• Six Honored with 2014-15 Alumni Awards

    Monday, June 30, 2014

Alumni Council

Congratulations to the six alumni who have been chosen by the Alumni Council to receive 2014-15 alumni awards!

Three will receive the Dartmouth Alumni Award, which was established in 1954 to recognize long-standing and meritorious service to the College, career achievement, and other community service. Alumni are eligible for this award after their 25th class reunion.

Three will receive the Dartmouth Young Alumni Distinguished Service Award. This award was established in 1990, and recognizes breadth, depth, and length of volunteer involvement. Alumni are eligible the first 15 years after graduation.

The six honorees will receive their awards at the annual Alumni Awards Gala, which will be celebrated during the 209th meeting of the Dartmouth Alumni Council on October 24 in Hanover.

Dartmouth Alumni Award Recipients


Douglas A. "Digger" Donahue Jr. '73

Life and career: Digger captained the squash team, served as president of Psi Upsilon, and was a member of the Dragon senior society. While earning an AB in history, he started Fayerweather Refrigerator Associates, renting refrigerators to fellow students. He earned an MBA from Harvard in 1976, and embarked on a career with Brown Brothers Harriman. He led the firm's global securities business for much of his career, and was appointed managing partner in 2008. A past trustee of the American Textile History Museum and the Financial Accounting Foundation, Digger is active in numerous Boston area charities and was awarded the United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley Tocqueville Society's Leadership Excellence Award in May 2014. He continues to play competitive squash (most recently he was runner-up in the Massachusetts State Over 60 Tournament), and lives with his wife, Susan, in Norwell, Massachusetts. They have three children: Aidan '04, Abby '06, and Peter.

For Dartmouth: Digger has volunteered extensively for the College, serving for many years as class agent, leadership agent, leadership chair, and on the Dartmouth College Fund's major gift committee. He co-chaired the reunion giving committee for the Class of 1973's 2014 reunion, and has served on the President's Leadership Council since 2006 and on the Athletics Advisory Board since 2011. A member of Friends of Squash, he endowed the Digger Donahue '73 Head Coach of Men's and Women's Squash and established a fund to support Dartmouth's squash and equestrian programs. Digger has also volunteered as an alumni interviewer and as an alumni career counselor for 20 years.

"One of the highlights of my Dartmouth volunteering was to deliver Dartmouth T-shirts to admitted early-decision candidates as a member of the Dartmouth Club of Greater Boston. It was always quite a sight when my daughter Abby '06, my dad [Douglas Donahue '45], and I would arrive unannounced on the doorstep of an early-decision freshman the day they had been admitted to present the Dartmouth shirt. It certainly let the lucky high school seniors know they were in for an experience!"

Tip of the hat:

"Squash was an important experience for me, and I've continued to play three or four times a week, all over the world. Coach [John] Kenfield was one of my influences at Dartmouth, and a reason I got better at squash. He was a wonderful man, with a very kind and caring manner, and playing on the squash team meant a lot to me. My son Aidan '04 also played squash, and my daughter Abby '06 captained the equestrian team. I've been lucky enough to be able to help, so I wanted to give back by supporting the squash and equestrian programs and endowing the squash head coaching positions."

"I've served as a career counselor for 15 or 20 years because I remember how grateful I was for the help I got when I graduated. If I can help young alumni learn more about a career, then I feel I should do it. And I enjoy doing it! I feel a connection to other Dartmouth graduates. They have tremendous potential and are going to do good things for our society, so I want to help them. They always surprise me with their intelligent comments and perceptiveness, so it's fun and stimulating to talk to them.

You know you bleed Green when: "You are a third-generation Dartmouth legacy and have the honor of seeing a son and a daughter extend the legacy to a fourth generation."

The Donahue legacy at Dartmouth includes:

Joseph Joyce Donahue 1908
Douglas A. Donahue 1945
Douglas A. Donahue Jr. 1973
Douglas Aidan Donahue III 2004
Abigail Donahue Mariano 2006


Tracey Salmon-Smith '87

Life and career: Tracey earned an AB in English and was a member of Palaeopitus, Green Key, Alpha Kappa Alpha, and the Afro-American Society. She also served as manager of the Dartmouth football team. Following graduation, she headed to Villanova University School of Law. She has worked as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn and as in-house counsel for UBS Financial Services Inc. She recently became partner at Bressler, Amery & Ross, PC, in New Jersey, where she focuses on securities, employment, and premises liability litigation. She has served in leadership roles with the American Bar Association litigation section and on the board of New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (NYLPI), and enjoys mentoring and training young lawyers. Tracey has volunteered with the American Diabetes Rainbow Gala and Special Olympics New Jersey. She lives in Manalapan, New Jersey, with her husband, Loyston Smith, and two daughters, Avery and Gabriella.

For Dartmouth: Tracey received the Young Alumni Award in 2002. She is the president of the Class of 1987, was class vice president from 1996-2001, and was a member of class reunion committees for every reunion from the 5th to the 25th. She served as president of the Black Alumni of Dartmouth Association (BADA) from 1998-2000 and is on the board of the Dartmouth Lawyers Association. Tracey served on the Alumni Council Executive Committee, the Nominating and Alumni Trustee Search Committee, and on the Young Alumni Distinguished Service Awards Committee, chairing it for two years. Additionally, she has been an alumni interviewer since 1988, is a Dartmouth College Fund volunteer, and is a district enrollment director for the Dartmouth alumni interview program in Monmouth/Ocean Counties, New Jersey.

Tip of the hat: "I am most proud of my time on the Alumni Council Nominating and Alumni Trustee Search Committee. When I was asked to be on the committee, I was forewarned that NomCom was one of the hardest-working committees at the College. That assessment turned out to be exactly correct! We worked extremely hard to identify potential alumni nominees for the Board of Trustees and Alumni Council. Between our conference calls, in-person meetings, and all-day interviewing sessions, we spent a great deal of time together focused on one goal: to find the best possible candidates. Our job was made challenging by the awesomeness of the alumni candidates. As we vetted them, the breadth and depth of their involvement with Dartmouth was evident, as was their love for the College. Being part of the process was tremendously rewarding. Dartmouth has given me a lot, and I was more than happy to be able to give back in this manner."

You know you bleed Green when: "You are a member of several area Dartmouth Clubs in two states: New York City and suburban New Jersey, as well as Princeton, New Jersey."


Danielle Dyer '81 Tu'89

Life and career: Danielle earned an AB in English and urban studies, and was a member of Casque and Gauntlet senior society and the varsity crew team. Prior to enrolling at Tuck, she won an Associated Press documentary award as an Upper Valley radio news reporter, and then worked as a fundraiser with the Dartmouth development office's capital giving team. While earning her MBA, she played on the Tuck women's hockey team (her nickname was "Do or Dyer"). Following graduation, Danielle began a 25-plus year career as a health care management consultant, and is now a managing director at Navigant Consulting, where she works across the country with multi-hospital health systems, academic medical centers, community hospitals, and large physician practices in the areas of system formation and integration, governance and organization design, strategic planning, operational performance improvement, and service line planning. She lives in Lenox, Massachusetts with her husband, Alec Kloman '80 Geisel '86, and two children, Storey '17 and Will, a tenth grader at the Berkshire School. Active in her community, Danielle co-founded the Lenox Soccer Club and Friends of Berkshire Rowing, and was formerly a board member of the Lenox Library Association.

For Dartmouth: Danielle has been engaged in a wide variety of volunteer roles: she's served as class president, president of the Alumni Council, Alumni Council representative of the Tuck School, chairman of the Class of 1981's fifth reunion, Casque and Gauntlet on-campus advisor, Dartmouth College Fund class agent, and an alumni admissions interviewer. She has also been a member of the Alumni Council's enrollment and admissions and honorary degrees committees, the Nominating and Alumni Trustee Search Committee, the Ad Hoc Committee on Diversity and Inclusion, chair of the Alumni Liaison Committee, and co-chair of the Alumni Involvement for Life Subgroup of the Strategic Planning Process. Danielle is currently a member of Friends of Dartmouth Rowing and is a Dartmouth College Fund participation agent volunteer.

Tip of the hat: "It'simpossible to pick just one. Some highlights have been:

  • The Class of 1981 winning our first of several Class of the Year awards at our 5th reunion!
  • Working with the Alumni Council Nominating Committee to screen, interview, and nominate seven alumni trustee candidates over a three-year period.
  • Supporting the efforts of many tireless alumni rowers, parents, and friends to raise money for our spectacular boathouse on the most beautiful and peaceful rowing venue in America.

"These are examples of what make Dartmouth such a special place to me: cross-sections of alumni who, most often, have no prior connection to each other, united in purpose and passion, building new relationships, friendships, and bonds to each other and the College."

You know you bleed Green when: "The alma mater is the bedtime song of choice among your children and green is the dominant color in your closet!"


Dartmouth Young Alumni Distinguished Service Award


Janna Annest '00

Life and career: Jannacaptained the volleyball team, participated in the Women in Science Project, and was a member of Delta Delta Delta and the Cobra senior society. She graduated cum laude and with high honors in English, and worked as a writing tutor and studied Shakespeare at Oxford during her junior year. Following graduation, she returned home to Seattle and earned a JD from the University of Washington School of Law in 2003, where she was a member of the Washington Law Review. She is now a shareholder at Mills Meyers Swartling, where she practices business law, adoption, and estate planning. Super Lawyers magazine has named her a "Rising Star" every year since 2009, and she serves on the board of directors of World Association for Children and Parents, an international adoption agency, and Adoptive Friends and Families of Greater Seattle. She is also a regular contributor to Adoptive Families magazine. Janna and her husband, Dino, have a 6-year-old daughter, Riley, and a 3-year-old son, Leo.

For Dartmouth: Janna started as vice president of the Dartmouth Alumni Club of Western Washington (DACWW) in 2004, then served as club president. The DACWW won the Large Club of the Year award under her leadership in 2006. She was a member of the Club Officers Association's Executive Committee, serving as vice president and president. She also represented her club on the Alumni Council.

Tip of the hat: "I enjoyed leading the Dartmouth Alumni Club of Western Washington. The club had been relatively quiet in the early 2000s, but thanks to Microsoft and Amazon, we had an influx of energetic new graduates who were looking for ways to stay connected to Dartmouth. We found events that appealed to alumni of all ages, and so much of the Dartmouth experience has remained constant across the years that alumni can easily find common ground. I loved overhearing a 65-year old talk with a 25-year old about living in Topliff, and an alumna from the Class of '77 telling young women what it was like to be one of the first daughters of Dartmouth. These connections explain why our alumni network is the envy of other top institutions, and it was a privilege to be an active part of it."

You know you bleed Green when: "You run across the street to start a conversation with a stranger who is wearing a Dartmouth shirt."


Greg Chittim '01 Th'02 '03

Life and career: Greg was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon, helped reconstitute the Dartmouth Society of Engineers, and was active in the Student Assembly and Habitat for Humanity. An engineering sciences major modified with computer science, he was also a six-time teaching assistant in various computer engineering classes for Assistant Professor of Engineering Linda Wilson. As a graduate student in the master's of engineering management program, he spent most of his time "in the lab or at Tuck," but was also president of the Dartmouth Society of Engineers. He has worked as a consultant at the Monitor Group (now part of Deloitte) and is currently the senior director for strategic marketing at Arcadia Healthcare Solutions, a health care analytics and services firm outside of Boston. Greg lives in Holliston, Massachusetts, with his wife, Jennifer, 4-year-old son Liam, and 1-year-old son Aiden.

For Dartmouth: Greg has served on the Dartmouth Alumni Council, Dartmouth Society of Engineers, the MEM Corporate Collaboration Council, the Sigma Phi Epsilon Alumni Volunteer Corporation, and as a Class of 2001 officer. He has also hired well over a dozen Dartmouth graduates.

Tip of the hat: "When I was a first-year student, newly a member of the Student Assembly, President Freedman announced his departure. Along with Josh Green '00, Janelle Ruley '00, and Senu 'Ku' Saret '01, we created the 'Visions of Dartmouth' project to solicit letters from the entire student body for the to-be-named president of the College. After collecting over 3,000 letters, the four of us, presenting the student body's vision, were the first meeting Jim Wright took after his inauguration."

You know you bleed Green when: "You still have an irrepressible urge to talk to any stranger in any airport who just happens to be wearing a Dartmouth T-shirt or hat, despite your wife's incredulous head shaking."


Deborah Atuk Tu'04

Life and career: Debbie is a Native Alaskan Inupiaq who helps Native American companies develop their businesses. She earned an MBA from the Tuck School of Business after graduating from the University of Chicago with a BA in economics. Debbie initially worked as a project manager in Alaska's Prudhoe oil fields before transitioning to investment banking and analyst positions at ABN AMRO and SG Cowen. She next moved into the entertainment industry, co-founding and serving as president and CEO of OmniVidia, a video-on-demand service, then working as an independent film producer in New York City for five years. Debbie presently serves as business development director for the Colville Tribal Federal Corporation in Coulee Dam, Washington, where she is responsible for diversifying company business and attracting investors to the Colville reservation. She is also a board member and fundraising chair of The Family Center in New York City.

For Dartmouth: Debbie has served as co-president of the Native American Alumni Association of Dartmouth since 2011, a position from which she just stepped down at the end of June 2014. She has also served as a member of the Alumni Council (serving on the Communications Committee), as a regional club officer, and on the Executive Committee of the Club Officers Association.

Tip of the hat: "The Native American Alumni Association had been dormant for a number of years when I joined in 2005, and through a collaborative, team effort we have helped make it a vibrant organization that helps alumni and students connect with one another. The club is now an anchor for alumni and students, and enables them to keep in touch and to organize activities through social media. But it also offers another level of support for students on campus, who are often far from home, and gives alumni a way to be supportive and ensure that current students are doing well. One of the most important things I've gotten out of this experience and my connection with Dartmouth is that it has helped me reconnect with my Alaska Native American roots and allowed me to get to know other Native cultures.

"I'm also proud of the role I played in creating an ad hoc committee on minority faculty recruitment and retention when I served on the Alumni Council in 2010. Based on articles I was reading and students I was talking to, it seemed clear that there was a high rate of churn among faculty and administrators of color. If you're going to recruit minority students to achieve diversity on campus, you have to take responsibility by providing them with the resources they need, which includes having trusted advisers on campus. I made a case for that and said we needed to investigate recruitment and retention, and am proud that I was part of establishing a committee. At a recent luncheon I attended, several students referred to the issue of a lack of minority faculty and staff. While I'm not happy that it's still an issue, at least I can say that we helped raise awareness of the problem back in 2010.

You know you bleed Green when: "You and your husband live on separate coasts--he's in New York and I'm in Washington state--and you take one of your rare trips east to Hanover for a club officer's weekend and your husband has to come up to Hanover to see you. And you know you've become a crazy Tuckie when you travel to Brazil for a classmate's wedding and then fly from there to Chile to see another classmate and learn more about his start-up."

by Bonnie Barber