Night Live, Arrested Development, Suddenly Susan, and Ellen.

2019 - G. Lorenzo di Bonaventura ’76, film producer — Lorenzo is the founder and owner of Di Bonaventura Pictures. He is best known as the producer of the Transformers films but has been involved in more than 130 others, including A Time to Kill (1996), The Matrix (1999), Analyze This (2000), The Perfect Storm (2000), Ocean’s Eleven (2001), and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001).

2018 - Geoffrey Fletcher ’88, screenwriter and director — Geoffrey received an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for Precious: based on the novel Push by Sapphire. He is the first African American to receive an Academy Award for writing.

2017 - Kristen Clarke ’93, U.S. Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights — Kristen previously served as a trial attorney in the Civil Rights Division and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, head of the Civil Rights Bureau for the New York State Attorney General’s Office, and the president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, one of the nation’s leading civil rights organizations founded at the request of John F. Kennedy ’35.

2016 - Laurie Patton ’79, President, Middlebury College — Laurie is the first Choate Rosemary Hall graduate to head a college or university. She previously served as Dean of Arts and Sciences at Duke University. She is a distinguished religion scholar and translator of classic Indian Sanskrit texts.

2016 - D. Dodge Thompson ’66, Chief of Exhibitions, National Gallery of Art — Dodge has held this esteemed post for more than 30 years. He is a member of the Bizot Group, an association of the directors of the world's 60 largest fine arts museums. Dodge has been honored by the Republic of France with the Chevalier of Arts and Letters and by the Republic of Italy with the Order of Merit.

2015 - Margaret “Peggy” Brim Bewkes ’69, producer — honored for her significant contributions in writing, directing, and producing television and film, which include an Emmy Award and Writers Guild Award for Outstanding Television Documentary, as well as her longstanding and noteworthy commitment to various philanthropic endeavors.

2015 - Peter C. Goldmark, Jr. ’58, former New York State budget director — Peter was credited with rescuing both the state and New York City from the brink of financial collapse in the mid-1970s. As chair of the Choate Rosemary Hall Board of Trustees, Peter witnessed the newly merged Choate Rosemary Hall and the first co-ed graduation in 1978. He has also made significant contributions in the non-profit world as former director of the Environmental Defense Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation.

2014 - Amy Lehman ’91, founder & CEO, Lake Tanganyika Floating Health Clinic — an outstanding force for humanitarian efforts in the Lake Tanganyika region of Africa. As a medical doctor, her altruism and dedication in founding the Lake Tanganyika Floating Health Clinic and her significant role in educating the world about this region’s people and needs are nothing short of inspiring.

2014 - L. Geoffrey Cowan ’60, Annenberg Family Chair in Communication Leadership, University of Southern California — Geoffrey directs the Annenberg School's Center on Communication Leadership and Policy. Throughout his long and distinguished career, he has had, and continues to have, an enormous influence in the fields of law and public policy, broadcasting and journalism, and the humanities and higher education.

2013 - Paul Giamatti ’85, Actor — honored for his accomplishments in theater, television, and film. He was recognized for his acclaimed work in John Adams, Sideways, American Splendor, Cinderella Man, The Illusionist, and Win-Win as well as his roles in independent movies and television shows.

2013 - Paula Loyd ’90,* Humanitarian — honored posthumously for her outstanding achievement and sacrifice in the cause of public service. Her remarkable life was one distinguished by extraordinary courage and dedication to her country, the Afghan people, and strangers – anyone needing help.

2012 - Daniel J. Carucci, M.D., Ph.D. ’76, Surgeon, President for Global Health for the UN Foundation — received his medical degree from UVA and practiced medicine with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps. At the Naval Medical Research Center, he established the Malaria Genomics and Applied Genomics Laboratory. After retiring, he joined the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health as Director, Grand Challenges in Global Health Initiative.

2012 - Victoria J. Nuland ’79, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs — Previously, Victoria served as a visiting fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and as a career senior Foreign Service officer. Her other prior work includes service as the U.S. Ambassador to NATO, Principal Deputy National Security Advisor to the Vice President, Deputy Permanent Representative to NATO, and Deputy Director for Soviet Union Affairs.

2011 - Tony James ’69, Wall Street investment banker — is Executive Vice Chairman of The Blackstone Group, one of the world’s largest private equity firms. Tony was formerly Chairman of Global Investment Banking and Private Equity at Credit Suisse First Boston and Chairman of Donaldson Lufkin and Jenrette’s Banking Group. He is a former member of the Choate Rosemary Hall Board of Trustees and serves on a number of corporate boards.

2011 - Terry O’Neill ’70, Attorney, professor, and activist — was elected president of the National Organization of Women (NOW) in 2009. She also serves as president of the NOW Foundation and as Chair of the NOW Political Action Committees. Prior to NOW, Terry was a law professor at Tulane University and the University of California at Davis.

2010 - Caterina Fake ’86, Entrepreneur and businesswoman — was one of the early investors in Kickstarter and is a cofounder of Flickr. She is the Founder and CEO at Findery, a Founder Partner at Founder Collective, the Chairman of the Board at Etsy, and on the Board of Directors at Creative Commons.

2010 - S. Davis Phillips ’61, Ambassador — served as the U.S. Ambassador to Estonia from 2007-2009. A businessman, civic leader, and former senior state official in North Carolina, Dave served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Phillips Industries, Inc. and as a partner in Market Square Partnership.

*deceased