By Kimberly Swick Slover
Sadhana Hall, deputy director of the Nelson A. Rockefeller Center for Public Policy, received the Sheila Culbert Distinguished Employee Award at this year’s employee service awards banquets. Also honored were 296 employees who marked anniversary years beginning with 10 years of service and running through 45 years of work at Dartmouth. Together the honored employees have contributed almost 5,100 years of service to the College.
Sadhana Hall received the Sheila Culbert Distinguished Employee Award from President Phil Hanlon ’77. (Photo by Jon Gilbert Fox)
Chief Human Resources Officer Scot Bemis said he was pleased to serve as host for the event and to celebrate the valuable work of Dartmouth staffers who, he said, “make a significant impact at all levels.”
“Having lived in several countries around the world, I can truly say that the Upper Valley is one of the most beautiful and friendliest places I’ve experienced,” he said. “I hope you all reflect, at least occasionally, on how truly fortunate we are to be in such a lovely place and part of such a great community.”
This year’s celebration was different from previous years to accommodate the growing number of long-serving employees. There were two events—a luncheon honoring employees marking 10-year and 15-year anniversaries, and a dinner celebrating those with 20 to 45 years of service. The events took place in the Class of ’53 Commons dining hall, with music by the group Sol Food, whose members were perched on a balcony overlooking the hall.
“Dartmouth’s reputation as a leader in higher education is due to the hard work of our employees,” Bemis said. “You have served as role models and inspired co-workers, faculty, and students. Longevity and dedication from employees like you are what keeps Dartmouth running and fosters a rich environment for our students to learn, grow, and look forward to serving as future leaders.”
President Phil Hanlon ’77 told the employees that their work is an important part of the College’s success.
“Dartmouth is at a moment of great ambition. We are coming together around a vision for the future in which our institution will be a magnet for talent, attracting the very best minds—students, faculty, and staff—to our campus,” said President Hanlon.
“We’ve just finished our annual two-week extravaganza that begins with Commencement, when we send another class of Dartmouth graduates into the world, and moves on to reunions, when we invite back thousands of alumni and family members. This is an uplifting time for our whole community, and also one where I have the chance to take the pulse of the extended Dartmouth family. The excellence of Dartmouth is a team effort, and staff play a crucial role with faculty and students in the institution’s success.”
Hanlon said he had heard from alumni and families about the beauty of the campus grounds and buildings and the friendly and accommodating manner of staff. Grateful parents told him about staffers who assisted their graduating seniors with information or logistics at critical moments. And members of the Class of 2015 have shared their experiences outside the classroom, whether in the Thayer machine shop or through the arts or athletics or outdoor activities, he said.
“Your work touches every part of campus and every aspect of our mission to send citizen-leaders into the world,” he said. “If a university can only be as good as its staff, I am more confident than ever that Dartmouth’s brightest days are ahead.”
Hall, who joined the Rockefeller Center in 2004, was presented the College’s highest staff honor in recognition of a decade of work during which she built, broadened, and brought academic rigor to experiential learning programs that deepen students’ knowledge and understanding of public policy and strengthen their leadership skills. Her work has included transforming the center’s Leadership Fellows program.
To extend the reach of the center’s programs, Hall initiated the Management and Leadership Development program in 2009 for sophomores, juniors, and seniors. The program provides learning and leadership opportunities focused on understanding and practicing principles that leaders follow in corporate, public, and not-for-profit sectors. In 2012, she launched the Rockefeller Global Leadership Program in response to what she perceived as a need for students to communicate across personal and cultural differences. Three years later, 170 students have taken part in leadership programs that cross international and cultural boundaries.
Hall’s impact on students was described in comments from more than three dozen colleagues and current and former students who recommended her for the award.
“When people ask me who my favorite professor was, I chuckle a bit because Sadhana Hall … comes to mind as the single most significant and continuing impact on my collegiate experience,” wrote former Rockefeller Fellow Shala Burroughs ’07 in support of Hall’s award. “She is a professor of the ‘whole human.’ While learning a subject is one thing, understanding the humanity and leadership necessary to use that education to impact the world is quite another.”
Michele Clark and Donald Glasgo were honored for 40 years of service. Not pictured: Lynn Battis, Barbara Bushor, and Thomas Thornton. (Photo by John Gilbert Fox)
The 35-year honorees, are, first row, from left: David Izzo, Roger Dauphinais, Stephanie Raymond, Debra Smith, Julie McIntyre, and Paula Graves. Second row, from left: Derrol Carter, Jane Collins, Raymond Dauphinais, James Fries, and Kenneth Orndorff. Not pictured: Janet Houston, Janet MacElman, Brett Moses, and Tracy Stone. (Photo by Jon Gilbert Fox)
The 30-year honorees are, first row, from left: Karen Mongeon, Brian Kunz, Cynthia Falzarano, and Gary Ward. Second row, from left: Nien Lin Xie, Jay Cary, Mark Lancaster, Jeff Robbins, and Joy Weale. Not pictured: Charles Daghlian, Scott Durkee, William Fontaine, Patricia Moffitt, Rebel Roberts, and Donna Smith. (Photo by Jon Gilbert Fox)
The 25-year honorees are, first row, from left: Patricia Hedin, Jane Lemire, Sherri Strickland, Laureen Welch, and Robert Whalen. Second row, from left: Bruce Dunn, Stephen Glinos, Katherine Hart, Lisa King, Constance Prior, Cornelia Purcell, and Heidi Trask. Third row, from left: Brenda Clukey, Flora Bruce, Peter Dodge, Steven Edes, Richard Lower, and Scott Moses. Not pictured: Zenghong Chen, Judith Harjes, Wanda Kenison, Rebecca Lee, Laurie Noblet, Robert Patterson, Sherri Perkins, Rebecca Rice-Mesec, and Karen Thompson. (Photo by Jon Gilbert Fox)
The 20-year honorees are, first row, from left: Patrick Rogers, David DiBenedetto, Diane Chamberlain, Nancy Allison, Marybeth Maloney, Ronald Girardin, Martha Smith, and Rosemarie Wolfe. Second row, from left: David Choate, Linda Hoover, Colleen Andrasko, Susan Davis, and Beth Tildon. Third row, from left: William Riehl, Keith Borgstrom, William Bean, Barbara Currier, John Currier, Martin Emerson, Wess Jolley, and Carol Kinghorn. Not pictured: Toni Bacon, Jean Blandin, Gerard Bohlen, Ann Bunnell, Nancy Coonley, Sean Dunten, Autumn Evans, Susan Ewell, Myric Fifield, Christine Hodge, Terri Hollis, Cheryl Josler, Lisa King, Wadeane Kunz, Jennifer Marcroft, Delia Mauceli, Nelson Olmstead, Merilee Perkins, Rhonda Stewart, Joyce Thurston, Lorraine Turner, Patrice Vidal, David Wennberg, and Kathryn Whittaker. (Photo by Jon Gilbert Fox)
The 15-year honorees are, first row, from left: Gary McLean, Sherry Kuchma, Judith Forman, Kelly Clark, Jane Prescott, Holly Harrison, Ann Harvey, and William Hankel. Second row, from left: E.J. Kiefer, Joseph Cheevers, Deborah Edwards, Richard Pethtel, Roberta Shin, Sharon Reed, Nicole Hewett, Susan Remacle, Maureen Dunham, Donald Carmichael, and Thomas Brodeur. Third row, from left: Mark Mounts, Mary Ann Hunt, Annette Lepine, Elizabeth Winslow, Jonathan Sylvia, and Christian Vollmann. Fourth row, from left: Gregory Timmins, William Tibbits, Michael Blake, Richard Rielly, Stephen Johnson, Thomas McGraw, Bruce Smith, Joseph Clifford, and John Gilman. Not pictured: Jason Angell, Denise Anthony, Mary Beaulieu, Angela Beaupre, David Bellows, Barbara Benson, Natasha Brown, Jessie Bunten, Mark Carey, Maria Celaya, Joanne Coburn, Brian Courtemanche, Barbara Crawford, Hillary Davis, Brian Dellinger, Debra Devins, Bradford Dimond, Danada Dinsmore, Heather Earle, Debra Eaton, Conrad Farnham, Laura Flint, Monica Godfrey, Mathew Gray, James Guay, Lucinda Hall, William Hamblen, Christopher Hamilton, Donna Hill, Diane Hopkins, James Ibey, Robert Jodoin, Sue Kaufman, John Landrigan, Judy Maynes, Peggy McCanna, Randy Melendy, Catherine Melocik, David Miller, Colleen Murphy, Nils Nadeau, Daniel Nassau, Claudia Palmer, Kelly Palmer, Susan Picconi, Sean Plottner, Jean Reichert, Leigh Remy, Donna Roberts, Scott Savioli, Jennifer Schiffman, Timothy Semple, Jennifer Smith, Reinhart Sonnenburg, Molly St Sauveur, Jocelyn Troy, Daniel Vie, Joseph Wright, and Mike Young. (Photo by Jon Gilbert Fox)
The 10-year honorees are, first row, from left: Jason Naugler, Daniel Billin, Sadhana Hall, James Alberghini, Laurel Denison, Heidi Anderson, Scott Fitts, Christina Madore, Janet Gilson, and Kari Jo Grant. Second row, from left: Brian Reid, Jennifer St. Laurence, Shane Harper, Gerda Gofberg, Deborah Howe, Michelle Roy, Joan Robie-Dieter, Theresa Barry, and Susan Dorris. Third row, from left: Jeffrey Horrell, Christopher Curtis, Dianne Ingalls, Cynthia Welch, Amanda Swoyer, and Cheryl Braudis. Fourth row, from left: David Sandberg, Heather Drinan, Mark Heels, Joanne Messineo, Jonathan Garthwaite, Alison Ricker, Crystal Flaherty, Anne Esler, and Gregory Poretto. Not pictured: Alice Andrews, Robert Ash, Denise Ayers, Sheri Ball, Kathleen Bryar, Todd Connolly, Kelly Cusick, Jay Davis, Laura DeCapua, Trinity Dix, Heather Drinan, Robert Duff, Scott Frew, Andrew Galbraith, Jonathan Garthwaite, Heather Gere, Scott Gerlach, Holly Glick, James Graham, Derek Hoffman, Lawrence Hudson, Christopher Ivanyi, Samin Kim, Jaime Kingsbury, Jia Lan, Craig Langner, Diana Lawrence, Wilfred Levakis, Jonathan Masland, Barbara McBeth, Samuel McCorkle, Darren McGowan, Anthony Menard, Barbara Merchand, Stephanie Miller, Alyce Mitchell, Pamela Mobilia, Tracy Moloney, Arlan Moran, Amy Newcomb, Lisa Ott, Kenneth Packard, Christopher Paras, Julie Paye, Tracy Purcell, John Reynolds, Courtney Rogers, Jason Sanville, Jay Satterfield, Paul Schmidt, Khanty Sengpanya, Kevin Spratt, William Strickland, Nanette Thelemaque, Brooke Therriault, Guinevere Tisdale, Holley Tyng, Donald Vesper, Karen Welch, Alison Willis, Matthew Zayatz, and Samuel Zucker. (Photo by Jon Gilbert Fox)
