Recipient of the 2019–20 Young Alumni Distinguished Service Award

Growing up in Albany, New York, as a Boy Scout, your love of the outdoors was a top priority in your college search. You found that Dartmouth would fill the bill as a small liberal arts college with access to the forested wilderness, and, happily for us, you took this road to Hanover.

Once on campus, you immersed yourself in your studies as a government major. Outstanding academic experiences included comparative politics with Professor Lisa Baldez, a nuclear weapons class with Professor Daryl Press, and Professor Jameson Doig’s class on federalism. You spent a fascinating semester in Barcelona with Dartmouth’s Language Study Abroad program, and another in England at the University of Oxford as part of the Keble Exchange. As secretary and treasurer of the Student Assembly, you joined your fellow officers in tackling complex campus issues. Passion for the free exchange of ideas led you to create the Dartmouth Political Union. Your friends enjoyed staying up late to debate topical questions; these evenings were often capped with a nighttime stroll down to the Ledyard Bridge. 

A conversation with trustee Nate Fick ’99, former United States Marine Corps officer, led you to consider joining the military. Upon graduating, you worked for a congressman and then joined the United States Navy, where you served as a military intelligence officer. Deployment took you to Japan and to Central America. Upon completion of your tour of duty, your focus on public service led you to pursue a joint degree, an MBA from the Harvard Business School and master’s in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School. Now you have returned to your Albany roots as CFO at GENESYS Consulting, a full-service staffing and recruiting company specialized in information technology professionals.

In addition to your demanding career, right from the start, you’ve dedicated your efforts to Dartmouth as a means to give back to the institution that gave you so much. Engaged with local Dartmouth clubs in locations ranging from halfway around the world (Japan) to closer to home (Hampton Roads and Boston), you are now the vice president and young alumni chair of the small but passionate Dartmouth Club of Eastern New York. You’ve been a dedicated class agent, an alumni interviewer, and a career network volunteer. You have also organized projects for the annual Alumni Day of Service.  

A pinnacle achievement was in your role in the founding of the affiliated group Dartmouth Uniformed Service Alumni (DUSA). Surveying alumni veterans, you found that military service was crucial to their identities. You were called to continue the legacy of President Wright’s recognition of military service—to honor and thank those who had served. DUSA opened a channel to show alumni how much their service was valued and their insights were needed. The group has encouraged more veterans to pursue a college education and inspired more students to serve their country. It has established meaningful annual events during Veteran’s Day and Commencement. DUSA was recognized as Dartmouth’s 2014 Alumni Group of the Year, and for your extraordinary leadership, you received the Jonathan Clarkson Gibbs Leader of the Year Award—a tremendous honor for such a young alumnus.

But it is not just Dartmouth that benefits from your boundless energy. You are still involved with the Boy Scouts as a merit badge instructor, you serve on the alumni board of the Albany Academies, and you enthusiastically support community improvement efforts in Albany.

Of course, your fabulous wife Roanna Wang ’13 is a tremendous partner to you in these efforts for Dartmouth, as she is also involved with volunteering at the club and fundraising levels. With her at your side, you’ve been able to explore so many facets of the alumni experience. Nathan, we salute your tremendous service to your beloved College and your community. We are honored to present you with the Dartmouth Young Alumni Distinguished Service Award.