Smith College Admission Academics Student Life About Smith news Offices
Happy, Birthday, Gloria!
Happy Birthday, Gloria!
Scroll Down for More
Conference Schedule

An array of events, workshops and planning sessions are scheduled for the weekend. Smith staff, alumnae leaders and others will offer tips and tools to bolster the valuable work that you do for Smith. Choose among optional sessions, and then gather with other alumnae from your region and around the world who share your volunteer role.

Click here to register

Thursday, September 11, 2014

8 a.m.–6:30 p.m. Alumnae House opens
11 a.m.–6:30 p.m.RegistrationAlumnae House
5 p.m.–6:30 p.m.Welcome reception Conference Hall,
Alumnae House
Dinner on your own

Friday, September 12, 2014

8 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Alumnae House opens
8 a.m.–10 a.m.RegistrationClarion Hotel
8:00–9:30 a.m.Continental breakfast
Welcome remarks and general campaign overview
Clarion Hotel
10:30 a.m.–11:45 a.m. Session 1: Open to all attendees (choose one)
Ready, Set, Tweet-Twitter Demystified
Dana Ehrlich '89, volunteer leadership corps
Room 103/104, Campus Center
Leadership for Rebels
Rachel Simmons, author, educator and coach
Carroll Room, Campus Center
Building a Diverse and Effective Board
Sarah Tsitso, executive director, Springfield Boys and Girls Club
Room 205, Campus Center
Women for the World in Your Backyard
Betsy Carpenter '93, campaign and development director
Room 003, Campus Center
Noon–1:30 p.m.Regional buffet lunchCampus Center
2 p.m.–4:15 p.m. Session 2: For Reunion chairs and class presidents celebrating their reunion in 2016, and the Classes Committee
Engineering Your 2016 Reunion: The Nuts and Bolts of Reunion PlanningConference Hall, Alumnae House
2 p.m.–3 p.m. Session 2A: Sessions by role
You'll Never Know Until You Ask
for Smith Fund volunteers and campaign volunteers
Room 103/104, Campus Center
Planned Gifts that Count
for Planned Giving volunteers
Room 003, Campus Center
Connecting with Smithies
for Class volunteers who are not reuning in 2016, club volunteers, and affinity volunteers
Carrol Room, Campus Center
Nuts and Bolts: AAC Activities throughout the Year
for Admission volunteers
Room 205, Campus Center
SSW Building Connections  
for SSW Volunteers
Atrium, Campus Center
3–3:15 p.m.BreakAtrium, Campus Center
3:15–4:15 p.m. Session 2B: Sessions by role
Alive and Kicking...and Giving!
for Smith Fund, Planned Giving, and campaign volunteers
Room 003, Campus Center
Telling Your Smith Story
for Smith Fund, Planned Giving, and campaign volunteers
Room 103/104, Campus Center
How to Plan a Successful Event
for Class volunteers who are not reuning in 2016, club volunteers, and Affinity volunteers
Carroll Room, Campus Center
What I Like About You:The Reading and Selection Process
for Admission volunteers
Room 205, Campus Center
6–7 p.m.ReceptionClarion Hotel
7–9 p.m. Volunteer awards banquetClarion Hotel

Saturday, September 13, 2014

8:30 a.m.–2 p.m. Alumnae House opens
8:30–10 a.m.Breakfast and student panelClarion Hotel
10:45 a.m.–NoonSession 3: Open to all attendees (choose one)
Class volunteers to meet as a class
Hit the Deck! Advanced Social Media Management to Spread Your Message
Jenny Hammond '90, class fund team coordinator
Room 103/104, Campus Center
How to Land a Corporate Board Seat
Michael Jalbert, managing director, New Directions
Carroll Room, Campus Center
College Rankings and What You Need To Know
Cate Rowen, executive director of institutional research
Room 205, Campus Center
Whistling Vivaldi—Building Diversity
Jo Deutsch '82, AASC Board of Directors
Room 204, Campus Center
Noon–1:30 p.m. Lunch and keynote address
Shirley Sagawa '83, author, consultant, founder of Americorps
Conference Hall,
Alumnae House

 

Speakers

From Smith staff to leaders in higher education, a range of experts will be on hand to share their knowledge and inspire you in your role as a Smith volunteer.

Debra Chromy ’84

Debra Chromy, Ed.D., has spent her career working in and around the student loan industry, addressing issues of access and affordability in higher education. Most recently, Chromy was vice president of strategic partnerships at the nonprofit organization American Student Assistance in Boston, where she led a team of 54 professionals in building and managing relationships with colleges and universities, federal and state entities, higher education associations and think-tanks, and sponsorships with corporations and foundations. After graduating from Smith with a degree in economics, Chromy pursued her M.B.A. at Boston University and her doctorate in higher education management at the University of Pennsylvania. She has served on several nonprofit boards, chairing the governance and nominating committees, as a member of the Executive Committee and the Audit Committee. She is currently president of the Smith College Club of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and recently completed a five-year term as the secretary for the class of 1984. She lives in Somerville, Massachusetts, with her husband, Joe, and their two cats.

Colleen DelVecchio

Colleen DelVecchio is the director for alumnae engagement at Smith College. With more than 20 years of experience in career counseling, training and staff development, she believes that everyone should have a career that they love. Colleen's background includes extensive development of curricula for in-person and e-learning experiences focused on career choice, transitioning careers, public speaking and finding a career you are passionate about. Through mentoring programs, webinars, group career counseling sessions and online resources, Colleen has worked with alumnae to reach their career goals and stay connected to their alma mater. While at the University of Massachusetts Boston, Colleen worked with nonprofit agencies nationwide on organizational change and development of start-up programs. She has a bachelor's degree in psychology from Boston University and a master's in nonprofit management from Bay Path University. Contact Colleen at cdelvecchio@smith.edu or 413-585-2588.

Dana Ehrlich ’89

Dana Ehrlich ’89 is a communication enthusiast. At Smith College, she pursued her passion and majored in French language and literature, and studied abroad in Paris during her junior year. After graduating from Smith, Ehrlich worked in advertising and customer relations, becoming keenly attuned to the needs of an audience. In 2004, Ehrlich launched Groovy Paper, an online stationery store for “Cool Kids and Hip Adults” where her commitment to customer service was reflected in a personal call to each client. In recent years, she has volunteered her time to institutions and small-business owners by sharing her knowledge of communication tools in order to make businesses better. She is an active social media ambassador, having served as social media chair for the Smith College Club of Los Angeles and posting on behalf of the Smith Fund. As a result of her work, the number of Los Angeles club Facebook members has increased 100 percent. Additionally, the class of 1989 achieved a 42 percent participation rate in the Smith Fund for fiscal year 2014 (versus 26 percent the previous year). And her tweets have been favored and re-tweeted by a handful of followers, including @smithcollege and @presmccartney.

Jenny B. Hammond ’90

Jenny B. Hammond ’90 works in alumni relations at Deerfield Academy and lives in Hatfield, MA. While at Smith, she was an East Asian studies major, sang with the Smiffenpoofs and lived (mostly) in Capen House. She currently serves Smith in her role as a 25th Reunion class fund chair and on the Diversity and Inclusion Task Force for the Alumnae Association. A self-taught “techie,” she is on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Foursquare, which are invaluable tools to help her reunite and stay connected with Smithies across generations. 

Michael W. Jalbert

Michael W. Jalbert, president of New Directions, an executive-level coaching firm, has a global background in a diverse set of industries and a proven track record of significantly expanding distribution of services. He has extensive experience leading business-service franchises at companies such as Cendant Corporation and ERA Europe, where he was vice chair and partner. In addition to his work with New Directions, Jalbert is director of Chestnut Hill Partners LLC in New York City, an investment boutique focused on the middle market. Previously, he was president and CEO of Management Recruiters International. Jalber has also held executive posts at Pepsico, Frito-Lay, Chatham Village Foods, and AlliedSignal Automotive Aftermarket. He holds a bachelor’s degree in communication from the University of Rhode Island and completed the executive program in business administration, EPBA, at Columbia University Graduate School of Business.

 

Sarah Cross Mills ’66

Sarah Cross Mills ’66 has a long and distinguished career in education, as teacher, teacher trainer, adjunct faculty member, corporate trainer and co-founder of the Teachers’ Institute. Mills was president of the San Francisco/Marin County Smith club and also served as class secretary. She is currently president of the Portland, Maine, club and a director on the AASC board.

Shirley Sagawa ’83 

Shirley Sagawa ’83 was named a “Woman to Watch in the 21st Century” by Newsweek magazine, and one of the “Most Influential Working Mothers in America” by Working Mother magazine. She is best known for her founding role in the creation of AmeriCorps. As co-founder of the innovation consulting firm sagawa/jospin, she has provided strategic advice and developed new initiatives for public and private sector clients, including Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Points of Light Foundation, YouthBuild USA, the Presidio Trust, and the Entertainment Industry Foundation. She has played leading roles developing Cities of Service, America Forward (a policy initiative of social entrepreneurs) and most recently, a not-yet-released technology platform to democratize national service. Sagawa is currently a fellow with the Center for American Progress, an adjunct professor at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University, and author of The American Way to Change: How National Service and Volunteers are Transforming America (Jossey-Bass 2010). Sagawa has served as a presidential appointee in both the first Bush and Clinton administrations. As deputy chief of staff to First Lady Hillary Clinton, she advised the First Lady on domestic policy and led the planning for White House conferences on philanthropy, partnerships in philanthropy, and teenagers.

Rachel Simmons

Rachel Simmons is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls and The Curse of the Good Girl: Raising Authentic Girls with Courage and Confidence. As an educator, Rachel works internationally to empower young women to be more authentic, assertive and self-aware. The cofounder of the Girls Leadership Institute, Rachel is an experienced curriculum writer and educator. She currently develops leadership programs for the Wurtele Center for Work and Life at Smith College. Rachel was the host of the PBS television special A Girl’s Life, and her writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Atlantic and Slate. Odd Girl Out was adapted into a Lifetime television movie, and Rachel has appeared regularly on national television, including Oprah and the Today show. She is a Vassar graduate and Rhodes Scholar from New York and serves on the board of the College Women’s Leadership Educators affiliate of the AAUW. For more information, please visit rachelsimmons.com.

Sarah Tsitso

Sarah Tsitso attended Simmons College in Boston, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in American literature. She received her master’s degree from Bay Path University in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, where she studied nonprofit management and philanthropy. During the course of her career, Tsitso has worked for a range of nonprofit organizations, including Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the Jimmy Fund, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and the Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity. For the past year, she has been at the helm of the Springfield Boys & Girls Club, serving as the club’s first female executive director in its 123-year history. Tsitso was named to BusinessWest’s inaugural Forty Under 40 class in 2007, and was part of the Young Professional Society of Greater Springfield’s board of directors the year it was named a “Difference Maker” by that publication. Tsitso also spent time as a journalist, winning two awards from the New England Press Association for excellence in journalism. She attended the Springfield Leadership Institute and received the YPS Excellence in Leadership Award.

Travel and Accommodations

Directions to the Clarion Hotel

From the Massachusetts Turnpike: Take exit 4 to 91 North. Take exit 18, take a right at the end of the ramp. The hotel is on the right.

From I-91 North and South: Take exit 18, take a right at the end of the ramp. The hotel is on the right.

From the Hotel to Smith College

There will be a shuttle to bring you from the Clarion Hotel to Smith College each day. If you plan on driving, please contact Lindsey Venne (lvenne@smith.edu) to inquire about parking passes for campus at least one week prior to arriving on campus.

To drive from the hotel to Smith, take a left out of the Clarion parking lot onto Route 5. After 1.2 miles, take a left onto Main Street/Route 9. In .3 miles bear right on to Elm Street. The Alumnae House is almost immediately on your right, and the Campus Center will be a little further up on your left.

Parking

Must print and display on dashboard

Accommodations

Courtesy room blocks for Thursday and Friday, September 11 and 12, are being held until Tuesday, August 19, at the Clarion Hotel.

Please call the hotel directly at 413-586-1211 to make your reservation. Mention "Smith College Volunteer Leadership Conference" to receive the discounted rate of $97 a night.

For more information about the Clarion Hotel, please visit their website here.

DirectoryCalendarCampus MapContact UsSite A-ZNormal-size textIncrease text size
footer