Three Awards for Three Extraordinary Alums
Winsor Alumnae Weekend included, as always, the presentation of several awards to outstanding members of the Winsor community. At the Alumnae Weekend luncheon, members of the alumnae engagement team presented service awards to two women who have worked long and hard on behalf of Winsor.
Director of Engagement and Events Becky Withiam presented the Alumnae Service Award to Ashley Marlenga Herbst ’01, past president of the Winsor Alumnae Board and a Winsor Trustee. “Ashley approaches everything she does with both practicality and enthusiasm,” Ms. Withiam said. “She was clear from the start that serving on the alumnae board should not only be meaningful, but also enjoyable. She understood that building community and fostering connection are just as important as the work itself.”
Ms. Withiam praised Ashley’s dedication to her role, even when a move to Texas meant that Ashley was suddenly a long-distance alumna. “Ashley was determined to honor her commitment to Winsor,” Ms. Withiam noted. “So we embraced our commitment to expanding board service—one that ensured participation was possible for alums regardless of where they lived.” Ashley’s example and participation have led Winsor to rethink its procedures for virtual board meetings, opening up new opportunities for alumnae in far-flung locales to serve Winsor in this way.
Ms. Withiam praised Ashley for “setting a powerful example for future leaders and demonstrating that what truly matters is passion, commitment, and a willingness to make it work.” She noted that Ashley has officially joined Winsor’s Board of Trustees and will serve as treasurer in the coming year.
Myriam Poznar, assistant director of alumnae engagement, presented this year’s Young Alumnae Service Award to Holly Breuer ’14, co-chair of the Young Alumnae Committee and the Community Engagement Committee on the alumnae board. “Holly is the person you want in the room when you have a big vision but need the organization to make it a reality,” Ms. Poznar noted. “She has been a constant, steady force for our office, and her impact is visible across so many of our favorite traditions.”
Ms. Poznar praised Holly’s efforts in spearheading Winsor’s Boston Young Alumnae Committee social, the campus care package program, alumnae holiday party, and alum community service day. “Your leadership, your ideas, and your deep commitment to this community have made such a tangible difference at Winsor. We are so proud to recognize your hard work and your heart today.”
At dinner later in the day, Head of School Meredith Legg P’32 presented the Julia Lyman Simonds Award to Dr. Kristine Guleserian ’86, director of the Congenital Heart Surgery Program at Medical City Children’s Hospital in Dallas. Ms. Legg spoke of Kris’s lifelong dedication to both excellence and service, and the ways her career has reflected both of those ideals.
“Kris has performed extraordinary operations, including heart transplants on some of the smallest and youngest patients in the world, and complex heart-liver transplant work that has changed the lives of children and families,” Ms. Legg noted. But Kris’s work centers not only on technical excellence, but on “an ethos of care” that shapes the lives of patients and families far beyond the operating room. “Kris understands service: not only saving lives when possible, but honoring them always,” Ms. Legg said. “She seeks out the places where she is most needed, where she can have the greatest impact, where her skills and her energy can be put in service of something larger than herself.”
The impulse to serve and lead—and to care—is “unmistakably Winsor,” Ms. Legg noted. All three of this year’s award recipients embody that spirit in their own ways, carrying forward the work of Winsor in their personal and professional lives.
