{"id":20531,"date":"2023-07-25T20:25:34","date_gmt":"2023-07-25T20:25:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/160-news\/?p=20531"},"modified":"2026-01-18T19:05:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-18T19:05:11","slug":"celebrating-alumni-achievement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/2023\/07\/celebrating-alumni-achievement\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating Alumni Achievement"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>By Ashli Landa and Rebecca DeJarlais Oritz &#8217;06<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Each year, the Alumni Board recognizes alumni who exemplify Macalester values through their leadership, achievement, and active involvement with their local community. Award recipients are nominated from across the global Mac community, and then selected by the Alumni Board. Recipients were honored during the Grand Celebration breakfast at Reunion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Meet this year&#8217;s winners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Batnairamdal Otgonshar<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Class of 2008<\/strong><br><strong>Charles J. Turck Global Citizen Award<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/160-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/653\/2023\/07\/Awards_Otgonshar_CC-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"Batnairamdal &quot;Nagi&quot; Otgonshar '08\" class=\"wp-image-20601\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/653\/2023\/07\/Awards_Otgonshar_CC-300x300.jpg 300w,  https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/653\/2023\/07\/Awards_Otgonshar_CC-150x150.jpg 150w,  https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/653\/2023\/07\/Awards_Otgonshar_CC.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The first Macalester student from Mongolia, Batnairamdal \u201cNagi\u201d Otgonshar \u201908 has dedicated his career to improving the lives of his fellow citizens. \u201cI will go back to my Mongolia and be part of guiding the country towards a productive, sustainable, and prosperous path,\u201d he wrote in 2015 while earning his MBA from Harvard Business School.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As vice minister of Mining and Heavy Industry in Mongolia and one of the youngest persons in the cabinet, Otgonshar has led efforts to pass much-needed industry reforms. He was recently elected as both vice president of the country\u2019s Social Democratic Youth League and a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. Otgonshar advocates for education for young adults through his popular <em>Unlock<\/em> Podcast, a book-discussion series that aims to reach Mongolians without easy access to books, and the Unlock Mentorship and Scholarship program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His nominator writes, \u201cNagi represents a new generation of young leaders who want to challenge the establishment and disrupt the status quo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"padding:56.25&#37; 0 0 0;position:relative;\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/845929705?badge=0&amp;autopause=0&amp;player_id=0&amp;app_id=58479\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100&#37;;height:100&#37;;\" title=\"Charles J. Turck Global Citizen Award: Batnairamdal &quot;Nagi&quot; Otgonshar '08\"><\/iframe><\/div><script src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/api\/player.js\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Legacy Russell<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Class of 2008<\/strong><br><strong>Catherine Lealtad &#8217;15 Service to Society Award<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/160-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/653\/2023\/07\/Awards_Russell_CC-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"Legacy Russell\" class=\"wp-image-20607\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/653\/2023\/07\/Awards_Russell_CC.jpg 300w,  https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/653\/2023\/07\/Awards_Russell_CC-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Writer and curator Legacy Russell \u201908 describes herself as a \u201cdeep researcher, immensely driven by curiosity\u201d and centers her work on issues of gender, race, performance, and cyberculture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Russell is the author of the critically acclaimed book <em>Glitch Feminism: A Manifesto<\/em>, a concept she defines as \u201cembodying error as a disruption to gender binary, as a resistance to the normative.\u201d Her writing has appeared in publications around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Formerly the associate curator of exhibitions at the Studio Museum in Harlem, she is the executive director and chief curator of experimental art institution The Kitchen in New York City. Her curatorial and academic career has championed arts institutions and BIPOC artists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Described by her nominator as an \u201cemerging leader and public figure,\u201d Russell has been widely recognized with honors, including the Thoma Foundation 2019 Arts Writing Award in Digital Art, a Rauschenberg Residency fellowship, the 2021 Creative Capital Award, a 2022 Pompeii Commitment Digital fellowship, and a 2023 Center for Curatorial Leadership fellowship.<\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"padding:56.25&#37; 0 0 0;position:relative;\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/845930426?badge=0&amp;autopause=0&amp;player_id=0&amp;app_id=58479\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100&#37;;height:100&#37;;\" title=\"legacy_russell (1080p)\"><\/iframe><\/div><script src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/api\/player.js\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Benjamin Dille<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Class of 1982<\/strong><br><strong>Distinguished Citizen Award<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/160-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/653\/2023\/07\/Awards_Dille_CC-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"Benjamin Dille\" class=\"wp-image-20609\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/653\/2023\/07\/Awards_Dille_CC-300x300.jpg 300w,  https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/653\/2023\/07\/Awards_Dille_CC-150x150.jpg 150w,  https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/653\/2023\/07\/Awards_Dille_CC.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Benjamin Dille \u201982 is a distinguished senior foreign service officer who has represented the United States for over thirty years in thirteen countries, including as charg\u00e9 d\u2019affaires in five.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cDr. Dille is a lifelong civil servant,\u201d writes his nominator. \u201cHe works to advance world peace, and has committed himself to a more fair and just world. He has had many assignments and approached them all with care and vigilance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This past year, the US Secretary of State awarded Dille the department\u2019s Award for Heroism for his service overseeing the evacuation of over 124,000 Americans and Afghans from Kabul, Afghanistan, as US forces withdrew from the country in August 2021. He also received a 2022 American Foreign Service Association Award for Constructive Dissent for his efforts in advocating for embassy COVID-19 strategies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dille currently teaches at the Marine Corps War College as professor and state department chair of strategic studies in diplomacy and statecraft.<\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"padding:56.25&#37; 0 0 0;position:relative;\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/845929810?badge=0&amp;autopause=0&amp;player_id=0&amp;app_id=58479\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100&#37;;height:100&#37;;\" title=\"benjamin_dille (1080p)\"><\/iframe><\/div><script src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/api\/player.js\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Alissa Light<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Class of 2003<\/strong><br><strong>Distinguished Citizen Award<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/160-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/653\/2023\/07\/Awards_Light_CC-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"Alissa Light\" class=\"wp-image-20611\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/653\/2023\/07\/Awards_Light_CC-300x300.jpg 300w,  https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/653\/2023\/07\/Awards_Light_CC-150x150.jpg 150w,  https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/653\/2023\/07\/Awards_Light_CC.jpg 593w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Alissa Light \u201903 has centered her career around compassionate, equitable, and inclusive health care and education for historically marginalized communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Beginning as a Family Tree Clinic patient in college, Light was involved in the organization\u2019s growth since joining as front-desk staff in 2005 and eventually as executive director and CEO in 2010. During her twelve-year tenure, Light spearheaded the creation of a healing-focused health center in Minneapolis and expanded the organization into a regional leader in LGBTQ+-inclusive health care. In fall 2022, she joined the Bakken Museum as president and CEO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Light recently served as board president for the Reproductive Health Alliance and currently serves on the board of PFund Foundation\u2014the Upper Midwest\u2019s only LGBTQ+ community foundation\u2014and the Women\u2019s Economic Roundtable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cShe has touched so many lives, and taught by example how to listen and lead,\u201d writes her nominator. \u201cShe\u2019s a visionary leader who has made a profound difference in the state, region, and country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"padding:56.25&#37; 0 0 0;position:relative;\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/845929611?badge=0&amp;autopause=0&amp;player_id=0&amp;app_id=58479\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100&#37;;height:100&#37;;\" title=\"alisa_light (1080p)\"><\/iframe><\/div><script src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/api\/player.js\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Roberta Schomburg<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Class of 1968<\/strong><br><strong>Distinguished Citizen Award<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/160-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/653\/2023\/07\/Awards_Schomburg_CC-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"Roberta Schomburg\" class=\"wp-image-20615\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/653\/2023\/07\/Awards_Schomburg_CC.jpg 300w,  https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/653\/2023\/07\/Awards_Schomburg_CC-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Though officially retired from her Carlow University faculty position, professor emerita of education Roberta Schomburg \u201968 says her life\u2019s work is still teaching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alongside her thirty-five years at Carlow, Schomburg has worked closely with Fred Rogers Productions for over forty years as a child development advisor, and currently advises children\u2019s PBS programs including <em>Daniel Tiger\u2019s Neighborhood<\/em>, <em>Alma\u2019s Way<\/em>, and <em>Donkey Hodie<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From 2018 to 2021, she was interim director at the Fred Rogers Institute for Early Learning and Children\u2019s Media at Saint Vincent College, where she oversaw research, outreach, and organizational collaborations. A former vice president of the National Association for the Education of Young Children Governing Board, she is a renowned consultant on early childhood development and educational practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Schomburg shares, \u201cMy passion is sharing knowledge with others, working together to generate new ideas, and applying those theories to practice, whether in the classroom or over the airwaves through the stories we create for children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"padding:56.25&#37; 0 0 0;position:relative;\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/845930593?badge=0&amp;autopause=0&amp;player_id=0&amp;app_id=58479\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100&#37;;height:100&#37;;\" title=\"Distinguished Citizen Award: Roberta Schomburg '68\"><\/iframe><\/div><script src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/api\/player.js\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Jennifer Lundblad<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Class of 1988<\/strong><br><strong>Distinguished Citizen Award<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/160-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/653\/2023\/07\/Awards_Lundblad_CC-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"Jennifer Lundblad\" class=\"wp-image-20617\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/653\/2023\/07\/Awards_Lundblad_CC-300x300.jpg 300w,  https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/653\/2023\/07\/Awards_Lundblad_CC-150x150.jpg 150w,  https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/653\/2023\/07\/Awards_Lundblad_CC.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Jennifer Lundblad \u201988 recalls exactly where she was when she decided to pursue a nonprofit career path: Macalester\u2019s library.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A career in nonprofits and higher education\u2014including earning advanced degrees in nonprofit management and organization development\u2014led her to Stratis Health, where she has been president and CEO for over fifteen years. At the intersection of research, policy, and practice, she works to improve health and health care for underrepresented and under-resourced communities, particularly in rural areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI never would have imagined that growing up in a small rural community would end up as a backdrop to my career,\u201d she says. \u201cWhat brings me joy in this work is living my values in my professional life, and making lives better in Minnesota and across the country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A lifelong learner, she is also the co-launcher of eLumen Collaborative, an integrated curriculum and assessment software management technology tool for higher education institutions, was a member of the Alumni Board, and currently serves on the M Club Board of Directors.<\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"padding:56.25&#37; 0 0 0;position:relative;\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/845930351?badge=0&amp;autopause=0&amp;player_id=0&amp;app_id=58479\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100&#37;;height:100&#37;;\" title=\"Distinguished Citizen Award: Jennifer Lundblad '88\"><\/iframe><\/div><script src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/api\/player.js\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Jennifer Anderson<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Class of 1998<\/strong><br><strong>Distinguished Citizen Award<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/160-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/653\/2023\/07\/Awards_Anderson_CC-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"Jennifer Anderson\" class=\"wp-image-20619\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/653\/2023\/07\/Awards_Anderson_CC.jpg 300w,  https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/653\/2023\/07\/Awards_Anderson_CC-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2004, Jennifer Anderson \u201998 assembled a benefit choral concert to fundraise for international aid in response to that year\u2019s Indian Ocean tsunami in Southeast Asia. The next six years of the Global Harmony Chorus were so successful, she turned that concert series into VocalPoint Chorus, a nonprofit, eighty-member choir based in St. Paul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Anderson\u2019s talent for partnering with beneficiary organizations and engaging audiences with their impactful stories through concert programming has raised over $400,000 for various nonprofits. Her ten nominators note her commitment to equity and diversity, \u201creaching beyond the canonical boundaries\u201d to center women and BIPOC composers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Anderson is active in the American Choral Directors Association, Chorus America, and the National Presbyterian Church. She also has been involved in the national Justice Choir movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cShe is a true visionary and servant-leader,\u201d writes one nominator. \u201cPerformers and audiences alike are engaged, challenged, and changed by working with and attending performances by Jennifer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"padding:56.25&#37; 0 0 0;position:relative;\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/845930238?badge=0&amp;autopause=0&amp;player_id=0&amp;app_id=58479\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100&#37;;height:100&#37;;\" title=\"jennifer_anderson (1080p)\"><\/iframe><\/div><script src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/api\/player.js\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Michael Skoien<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Class of 1973<\/strong><br><strong>Alumni Service Award<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/160-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/653\/2023\/07\/Awards_Skoien_CC-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"Michael Skoien\" class=\"wp-image-20621\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/653\/2023\/07\/Awards_Skoien_CC-300x300.jpg 300w,  https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/653\/2023\/07\/Awards_Skoien_CC-150x150.jpg 150w,  https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/653\/2023\/07\/Awards_Skoien_CC.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>For years, Michael Skoien \u201973 stayed connected with Macalester by attending Reunion and keeping in touch with friends. A decade ago, he deepened his engagement with the college\u2014and his commitment has been extraordinary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Philadelphia, Skoien fostered community by hosting Mac in Your City events and serving as a regional chapter leader and an M Club regional director. He served as Alumni Board vice president and chair of its Athletics Working Group, and has led planning for three Reunions by chairing or co-chairing his 40th, 45th, and this year\u2019s 50th. And the loyal M Club member is a champion of Mac athletics: today he chairs the Athletics Advisory Board of Directors and mentors two student-athletes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In each role, Skoien\u2019s engagement is marked by an enduring curiosity and dedication to Macalester\u2019s mission. \u201cI learned more about life in my first year at Mac than in my previous eighteen years\u2014I was exposed to so many interesting people and ideas,\u201d says Skoien, who retired in 2013 after a career in health care. \u201cAnd it\u2019s always been that way for me. Even though I earned other degrees, Macalester just means more.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"padding:56.25&#37; 0 0 0;position:relative;\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/845930502?badge=0&amp;autopause=0&amp;player_id=0&amp;app_id=58479\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100&#37;;height:100&#37;;\" title=\"Alumni Service Award: Michael Skoien '73\"><\/iframe><\/div><script src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/api\/player.js\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Gabrielle Lawrence<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Class of 1973<\/strong><br><strong>Alumni Service Award<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/160-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/653\/2023\/07\/Awards_Lawrence_CC-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"Gabrielle Lawrence\" class=\"wp-image-20623\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/653\/2023\/07\/Awards_Lawrence_CC-300x300.jpg 300w,  https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/653\/2023\/07\/Awards_Lawrence_CC-150x150.jpg 150w,  https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/653\/2023\/07\/Awards_Lawrence_CC.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>At each career step and life stage, Gabrielle Lawrence \u201973 has been motivated by her deep belief in building community with a shared vision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a student, she helped launch the Family Tree Clinic, which piqued her interest in health care. After graduation, she earned a master\u2019s degree in health care administration and held positions in Denver and the Twin Cities, including vice president for community partnerships at Regions Hospital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From 2000 to 2016, Lawrence led Macalester\u2019s alumni engagement program, expanding vibrant pathways for alumni to reconnect with the college and with one another. She has guided strategic planning at her church, and worked tirelessly to help the Park Bugle neighborhood newspaper survive, then thrive. She served on her 25th and 45th Reunion committees, and this year, she co-chaired the Class of 1973\u2019s program committee for her 50th Reunion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For fifty years, Lawrence has demonstrated an exemplary commitment to community engagement at Macalester and beyond. Writes her nominator: \u201cShe has an exceptional ability to bring people together and organize them toward a common goal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"padding:56.25&#37; 0 0 0;position:relative;\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/845930113?badge=0&amp;autopause=0&amp;player_id=0&amp;app_id=58479\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100&#37;;height:100&#37;;\" title=\"gabrielle_lawrence (1080p)\"><\/iframe><\/div><script src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/api\/player.js\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Brittni Chicuata<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Class of 2008<\/strong><br><strong>Young Alumni Award<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/160-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/653\/2023\/07\/Awards_Chicuata_CC-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"Brittni Chicuata\" class=\"wp-image-20625\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/653\/2023\/07\/Awards_Chicuata_CC-300x300.jpg 300w,  https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/653\/2023\/07\/Awards_Chicuata_CC-150x150.jpg 150w,  https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/653\/2023\/07\/Awards_Chicuata_CC.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Brittni Chicuata \u201908 is director of economic rights at the San Francisco Human Rights Commission. She has held several positions there since 2016, including as policy director and chief of staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chicuata\u2019s work focuses on policies and programs to eliminate wealth apartheid, build economic equity, and uplift economic opportunities that improve quality of life for the most marginalized in San Francisco. Her policies have provided guaranteed income payments for Black mothers in San Francisco, improved housing protections, developed standards for racial equity, supported the national reparations movement, and successfully led first-in-the-nation campaigns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Her leadership is recognized as especially crucial during a political period where marginalized communities\u2019 rights\u2014including women, Black people and other people of color, and the LGBTQIA+ community\u2014are being rescinded on a national level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Her nominator notes that Chicuata\u2019s \u201cinnovative policy work not only highlights and addresses disparities in outcomes, but proactively addresses multiple dimensions of individuals\u2019 lives and enhances their access to rights and justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"padding:56.25&#37; 0 0 0;position:relative;\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/845929953?badge=0&amp;autopause=0&amp;player_id=0&amp;app_id=58479\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100&#37;;height:100&#37;;\" title=\"brittni_chicuata (1080p)\"><\/iframe><\/div><script src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/api\/player.js\"><\/script>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Meet this year\u2019s award recipients.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1077,"featured_media":20587,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20531","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","mediatype-articles"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"fields":{"article_type":[8],"flickr_photoset_id":"","youtube_id":"","square_thumbnail":false,"press_photos":false,"story_title":"","story_caption":"","rotations":false,"maps":false,"marker_title":"","marker_text":"","geographic_location":false,"feature_embed":"","custom_link_url":"","news_icon_name":"","image_options":false,"main_feature_story":"","custom_image":false,"custom_feature_title":"","custom_feature_caption":"","custom_markup":"","custom_markup_link":"","custom_markup_title":"","custom_markup_caption":"","byline":"","post_thumbnail_style":"default","press_downloads":false},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20531","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1077"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20531"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20531\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30059,"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20531\/revisions\/30059"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20587"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20531"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20531"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.macalester.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20531"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}