Didi Schanche (A80)

Didi Schanche is NPR's chief international editor. Her team of correspondents, based around the world, is on the scene for breaking news and specializes in coverage of issues of international policy and national security. NPR's award-winning international coverage is consistently recognized for its excellence. Schanche also serves as NPR's Africa and Latin America Editor.

A journalist since 1981, Schanche landed her first reporting job as a freelance correspondent for The Jerusalem Post in Cairo, Egypt. She earned a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism in 1982, then began reporting for the Associated Press in Montgomery, Alabama. She later moved to AP’s foreign desk in New York and then to Nairobi, Kenya, where she covered East Africa for seven years. After a stint editing Middle East coverage in Cyprus, she returned to the U.S. and joined NPR in 2001. Schanche is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Friends of St. John’s College, a group that supports initiatives connecting the college and the greater Annapolis community.

Anne Ferro (A80)

Anne Ferro held a variety of prominent leadership roles throughout her career: Administrator of the Maryland Department of Transportation’s Motor Vehicle Administration; President and CEO of the Maryland Motor Truck Association; Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA); and President and CEO of the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA). In each of these roles, she used her vision, leadership, and deep understanding of safety issues to achieve numerous policy and program improvements. Ferro has appeared multiple times before Congressional committees, offering testimony on a wide range of transportation safety issues, including school bus safety and the need for funding surface transportation safety projects.

Ferro’s dedication to serving others began early, including volunteering in Africa with the Peace Corps. Her professional journey started as fiscal counsel to the Maryland General Assembly, followed by joining the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration, where she became its first female Administrator in 1997. In 2009, she was appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate to lead FMCSA, where she implemented significant safety initiatives and became the agency’s longest-serving Administrator. At AAMVA, Ferro broke down silos to reform Commercial Driver License training and improve collaboration across safety stakeholders. Even after retiring in 2023, she continued advocating for road safety, supporting victims’ families and legislation to strengthen ignition interlock laws. Her leadership in a traditionally male-dominated field remains an inspiring model for those striving to make a lasting impact in transportation safety.

Cary Stickney (A75)

Cary Stickney was a beloved tutor on the Santa Fe campus of St. John’s College from 1980 until his retirement in 2020, serving also as director of the Graduate Institute from 1994–97. A passionate educator, he was known for his deep commitment to the liberal arts and for giving his students generous access to the books and ideas he held dear. Cary’s big laugh and serious dedication to education made a lasting impression on students and colleagues alike. He was also a longtime co-leader of “Tunes at Noon,” a weekly folk/bluegrass/Americana jam session where he played a rousing fiddle.

Cary found his life’s calling after dropping out of high school and discovering St. John’s College. After completing his degree in Annapolis, he began teaching in Santa Fe at age 26. He also brought joy to the community through music, performing blues, bluegrass, and Irish tunes with extraordinary skill. While earning his master’s in German philosophy in Germany, he supported himself by performing blues in the style of Blind Lemon Jefferson. He later volunteered his musical gifts at the Penitentiary of New Mexico, offering warmth and care to incarcerated individuals. Cary Stickney died peacefully at home on April 7, 2021, at the age of 66.

Denise Fort (SF72)

Denise Fort has an extensive background in environmental and natural resources law - about 25 years of practice, politics, reflecting and writing about policies, all animated by a belief that society must turn toward a more sustainable relationship with its environment. She believes that law plays a critical role in establishing the institutions that govern those relationships. In 1995, she chaired the Western Water Policy Review Advisory Commission, a presidential panel appointed to review the role of the federal government in western water issues. She has also been active in the National Research Council, an arm of the National Academy of Sciences. Fort began her career as an environmental attorney with New Mexico Public Interest Research Group and Southwest Research and Information Center, then became a special assistant attorney general in the state's Taxation and Revenue Department. When she was 31, she was appointed Secretary of the New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration. She moved on to head the state Environmental Improvement Division.

In 1987, Fort turned her focus to teaching, spending a year as a research associate at UNM's Institute of Public Policy and the UNM School of Law. She then served as executive director of Citizens for a Better Environment and as a consultant for the Natural Heritage Institute, both in California, before returning to New Mexico. In 1991, she became director of the Water Resources Administration Program at UNM and joined the law school faculty at that time. While now retired, Professor Fort still teaches from time to time and brings her extensive background experience to the classroom and to work with individual students. She focuses her teaching on environmental law and upper-level seminars on a broad range of natural resources topics.

Taeko Onishi (SF92)

Taeko Onishi brings over 30 years of experience as an educator. She has co-founded two schools (Lyons Community School in New York City and Namahana School in Hawaii) and has served as principal of Lyons since 2007. Now, based on Oahu, she is grateful to be closer to her family. Taeko is passionate about balancing the unique needs of individual students with those of the broader community, and her leadership is rooted in equity, student-centered learning, and the power of relationships in education.

She has worked extensively in restorative justice, competency-based learning, and project-based education to ensure students are both academically challenged and meaningfully engaged. Her work has been featured in national publications, and she has led educator workshops across the country. With a strong work ethic and a thoughtful, collaborative mindset, Taeko approaches education with a philosophy that values human connection, structure, and adaptability, creating environments where all students can thrive.

Dr. Yonghwa Lee (AGI01)

Dr. Yonghwa Lee is a professor of English language and literature at Incheon National University (INU), where he co-founded the university’s Great Books Center in 2019. Inspired by his postgraduate education at St. John’s College in Annapolis, the Center’s discussion-based curriculum encourages students to critically engage with a range of texts while developing their conversational and analytical skills. Lee, who previously taught English literature in the U.S., recognized that his Korean students were limited by textbook-only reading and distracted by digital technologies. In response, he championed a return to deep reading and dialogue, arguing that great books and critical thinking create better readers, thinkers, and problem-solvers.

Believing that liberal arts and discussion-based education can foster free, collaborative, and independent minds, Lee has expanded his efforts beyond INU. He established a national network of Korean universities interested in Great Books education and launched a program to introduce this educational approach throughout the City of Chuncheon and Province of Gangwon. Each year, the INU Great Books Center attracts more students and faculty, promoting Lee’s vision of a healthier society built on thoughtful, open conversation and a balanced intellectual life.

Thomas More Donnelly (SF81)

Judge Thomas More Donnelly began his legal career clerking for the Honorable Mary Ann G. McMorrow and served as an assistant public defender for thirteen years. He became an Associate Judge in 2003 and was promoted to Circuit Judge by the Illinois Supreme Court in 2021. Judge Donnelly sits in the Law Division, Commercial Calendar, presiding over motions and trials in business disputes. He has served as a judge for nearly 25 years and has tried over 400 jury trials, and over 1,000 bench trials.

Judge Donnelly is recognized for his dedication to improving the justice system; contributing his leadership to state-wide judicial ethics and judicial education initiatives and efforts to improve the efficiency, fairness, and accessibility of the courts. He spearheaded the development of three court programs to assist self-represented litigants (CBA Summary Suspension Volunteer Program, the CARPLS Consumer Collection Self-Help Desk, and the CBA Municipal Court Pro Bono Panel program) and is a dedicated advocate of restorative justice. In contrast to a punitive approach to justice, restorative justice is “a system of criminal justice which focuses on the rehabilitation of offenders through reconciliation with victims and the community at large.” (Oxford Dictionary)

Throughout his career, Judge Donnelly has also served the legal community in his role as educator. After graduating from Loyola University Chicago School of Law in 1986, Judge Donnelly stayed involved in the Loyola system as an Adjunct Professor and Instructor and currently teaches Illinois Litigation: Race, Injustice and Poverty. He has taught Civil Litigation, Professional Responsibility, Criminal Procedure, Trial Advocacy, and Appellate Advocacy and directed Loyola’s Philip H. Corboy Trial Advocacy Fellowship for twenty years from 1995—2016. He has taught trial advocacy at the University of Chicago Law School in the Mandel Legal Aid Clinic and has lectured at Washington and Lee Law School, Marquette Law School, and DePaul Law School. Judge Donnelly also serves on the faculty of the National Judicial College and served as founding board chair of the Illinois Judicial College. He teaches hundreds of judges around the country, teaching state court judges and military judges.

Judge Donnelly serves as President of the Catholic Criminal Justice Reform Network, sponsored by the Lumen Christi Institute; since 2021 he has helped conduct dialogues between the system impacted and system responsible in ten cities across the country. He also serves on the Illinois Judicial Ethics Committee and has chaired both the CBA Chicago Bar Association (CBA) Professional Responsibility Committee and the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) Standing Committee on Professional Conduct.

In addition, Judge Donnelly serves on the advisory boards/committees for Loyola’s Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage, the Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture, and St. Gregory’s Hall.  He served as president of the Catholic Lawyers Guild of Chicago from 2015-16; he has served on the Guild’s board since 1988.

In recognition for his dedication and contributions to the judicial system, Judge Donnelly has received numerous awards including: the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice’s The Hon. Thomas L. Kilbride (Ret.) Judicial Access to Justice Award (2024), the Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity Hon. Mary Ann G. McMorrow Distinguished Service Award (2020), the Center for Disability and Elder Law Impact Award (2019), the Illinois Judges Association Harold Sullivan Award (2018), the Catholic Lawyers Guild of Chicago Catholic Lawyer of the Year (2014), the Loyola University School of Law St. Robert Bellarmine Award (1994) and the Chicago Bar Association David C. Hilliard Award (1986).

Judge Donnelly comes from a family of Johnnies. His two sisters Theresa Donnelly (SF88), and Maura Donnelly O’Halloran (SF91) both followed him to St. John’s College. Judge Donnelly is married to Anne Wicker.  They have four sons (Claude, Ambrose, Liam, and Gabriel) and reside in the Lincoln Square neighborhood in Chicago’s 47th Ward. Judge Donnelly’s son Ambrose is a member of Annapolis Class of 2017.

Malik Gillani (A92)

Malik Gillani is Founding Executive Director of Silk Road Cultural Center. Malik is nationally recognized for his leadership in the arts and education sectors. He has innovated programs that expand cultural representation and artistic access. Most notably, he conceived of and developed Silk Road Cultural Center’s model for creating online video plays which are now being viewed around the world. He also conceived of, developed, and piloted the Center’s two arts education programs, Myths to Drama and EPIC (Empathic Playwriting Intensive Course), and spearheaded their growth from elementary, middle, and high school classrooms to also include multi-generational and community-based learning for immigrants and refugees.

In his arts service capacity, Malik has been a volunteer grant reviewer for the National Endowment for the Arts, the Illinois Arts Council Agency, and the City of Chicago’s CityArts Program. He has presented papers at local and national conferences on creative entrepreneurship, community organizing, and cultural production. Malik has also played a pivotal role in encouraging Chicago-based theatre companies to expand their repertoires of storytelling.

Malik earned a Master’s in Non-Profit Administration from North Park University. He is a Kellogg Executive Scholar (Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University) and has been awarded a Certificate of Professional Achievement in Nonprofit Management. Malik is a recipient of the IBM Business and Technology Leadership Award and the Chicago Community Trust Fellowship Award. He was honored by Changing Worlds for Outstanding Contributions to the Arts. Under the leadership of Malik and his husband, Jamil Khoury, Silk Road Cultural Center (then Silk Road Rising) was inducted into Chicago’s Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame for “showcasing works that address themes relevant to LGBTQ Silk Road peoples and their diaspora communities.”

Most recently, he was named a Leader for a New Chicago by the Field Foundation and John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

In the fall of 2019, Malik suffered a heart attack and stroke, and is currently living with aphasia (a language disorder) and apraxia of speech (a speech disorder). As his recovery continues, Malik is developing a play titled, The Art of Aphasia, which he hopes to premiere in 2026.

Rose Carmen Goldberg (SF06)

Rose Carmen Goldberg (SF06) is a public interest lawyer and policy advocate. She is a nationally-recognized leader on veterans’ rights, with a focus on advancing justice for underserved veterans, including veterans with mental health conditions, veteran sexual assault survivors, Native American veterans, and immigrant veterans.

Rose’s decade-plus of public interest work spans academia, state service, legal aid, and all branches of the federal government. Currently, she is Associate Director of Policy and Programs at Stanford Law School’s Deborah L. Rhode Center, managing programs and conducting original research to make the legal system more accessible and equitable, with a special interest in veterans’ access to justice. She also teaches the next generation of veterans law attorneys as Director of the Veterans Law Practicum at UC Berkeley School of Law, and teaches a course on Medical-Legal Partnerships at Columbia University. Previously, she led high-impact litigation and policy advocacy affecting millions of people at the California Attorney General’s Office. Her work focused primarily on gun violence prevention and veterans’ rights. After law school, Rose secured a prestigious Skadden Fellowship and founded a first-of-its-kind Medical-Legal Partnership integrating legal and mental health services for unhoused and low-income veterans. Her federal services include working at the White House on Native American Affairs, for Senator Blumenthal on Senate Judiciary Committee and gun violence matters, and at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services on end-of-life care policy. She clerked for Honorable Theodore A. McKee, then Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

Rose’s public service has been recognized with numerous awards, including: Berkeley Law Kathi Pugh Award for Exceptional Mentorship in recognition of support of veterans initiatives; California Women Lawyers Fay Stender Award for humanity, courage, and commitment to the underrepresented in advocating for veteran sexual assault survivors; California Department of Veterans Affairs Women Veterans Advocates Award; California Young Lawyers Association Jack Berman Award of Achievement for distinguished service to the public for representation of veterans; Squire Patton Boggs Foundation Distinguished Fellow Award for accomplishments in veterans law; Oklahoma Supreme Court Susan J. Ferrell Scholarship for tribal law scholarship. Her writing on veterans, mental health, and sexual assault has been featured widely, including in the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, and Washington Post.

Rose got her start in public interest at St. John’s, motivated by her family’s experience receiving pro bono legal assistance. As a student, she revived the Penitentiary of New Mexico tutoring program after years of dormancy, and served as a caseworker for female inmates and worked to advance freedom of the press with the support of Ariel Scholarships. She was recognized with the St. John’s Academic Achievement and Community Service Scholarship. Following St. John’s, Rose went on to receive an M.P.A from Columbia University and a J.D from Yale Law School.

Tia Pausic (A86)

Ms. Pausic is an accomplished legal professional and experienced leader in the international humanitarian sector. She currently holds the position of General Counsel at International Medical Corps, a role she has held since December 2018. In this capacity, Tia leads the Legal and Grants & Contracts departments, offering strategic legal and governance advice to the CEO and Board of Trustees. Her responsibilities extend across more than 25 country field offices, where she oversees legal and regulatory matters.

Prior to her current role, Tia served as Acting General Counsel and as Senior Director, Awards and Measurement at International Medical Corps. Her career also includes significant leadership positions at World Learning and America's Development Foundation, where she was responsible for strategic planning, legal and regulatory compliance, and operational management in various international contexts.  Tia worked in Croatia and Bosnia-Hercegovina for a dozen years leading the implementation of large USAID-funded programs focused on democracy, advocacy and human rights.

Tia’s Bachelor of Arts degree from St. John’s College and her Juris Doctor (JD) from Harvard Law School have provided a strong foundation in critical thinking and analytical skills.

Tia became an elected alumni representative to the St. John’s Board of Visitors and Governors in October 2022. As a member of the Board, Tia serves as chair of the Facilities subcommittee and member of the Finance committee. Her multifaceted experience in law, international operations, and humanitarian work, combined with her academic achievements, make Tia a valuable asset to the St. John’s College Board.  Previously, Tia served over eight years on the St. John’s College Alumni Association board of directors, including terms as President and was a DC Chapter co-leader.

She lives in Washington DC with two demanding Maine Coon cats and focuses her creative energy on designing jewelry and growing irises.

Betsy Bassan (A75)

Founded Panagora Group in 2011, a woman- and employee-owned firm working on USAID foreign aid programs with over 500 employees and consultants. Panagora has received many awards, notably USAID 2019 Small Business of the Year. Across many leadership positions, Ms. Bassan has pioneered innovative programs to help people in Africa, Asia, and Europe and Eurasia. She is a recognized industry leader, serves on many boards, and was named Entrepreneur of the Year for the Mid-Atlantic Region in 2021 by Ernst & Young. She served on the College’s Board of Visitors and Governors.

Roger Dean Carstens (AGI17)

Current Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs at the U.S. State Department since 2020, where he serves as the chief diplomat responsible for bringing home wrongfully detained American hostages, most recently including Brittney Griner. After graduating from the Graduate Institute, Mr. Carstens also served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor.

Amy Loyd (SF98)

Current U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education for the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education. Prior to her appointment, she worked for ten years at Jobs for the Future, a national workforce and education non-profit, leaving as its vice president. Early in her career, Ms. Loyd worked for nine years as director of education at Cook Inlet Tribal Council, leading a network of schools serving the Alaska Native and Native American communities. She has also taught as a lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she received her doctorate.

Joseph Macfarland (A87)

Outgoing Annapolis dean, serving since 2016. Mr. Macfarland has been a tutor since 1998. Mr. Macfarland has given his professional life to the college. His leadership through the pandemic helped the college not only survive but thrive.

J. Walter Sterling (A93)

Outgoing two-time Santa Fe dean, serving first from 2011-14, and later from 2018 to 2023. Mr. Sterling has been a tutor since 2003. Mr. Sterling has given his professional life to the college. His leadership through the pandemic helped the college not only survive but thrive.

Lucy Tamlyn (A78)

Current U.S. ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and former ambassador to Benin and the Central African Republic. Ms. Tamlyn is a career foreign service officer who has held assignments throughout the world and has been recognized by the State Department with the Secretary’s Award for Expeditionary Service.

Arturs Krišjānis Kariņš (A88)

For extraordinary advocacy of freedom and democracy and service to the people of Latvia as Prime Minister

Mr. Kariņš is the Prime Minister of Latvia. He may be the only Johnnie alumnus to date to serve as head of state of a sovereign nation. He became prime minister in 2019 and has led one of the longest serving Latvian governments in modern history.

As a freshman in 1984, Mr. Kariņš received an honorable mention for the best freshman essay, an honor he has touted throughout his adult life. He continued his education at the University of Pennsylvania, where he received a Ph.D in linguistics. Mr. Kariņš later moved to Latvia where he was first elected to Latvia’s parliament in 2002, and in 2009 was elected to serve as a member of the European Parliament. As Prime Minister, Mr. Kariņš has been an outspoken advocate for freedom and democracy, arguing that “Democracy is contagious. It is an attractive idea because it is the people, not autocrats, who decide who runs the country and in which direction to move.”

Pedro Martinez-Fraga (A84)

For achievement in the field of law and international relations

Pedro J. Martinez-Fraga is a renowned international lawyer. He is a partner at law firm of Bryan, Cave, Leighton, and Paisner, where he co-leads the firm’s international arbitration team, and is a World Bank arbitrator. He served as lead U.S. counsel on behalf of the Republic of Chile in the case against former Chilean President, Augusto Pinochet, and has also worked on the prosecutions of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and deposed Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

His writings in the fields of public and private international law have been published in 15 countries and five languages, including more than 50 reviewed articles and six books. Mr. Martinez-Fraga has lectured at more than 30 universities across the globe. He is an Honorary Professor of Law at both the Universidad de San Ignacio de Loyola and the Universidad del Pacífico in Lima, Perú.

Boaz Roth (AGI92)

For achievement in the field of education

Mr. Roth has dedicated his life to teaching in the St. John’s mode. He is Chair of the English Department at Thomas Jefferson School in St. Louis, where he has taught English, Greek, and math for almost 30 years and coached basketball for more than 20 seasons. The school has small, seminar based discussions in every discipline and boasts that its average student will have read 80 works of classic literature by graduation. His school’s basketball court has ἀρετή painted on its floor and a local newspaper once found it noteworthy to state that “The varsity basketball team huddles with coach Boaz Roth, then springs back and yells, full-throated: ‘Arete!’ This is how one cheers at Thomas Jefferson School.”

In addition to his Masters from St. John’s, where he is remembered both for his focus as a student and a driven basketball player, Mr. Roth earned a B.A. with a double major in philosophy and economic theory from the American University.

John Ruskey (SF90)

For achievement in the arts and exploration

John Ruskey is a river guide, adventurer, canoe builder, artist, and Bluesman. With his company, the Quapaw Canoe Company, he leads canoe tours on the Mississippi River 200 days out of the year, in addition to workshops for ecological education and camps for local kids. One of his long running projects is rivergator.org, an all-encompassing internet and print resource providing detailed instructions for paddling the Mississippi River between St. Louis and the Gulf of Mexico.

Mr. Ruskey was the first curator of the Delta Blues Museum and is the co-founder and director of the Delta Blues Education Fund. Mr. Ruskey has written a monthly column, “Down in the Delta,” for Blues Revue Magazine since 1998. In 1997, he won the Early Wright Blues Heritage Award, presented to a non-musician for outstanding work to preserve, promote, perpetuate, and document Blues in the Mississippi Delta.

Mr. Ruskey has maintained his association with the college and frequently mentions his education there and has led a seminar on the Mississippi River with other alumni on Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Annapolis

Robert George (A85)

For achievement in the field of journalism and distinguished service to the college and its alumni

Robert George (A85) has served both the college and its alumni through extensive volunteer activity, including service on the Alumni Association Board and its committees, the Board of Visitors and Governors, and volunteering as a DJ for nearly every Annapolis homecoming over the past three decades. His distinguished career in politics and journalism, where he has quietly championed civility and served as a model for civil discourse, displays how we hope Johnnies might contribute to society. George currently writes editorials on education and other policy issues for Bloomberg Opinion. He was previously a member of the editorial boards of the New York Daily News and New York Post. He began his career in politics working for the Republican National Committee and as senior writer and special assistant for then-Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Newt Gingrich. He was involved in election monitoring in Nigeria, reported on slavery in Sudan, and has participated in fact-finding missions to Israel and China. Over the course of his career, George has appeared on MSNBC, CNN, Fox News, and many other political affairs outlets, and has written for National Review, Reason, HuffPost, and a variety of other print and online publications.

Watch an interview with Robert George

John Sifton (A96)

For achievement in the field of human rights advocacy

John Sifton (A96) has devoted most of his career to human rights. After focusing on international humanitarian law in law school (NYU 2000), he worked for Refugees International in the Balkans, and then as a researcher and later advocate at Human Rights Watch. In an interview last year with the college about human rights work, he described human rights research and advocacy as “a relentless pursuit of the truth and a constant but often unrewarding effort to bring abusers to justice.” In addition to advocacy, Sifton is a writer, starting with a New York Times article published after 9/11 and leading up to his 2015 book, Violence All Around. Praised by The New Yorker, HuffPost, and other outlets, Violence All Around offers insights into human rights work as well as meditations on the nature of violence. Using his work on atrocities and war crimes as a springboard, Sifton explores the reluctance of historians and philosophers to analyze violence itself, not just as moral or immoral activity or as means to an end, but as a set of independent phenomena that condition human existence. According to Sifton, few observers, perpetrators, or victims are given an opportunity to consider these contexts. “I just don’t get the sense that a lot of the people who work in human rights think about that.”

Watch an interview with John Sifton

Santa Fe

William Fischer, PhD (SF86)

For achievement in the field of evolutionary biology and bioinformatics

Will Fischer, PhD, (SF86) is a scientist who works at the interface of viral evolution, vaccine development, and pandemic prevention. His work has contributed to mitigation efforts against HIV, filovirus diseases (Ebola and Marburg), Hepatitis C, Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease, and COVID-19. He played a vital role in the development of the mosaic vaccine design concept, which enables construction of vaccines for previously intractable pathogens. Since 2005, his work at the Los Alamos National Laboratory has been focused primarily on HIV. In 2020, he turned his attention to tracking the molecular evolution of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. His recent work has significantly contributed to a better understanding of SARS-CoV-2 variants, and ways to apply this understanding to ensure continuing success with vaccines and antibody therapeutics. Fischer’s deep biological knowledge, computational skills, and ability to design visual presentations of complex data—a skill he began to develop at the chalkboard in the St. John’s classroom—have significantly contributed to vaccine design strategies and have helped save lives around the globe. He is a well-rounded, deep-thinking scientist, and his insights have benefited many issues relating to public health.

Watch an interview with William Fischer

Natalie Goldberg (SFGI74)

For achievement in the field of arts and literature

Natalie Goldberg (SFGI74) is the author of 15 books (and counting), including Writing Down the Bones, which has sold more than one million copies, has been translated into 19 languages, and revolutionized the way we practice writing in this country. Her most recent book, Three Simple Lines: A Writer’s Pilgrimage into the Heart and Homeland of Haiku, has garnered wide praise—and includes a shout-out to the Santa Fe college bookstore. Her other books include the novel Banana Rose, memoir Long Quiet Highway, and a collection of essays, The Great Spring. For more than 40 years, Goldberg has practiced Zen Buddhism and taught seminars in writing as a practice. People from around the world attend her life-changing workshops, and she has earned a reputation as a great teacher. The Oprah Winfrey Show sent a film crew to spend the day with Goldberg for a segment on spirituality that covered her writing, teaching, painting, and walking meditation. She has been a speaker at commencement and other college events, including an event in 2018 where she reflected on the value St. John’s College has had in her career as an author, noting that, “[at St. John’s] you meet the mind of the author, which is really how you learn to write. The books you love, you study the mind of the authors, they’re your teachers. So, me and Socrates and me and Aristotle, we’re good friends … And that’s what you need in order to write.”

Watch an interview with Natalie Goldberg

Santa Fe

Alice Ericsson (SF75)

A distinguished leader and innovator in the field of beauty, cosmetic, and fragrance advertising, Alice Ericsson is well known for creating one of the world’s most recognized taglines: “Easy, Breezy, Beautiful, Covergirl.”

This campaign introduced a diverse group of inspiring brand ambassadors, including Queen Latifah, Salt-N-Pepa, Ellen DeGeneres as well as the first Coverboy, James Charles–an effort that, literally, changed the face the beauty industry forever. She has also helped build brands for L’Oréal, Revlon, Shiseido, and others, and has focused on mentoring women in advertising.

Currently, Ericsson works as a creative freelancer–strategizing and writing for clients such as Bobbi Brown, Hermès, MAC, and GrowNYC, among others. In addition to her professional pursuits, she is an active philanthropist with special regard for St. John’s College. A faithful financial supporter of the college, Ericsson’s contributions also include her longtime volunteer service for the institution–especially her role as a member of the Board of Directors for the Touchstones Discussion Project over the past 10 years.

Mark Sanfilippo (SFGI00)

Upon graduating from St. John’s College Graduate Institute in 2000, Mark Sanfilippo began a career as a screenwriter, where he even channeled his knowledge of western canon into some of his scripts. Little did he know then, that eight years later he would end up the producer of fine, artisan charcuterie recognized by Forbes magazine as the “Best Salami in the Country.” It was an advertisement offering employment at Pizzeria Mozza that set this trajectory in motion.

Despite his lack of culinary experience, Sanfilippo, while on hold for a writing project, applied to the restaurant and soon found himself in the job of food preparation, including curing meats. Doing so ignited his passion for the delicacy of charcuterie, which first took form as a hobby in a closet of his Los Angeles apartment to eventually a full-on business and 8,000-square-foot production facility in St. Louis.

Opened in 2008, Sanfilippo’s artisan salumeria aptly named Salume Beddu, which translates to “beautiful” in Sicilian dialect, specializes in Italian and European-style cured meats. Sanfilippo asserts the acclaim Salume Beddu has garnered from Forbes and others is due to an adherence to traditional techniques, a use of only the best ingredients, and an intellectual approach (likely instilled from his time at St. John’s) he takes to not just the curing process, but to every step of production–from farm to final product. Today, Salume Beddu distributes nationwide, and has become a fixture in award-winning kitchens as well as family gatherings, alike.

Annapolis

Judith Abrams (A65)

Working at the university level since 1987, Judith Abrams, PhD, is professor of oncology at Wayne State University School of Medicine and director of the biostatistics core at the Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit.

In her academic work at Wayne State, Abrams collaborates with cancer investigators, applying biostatistical methods in cancer research projects. Her contributions in the areas of experimental design and statistical analysis have resulted in publications in the field of oncology, especially in cancer clinical trials and observational studies. She is a four-time winner of the Wayne State University School of Medicine College Teaching Award, most recently received in 2017. In her more than 20 years with the Karmanos Cancer Institute, Abrams has been important to the design of cancer research studies. Building on her readings in philosophy of science at St. John’s College, she ensures that scientific questions are framed so they can be answered precisely and efficiently, and that analytical conclusions are accurate and valid.

Abrams embodies the spirit of inquiry that is so integral to the college’s Program. In addition to her bachelor’s degree from St. Johns, she holds a doctorate degree in biostatistics from the University of Michigan and two master’s degrees–one in computer science from New York University and another in biometry from the University of Vermont.

Kevin R. Fitzgerald (AGI85)

With more than 40 years’ experience in the field of education–first as a Maryland social studies and English teacher, and now as superintendent of the Caesar Rodney School District in Delaware–Kevin R. Fitzgerald, EdD, has dedicated his career to equipping students with the skills needed to succeed in a rapidly evolving world.

A leader in classroom technology integration, Fitzgerald has helped his district become a model for equitable instruction by offering multi-level learning modules to support students throughout the various stages of their intellectual development. For his efforts in creating learning environments where both students and teachers alike can thrive, Fitzgerald received the award for Superintendent of the Year in 2018 by the National Association of School Superintendents.

Today, Fitzgerald’s work continues as he pioneers the implementation of immersive language programs across his district, with Caesar Rodney students having access to the most language programs throughout the state of Delaware. Fitzgerald’s emphasis on language is rooted in his strong belief that the study of classic literature is what best prepares students for the future. This understanding, which demonstrates both a diversity of interpretations and shared commonalities, he owes to his studies as a graduate student of St. John’s College.

• Jeffrey Escoffier (A64, for his work as a researcher and writer, and his distinguished service to New York City)
• Cynthia Keppel Hellman (A84, for her work as a nuclear physicist and cancer researcher)
• Larry Turley (SF69, for his work in winemaking and viticulture)

• H. Glenn Ballard (SF68, for his work in the field of construction, where he co-founded the discipline Lean Construction)
• Omar Manejwala (A93, for his work in the mental health field of addiction counseling)
• Anika Prather (AGI09, for her work in the field of education as founder of the Living Water Schools)
• Joe Sachs (A68, for his work as a tutor and translator of ancient Greek texts
• Richard Saja (SF93, for his work as an artist and designer, merging 18th-century and modern designs using toile and other media

• David Diggs (AGI91, for outstanding achievement in helping to ending child slavery in Haiti)
• Lydia Polgreen (A97, journalist and Editor in Chief at the Huffington Post)
• Ben Sasse (AGI98, US Senator from Nebraska and past president of Midland University)
• Jason Viseltear (SFGI96, luthier)

• Eugene Thaw (Class of 1947, art collector and philanthropist)
• Timberlake Wertenbaker (Class of 1966, playwright and translator)
• Paul Eitner (SF71, scientist and engineer in space and defense)
• Christian Burks (SF76, genetic scientist)
• James Schamus (A81, filmmaker and screenwriter)
• Curran Engle (SF86, filmmaker)
• Heather Davis (SF01, educator and literacy advocate)

• Kendon Stubbs (A60, distinguished research librarian)
• William Doleman (SF70, archeologist and explorer)
• Benjamin Barney (SF70, educator and activist)
• James Jarvis (A75, pediatrician and chief of rheumatology at University of Buffalo)
• Paul Martin (SF80, investment banker and community activist)
• Steven Werlin (A85, senior faculty at Shimer College and regional director of Chemen Lavi Miyo, a program aimed at assisting Haiti’s extreme poor in learning skills needed to lift their families out of poverty)

• Steven M. Holland, Class of 1979
• Arthur Hyman, Class of 1944
• Gay P. Hall, Class of 1959, (AGI99)
• Thomas Keens, Class of (SF68)
• Lee D. Zlotoff, (A74)
• Amy Freed, Class of (SF79)
• Robert Bienenfeld, (SF80)

• Samuel S. Kutler, Class of 1954
• David K. Allison (A73)
• Ellen Chavez de Leitner (SF73)
• Leslie Kay (SF83)
• Samuel Casey Carter (A88)
• Elaine Pinkerton Coleman (SFGI88)

• Frank Murray, Class of 1960
• Margaret Winter, Class of 1966
• Seth Cropsey (SF72)
• Christopher Isham (SF77)
• Susan Otto (SF77)
• Bryan Dorland (A92)

• Henry Robert III, Class of 1941
• Pamela Sklar (A81)

• Stephen Benedict, Class of 1947
• Stephen Forman (A70)
• Robert Tzudiker (A75)

• Martin Andrews, Class of 1948
• Leo Pickens (A78)

• Dr. Henry Higman, Class of 1948
• Peter McGhee, Class of 1955
• George F. Bingham (SF68)
• Norman Levan (SFGI74)

• Lovejoy R. Duryea, Class of 1967
• Jeffrey A. Bishop (H87)

• Everett Wilson, Class of 1956

• William Carter, Class of 1940
• Charlotte King, Class of 1959
• Michael Strong (SF84)

• William Ross, Class of 1947
• David Krimins, Class of 1963
• Eric Springsted (SF73)
• Alfred Grant (SFGI83)

• Candace Brightman, Class of 1967
• Howard Zeiderman, Class of 1967
• Stephanie Forrest (SF77)
• Peggy A. Jones (SFGI94)

• Thomas Williams, Class of 1951
• A.T. Michael MacDonald (SF76)
• Warren Spector (A81)

• Dana Densmore, Class of 1965
• William Donahue, Class of 1967
• Edward Weinberger, Class of 1965
• Ronald Fielding (A70)
• Glenda H. Eoyang (SF76)
• Lawrence Clendenin (SF77)

• Jeremy Leven, Class of 1964
• Paula Maynes (SF77)
• Benjamin Haggard (SF79)

• Stewart Greenfield, Class of 1953
• Tom Geyer (A68)
• Robert Hampton (SF73)

• Roland Bailey, Class of 1935
• George Van Sant, Class of 1947
• Martin Dyer, Class of 1952
• William Tilles, Class of 1959
• Tom Stern (SF69)
• Lynda Myers (SF72)

• Peter Weiss, Class of 1946
• Harvey Goldstein, Class of 1959
• Jonathan Zavin (A68)
• Travis Price (SF71)
• Rick Lightburn (SF76)
• Barbara Lauer (SF76)

• Rogers Albritton, Class of 1945
• William Goldsmith, Class of 1945
• Gerald Peters (SF70)
• Chris Nelson (SF70)
• Rina Swentzell (SFGI70)

• Henry Clay Smith, Class of 1934
• Ahmet Ertegun, Class of 1944

• Peter Davies, Class of 1948
• Mara Robinson (SFGI83)

• David B. Rea, Class of 1949
• Warren Winiarski, Class of 1952
• Anthony James Carey, Class of 1967
• Charlotte Fletcher (H69)

• Clarence J. Kramer, Class of 1946
• John D. Oosterhout, Class of 1951
• Sharon Bishop, Class of 1965

• William A. Darkey, Class of 1942
• Jack Ladd Carr, Class of 1950
• John L. Williams, Class of 1950

• Mary Bittner Goldstein, Class of 1958
• The Hon. Adolph W. Schmidt (H87)

• John Van Doren, Class of 1947
• Thomas M. Carnes, Class of 1952
• Jac Holzman, Class of 1952
• Jermey P. Tarcher, Class of 1953
• Charles G. Bell (H83)
• Curtis A. Wilson (H83)

• Dr. Thomas Bourne Turner, Class of 1921
• Vernon E. Derr, Class of 1944
• Robert D. Sacks, Class of 1954
• Barbara H. Leonard (H55)
• Robert Neidorf (H83)

• James H. Frame, Class of 1950

• Allan P. Hoffman, Class of 1949

• Francis S. Mason, Class of 1943
• Robert S. Bart, Class of 1957

• Ray C. Cave, Class of 1948
• Thomas K. Simpson, Class of 1950
• Rev. J. Winfree Smith (H80)

• Capt. Edward F. Lathrop, Class of 1938
• Charles A. Nelson, Class of 1945

• The Hon. Matthew Strohm Evans, Class of 1931
• William B. Matthews, Jr., Class of 1934

• Walter F. Evers, Class of 1935
• Thomas Parran, Jr., Class of 1942

• Richard D. Weigle (H49)

• Cdr. Elmer M. Jackson, Jr., Class of 1927
• Victor G. Bloede, Class of 1941
• Bryce D. Jacobsen, Class of 1942

• Bernard F. Gessner, Class of 1927
• Dr. David Dobreer, Class of 1944
• Robert A. Goldwin, Class of 1950

• Fred J. Bielaski, Class of 1916
• Julius Rosenberg, Class of 1938

• Col. Thomas W. Ligon, Class of 1916

• The Hon. Benj. Michaelson, Sr., Class of 1912
• Ernst O. von Schwerdtner, Class of 1917
• John D. Alexander, Class of 1920

• Col. Robert E. Jones, Class of 1909

• Paul Landon Banfield, Class of 1923
• Myron Lee Wolbarsht, Class of 1950
• Miriam Strange (H60)

• Edward J. Dwyer, Class of 1930
• William B. Athey, Class of 1932
• Paul Mellon, Class of 1944

• Philip Langon Alger, Class of 1912
• Gen. Alfred Houston Noble, Class of 1917
• Luther Stitt Tall, Class of 1921

• Dr. Louis L. Snyder, Class of 1928

• Maj. Gen. George Gelston, Class of 1935

• John Wesley Noble, Class of 1917

• John Charles Donohue, Class of 1935

• Brig. Gen. Wm. Cranmer Baxter, Class of 1923

• Col. C. Carey Jarman, Class of 1917

• Richard Herman Hodgson, Class of 1906

• Robert Franklin Duer, Jr., Class of 1921

• Dr. J. Ogle Warfield, Jr., Class of 1919

• Gen. William Childs Purness, Class of 1923

• Walter Scott Baird, Class of 1930

• Dr. Thomas Bourne Turner, Class of 1921

• Dr. Thomas Parran, Class of 1911

• William Lentz, Class of 1912

• John Triplett Harrison, Class of 1907

• Robert Otis Jones, Class of 1916

• Adm. Lynde D. McCormick, Class of 1913

• John Vincent Jamison, Class of 1905

• Dr. Amos Francis Hutchins, Class of 1906