WellsNotes Spring 2020 Wells College Alumnae and Alumni Newsletter Wells College Association of Alumnae and Alumni WCA TO HONOR TWO DISTINGUISHED ALUMNAE THIS MAY The Wells College Association of Alumnae and Alumni (WCA) is proud to announce the two recipients of the 2020 WCA Award: Gwen Wilkinson ’77 and Stephanie Batcheller ’79. Both alumnae have had distinguished careers in the field of law with a particular emphasis on public service: Gwen as a district attorney and social justice advocate, and Stephanie as a public defender and legal educator. GWEN WILKINSON ’77 STEPHANIE BATCHELLER ’79 The Wells College Association of Alumnae The Wells College Association of Alumnae and Alumni is honoring Gwen Wilkinson and Alumni is honoring Stephanie ’77 with the WCA Award in recognition Batcheller ’79 with the WCA Award for of her public service, especially in the her accomplishments in the field of law and prosecution of perpetrators of child abuse contributions to the justice system. and domestic violence and in addressing Stephanie, a career public defender who has other social justice issues. argued before courts in Georgia, Maryland Gwen established herself as a proactive, and New York, is a senior staff attorney with ethical and passionate advocate for social the New York State Defenders Association justice throughout her career as a prosecutor (NYSDA). Since 1998, she has been with the and social services attorney in Tompkins association’s nonprofit Public Defense Backup County, N.Y. Those same attributes define her work with community Center, where she serves as senior staff attorney, developing client- organizations, providing context for how her education at Wells framed centered representation training strategies for new public defense the passion and drive she is known for. practitioners. Her professional practice interests—trauma-informed “My Wells liberal arts education provided a foundation for everything advocacy and secondary trauma—and her extensive specialized I have undertaken since graduation,” notes Gwen. “It created a lens training in criminal defense and racial justice have been recognized that enabled me to curate the issues and events of the day, the ideas as hallmarks of the innovative educational efforts she undertakes with and arguments, the endlessly fascinating experience of life, in a broader, legal organizations throughout the United States. deeper and richer context. After graduating from Wells in 1979 with a degree in economics and “I recall a philosophy seminar one hot spring afternoon in Macmillan. in 1984 from the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University We were discussing the ancient Greeks’ views on education—and, as in Georgia, Stephanie hit the ground running. She became the first usual we digressed to broader questions. The professor said, ‘Consider female chief public defender in the Middle Judicial District, a rural continued on page 38 five-county circuit in southeastern Georgia, and was admitted to the Georgia Supreme Court on the same day she began handling her first career appellate argument—a death-penalty case. Reflecting on the opportunity to engage in such a high level of litigation so WCA AWA R D early in her career, Stephanie credits the instrumental training and support of the nation’s top criminal defense and death CEREMONY INVITATION penalty defense lawyers through the National College for The Wells College Association of Alumnae and Alumni Criminal Defense, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the American Civil Liberties Union. cordially invites you and your guests to attend the 2020 continued on page 39 WCA award ceremony, recognizing the achievements of Stephanie Batcheller ’79 Gwen Wilkinson ’77 IN THIS ISSUE SATURDAY, MAY 30, 2020 PAGE 2 | WCA REUNION VP’S MESSAGE CEREMONY AT 11:00 A.M. PAGE 3 | WCA PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE RECEPTION IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING PAGE 8-37 | CLASS NOTES Phipps Auditorium, Macmillan Hall PAGE 40-41 | REUNION INFO, SCHEDULE & PRICING Wells College, 170 Main Street PAGES 42-43 | WCA BOARD CANDIDATE INFO & Aurora, New York BALLOT Wells College Association Board REUNION 2020 President When I was a student, there was always something special about seeing Amy Cerand McNaughton ’86 [email protected] Cayuga Lake on the way back to campus. It could be at the start of the semester, returning after a break or from a trip to Perkins in Auburn. Nominating Vice President Sue Eskedahl ’79 It’s that feeling of calm, peace and a bit of possibility. I still get that [email protected] feeling when I head back to Aurora. Reunion Vice President Especially when it’s Reunion. Where else can you find 400+ Christin Schaaf ’99 [email protected] (incredible) humans in one place who all know without speaking how amazing Wells and Aurora are? Reunion is a time when we all go back Fall Weekend Vice President to Aurora and remember the good times, not-so-good times and wish Kristine Selander Gordon ’80 [email protected] our bodies could still keep up. WCA Trustees If you are wondering if you should/could/would go . when was the Katie Fong ’06 last time you saw the lake? Campus? Felt the energy that we all create when we are in the same place? [email protected] Whatever your answer, it was far too long ago. You don’t need to be a ‘5’ or a ‘0’ to get in on the fun— Joanne Kelley ’83 trust me. I’ve made a hobby of attending Reunion when it wasn’t “my” year. Reunion and Aurora are [email protected] always a good decision. I’ll see you there! Heather Kowalski ’90 [email protected] National Annual Giving Chair Eliza Heppner ’06 [email protected] Christin Schaaf ’99 Award Committee Chair WCA Vice President for Reunion Megan Donovan ’88 [email protected] Members-at-Large Sarah Messenger Gleason ’88 HELLO, WELLS FAMILY! [email protected] Rachael Ristau ’15 It has been a great feeling making new connections, building existing [email protected] relationships and feeling like I’ve come home during my first year back at Member-at-Large—FARGO Wells as a staff member. The students are awesome, campus looks beautiful Brad Murray ’15 and I get to see the sunset over Cayuga Lake all winter. I get to connect with [email protected] you, our alumni, every single day—it makes my day when I hear from you! Admissions Liaison One of the best lessons I learned from Wells is to be curious and open to new Talyse Hampton ’09 [email protected] experiences. I’ve had a range of work experiences and I felt prepared for each opportunity that came my way, thanks in large part to my time at Wells and Member-at-Large—Strategic Liaison Deb Callahan ’85 the support from my Wells family. Thank you. [email protected] My position in the alumni office means I get to have the best of all worlds. Interim Alumnae and I get to meet and spend time with students, connect them to alums and help Alumni Engagement Director Pamela J. Sheradin ’86 impact their future. My partner likes to say “you keep the bells ringing.” I share that with you, the Wells [email protected] family—with your support, time, and love for this place—you keep the bells ringing. In my psychology Alumnae and Alumni class, I learned about “generativity” (psychoanalyst Erik Erikson’s word choice from 1950) with Professor Engagement Officer Milene Morfei ’89. The class focused on elderly people giving back to the world; I’ve always linked it to our Rachel Porter ’06 special relationship with Wells. As alumni, we get to choose to impact the future of this magical place and [email protected] the experiences of our students. We are in positions to help make connections, find internships, support them when they move to a new city, and make connections for life. I hope that when you think about Wells, you understand the power you have to impact lives and continue to support our future family members by sharing your life experience. Our students are eager to connect with WellsNotes March 2020, Volume XIII, Issue I you. WellsNotes is published by Wells College. It is circulated free of charge to College I’ve spent the year working with the relatively new student-alumni club, whose mission is to connect with alumnae and alumni. alumni and learn about philanthropy. They have so much enthusiasm for so many of the things that we all Editors think are so wonderful about Wells. In February, we co-hosted with students from the Women’s Resource Kelly Brown Center our second Women’s Leadership Conference, and had a dozen alumnae participate in various sessions Christopher Pollock including a career panel—our lecture hall in Stratton was packed with students and alumnae! Pam Sheradin ’86 Design Reunion 2020 is one of my favorite events at Wells. I was a student worker at Reunion back in 2003 through Jacobs Press 2006, which is where I met so many wonderful Wells sisters. If you’ve never been, I encourage you to attend— Class Notes Editor it is worth it! It’s basically summer camp for adults and a refreshing way to feel like you’ve come home. Kelly Brown Contributors I hope to see you and hear from you soon! Jessica Corter Emily Peters Your Wells sister, Rachel Porter ’06 Photography Janice Cheng-McConnell Emily Peters Rachel Porter ’06 Michele Vollmer Alumnae and Alumni Engagement Officer 2 Spring 2020 Wells College Association of Alumnae and Alumni WCA PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE CREATING OUR FUTURE The roaring 2020s are here: the 17th decade for Wells College. The Wells College Association of Alumnae and Alumni (WCA) will celebrate 150 years during this decade.