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Kristen Dunseth Rodriguez '88, NBA Chair
Amy Sobel '86, NBA Vice Chair
Nominating and Membership Committee
Ann Cappalonga Bunn '85, Co-chair,
Steffie Wright Crowther '68, Co-chair
Professional Resources Committee
Weatherly Ralph '93, Co-chair,
Amy Sobel '86, Co-chair
Outreach and Regional Events Committee
Sara Scott '96, Co-chair,
Robin Blum Smith '57, Co-chair
Advance Planning
May Geggis Holgren '55
Mary Hoe Posner '64
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 The Fifth Annual National Board of Advisors Award was presented to Margaret "Peg" Fritz Schneider '50 at the NBA luncheon on Friday, September 30, 2011. This award was created five years ago to honor a current or former member of the organization who has shown exceptional dedication to the NBA through their volunteerism, leadership and commitment, not only to the National Board of Advisors, but also to the Baldwin community as a whole.
Margaret, or "Peg" as she is fondly called, attended Baldwin for 13 years. She attended Wheaton College and Lenoir Rhyne College where she received her degree in Biology in 1954.
Peg is probably the best example of the "ideal" recipient for this award. Not only has she worked tirelessly on the NBA, and is currently serving her second term on the Board, but she has also volunteered in numerous other capacities over the years. She has served as a class agent for the annual giving fund, as a member of The Board of Trustees, and as Vice President of The Alumnae Association. She has dedicated multiple years of service as the class of 1950 reunion chair, and chaired the big one--her 50th Reunion--for which she spearheaded a fundraising effort that resulted in a total class gift in excess of $86,000. Most recently, Peg chaired the Major Gifts Committee for the Boldly Baldwin Campaign, helping to raise substantial funds to support the school's New Athletic Center, endowment and financial aid.
It is quite notable that Peg has also volunteered in the community at large. Peg never goes at a task in a small way. She was one of three volunteer coordinators for the Episcopal Church's national general convention. This was no small feat--the convention required over--1800 volunteers! In addition, Peg has supported the Children's Aid Society of Pennsylvania, the Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, The Main Line Health System, the Pennsylvania Acadamy of the Fine Arts, and the University of Pennsylvania's School of Veterinary Medicine,
Peg's legacy at Baldwin runs deep: her mother, Margaret Fritz, was a member of the class of 1927, her two aunts, Eleanor Matheson and Frances Brodie, graduated from Baldwin, her cousins Carolyn Hirsch graduated in 1954 and Anne Matheson Dewey graduated in 1952, and Peg's beloved daughter, Margaret Schneider Maclay, graduated in 1977.
As anyone who has worked with Peg will tell you, she is a woman of substance, of purpose and of generosity. Peg has always been available for friends, family and the institutions she loves, whenever the need arises. If we could all aspire to commit ourselves to our community, or friends and our schools in the way that Peg has, the world would be a better place--indeed--it is a better place because of the efforts of one Margaret Fritz Schneider. |
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Members attending the Fall 2011 NBA Meeting. Front row (L-R) Amy Sobel '86 (NBA Vice-chair), Courtney Piccone '92, Elizabeth "Libbie" Gummey Cluett '57, Kristen Dunseth Rodriguez '88 (NBA Chair), Peg Fritz Schneider '50, Rachel Carson '91. Second row (L-R) Sally M. Powell (Head of School), Robin Blum Smith '57, Elizabeth Yusem Fuerst '65, Steffie Wright Crowther '68, Margaret Schneider Maclay '77. Third row (L-R) Katie Buzby '05 and May Geggis Holgren '55.
The Fall 2011 General Meeting of the NBA was held on Friday, September 30-Saturday, October 1 in The Assembly Room of The Residence. Alumnae in attendance traveled from California, District of Columnbia, Georgia, New Jersey, New York, various cities in Pennsylvania.
The agenda for the Fall 2011 General Meeting focused on the Middle School. Members had lunch with Grade VIII students, visited MS French and Spanish classes, participated in a session with Lois Pressman, Middle School Director and Lisa Ameisen '76, History Department Head and Middle School Dean, and hosted a reception for Middle School Parents following their meeting on Friday. Architects Vivian Su '89 and Kevin Rasmussen shared an update on the campus master plan.
At lunch on Friday, Peg Fritz Schneider '50 was presented with the 2011 NBA Award for outstanding service to Baldwin. See the article about Peg in this section of the NBA homepage.
Later in the day, NBA members were taken on a tour of the newly renovated performing and visual arts spaces in the Residence and received an update about the future of the Arts at Baldwin from Pooh Gephart, Upper School Dean of Students and Interim Director of the Arts and Emmy VanderZwaag, Director of Research and Chair of the Alumnae Arts Fund Committee.
Saturday morning convened with a presentation on the new alumnae online community followed by the Blue/Gray Homecoming Pancake Breakfast and concluded with meeting of the three standing committees -- Professional Resources, Membership and Nominating and Outreach and Regional Events.
Each of the committees will continue meeting by conference call throughout the academic year. The next NBA General Meeting has been scheduled for Saturday, April 21.
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 HISTORY OF THE NATIONAL BOARD OF ADVISORS
Background
The National Board of Advisors was created in November 1990 by a resolution passed by the Board of Trustees. The wording of the Resolution was deliberately left vague so the Board’s governance group, the Steering Committee, would have the latitude to interpret the mission and purpose of the Board as they saw fit in order to make it an organization both useful to the school and meaningful to its members.
The nine founding mothers of the NBA’s Steering Committee (Deb Benjamin ’63, chair, Amy Lubart Breslow ’77, Virginia Sullivan Carry ’64, Sara Wheeler Forster ’61, Farrah Griffin ’81, Ruth Sadler ’68, Vivienne Lee ’64, Ann McClenahan ’70 and Louise Ward ’60) defined the purpose of the organization as follows. To develop a strong national and international network of Baldwin alumnae to support the School’s commitment to be a premier educational institution for a diverse group of young women, and to provide alumnae with the opportunity to continue giving and growing as educated women.
Membership
The National Board of Advisors is comprised of alumnae of The Baldwin School who live all across The United States and abroad. The number of advisors serving on the board averages at 50 members. Candidates are chosen from geographic areas having significant alumnae populations. Members are also chosen for specific talents and contributions they bring to the board. Members of the NBA are asked each year to nominate individuals they feel would be good candidates to serve on the board. The Executive Committee, made up of a sufficient number of members of the NBA, the Alumnae Director and the Director of Institutional Advancement, is responsible for approving the final slate.
There are currently 50 members of the NBA from across the country and around the world representing a broad cross section of ages, careers, life styles, and interests. Reflecting the geographic distribution of Baldwin alumnae, there are significant numbers of advisors representing the Boston area, New York City, Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia. Other areas served by NBA members include Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Illinois and Oklahoma. Internationally, there is an NBA member living in the United Kingdom.
Role of Advisors
Since its creation, the NBA has hosted scores of “friend raisers” for alumnae across the country. NBA members serve as official ambassadors for the school in the areas they live. In addition, the NBA plays an active role in fund-raising for the school. Advisors frequently serve as leaders in helping to organize reunion fundraising efforts. They were instrumental in the success of the alumna portion of the recent Celebrate Baldwin Campaign. Currently, the membership includes a core group of fundraisers that are playing an instrumental role in reaching the hopes and dreams of Baldwin as we move into the 21st century.
Over the years advisors have served as a resource for students providing internships for seniors and mentoring opportunities through Career Day. Moreover, advisors are sometimes asked to be speakers at school assemblies or discussion leaders for club meetings. We look forward to reaching out to alumnae across the country to educate and excite them about Baldwin today. Members of the NBA play a vital and effective role in the school’s outreach initiative to alumnae.
In Spring of 2010, the National Board of Advisors created three Standing Committees dedicated to Outreach and Regional Events, Membership and Nominating and Professional Resources. When appropriate, the NBA may create a task force committee to address specific issues as they arise.
Requirements for membership include participation in the Baldwin School’s Annual Fund, attendance at one of the two meetings held each year at Baldwin and membership on an NBA Sub-Committee. Total membership will be capped at 50 members, to ensure that members are active participants in the organization. |
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