Electronic Music Pioneer; Filmmaker; and Legislator Named 2015 Alumnae Achievement Awards Recipients
This evening, the Wellesley Community will gather to honor the three recipients of the 2015 Wellesley College Alumnae Achievement Awards. Congratulations to Suzanne Ciani ’68, Jean Kilbourne ’64, and Nancy Kornblith Kopp ’65!
The Achievement Awards, which have been presented annually since 1970, are the highest honor given to Wellesley alumnae. Recipients are alumnae of outstanding achievement and distinction in their fields of endeavor; who will effectively inspire students; and who reflect the diversity of Wellesley women and their accomplishments.
“Attending Wellesley enables women to become the best version of themselves,” said H. Kim Bottomly, President of Wellesley College. “As leaders in the arts, media, and public service, Suzanne Ciani, Jean Kilbourne, and Nancy Kornbilth Kopp embody the Wellesley spirit and exemplify the very best that our College has to offer.”
A ceremony celebrating the accomplishments of the 2015 Alumnae Achievement Award recipients will be held tonight, Thursday, February 12, 2015, at 5:30 PM in the Diana Chapman Walsh Alumnae Hall Auditorium with a reception following in the Alumnae Hall ballroom. The award ceremony and reception are free and open to the public.
Meet the Recipients of the 2015 Alumnae Achievement Awards
Suzanne Ciani ’68 is an award-winning composer, recording artist and record label executive in the electronic and acoustical music industries. Her music, renowned for its romantic, healing, and aesthetic qualities, has found a worldwide audience, and her concert performances include numerous benefits for humanitarian causes. Read More...
Jean Kilbourne ’64 is a leader in the contemporary feminist activist movement. She is internationally recognized for her groundbreaking work over the past 40 years raising public awareness of how women and young girls are portrayed in the media. Kilbourne’s work was among the first that explored the connection between advertising and public health, including its relation to tobacco and alcohol addictions, eating disorders and violence towards women. Simply put, Kilbourne changed the way we view advertising. Read More...
Nancy Kornblith Kopp ’65 is the consummate public servant. She began her political career serving 27 years in the Maryland state legislature where her colleagues named her one of the ten most effective members. In 2002 she was elected State Treasurer and is now in her third consecutive elected term. She is only the second woman to be elected State Treasurer in Maryland and currently the only woman serving in a Constitutional Office in the state. Read More...
Past and Future Awards
You can browse a list and read profiles of the past years' award recipients, from architect Eleanor Redmond 1909 to nonprofit executive Ophelia Dahl DS'94, Secretaries of State Madeleine Albright '59 and Hillary Clinton '69, journalist Callie Crossley '73, sustainable food pioneer Eva Sommaripa ’63, author Nora Ephron '63, astronaut Pamela Melroy '83, and costume designer Patricia Zipprodt '46, among many others.
If you are inspired to nominate an alumna as a candidate for the award, you can learn more about the nomination process online.