Outstanding Alumnae Named 2015 Smith Medalists

Four remarkable alumnae are being honored for their professional achievements and outstanding service as 2015 Smith Medalists.

The medalists, announced at a faculty meeting September 10, are: diplomat Gillian Martin Sorensen ’63; author Jane Abramson O’Connor ’69; physician Cynthia F. Bearer ’72; and Stephanie D. Neely ’85, finance executive and former Chicago city treasurer. (See biographies of the winners, below).

The Smith Medal was established in 1962 to recognize alumnae who exemplify in their lives and work “the true purpose” of a liberal arts education. More than 200 outstanding alumnae have received the award for their contributions to their communities and the world.

This year’s honorees will receive their medals at a ceremony on Rally Day set for Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2015. Classes are cancelled for the occasion, which marks the first time seniors publicly wear their gowns—along with inventive hats in keeping with the spirit of the day.

About the 2015 Smith Medalists:

Gillian Martin Sorensen ’63, Diplomat

The New York Times has described Gillian Martin Sorensen as “the diplomat’s diplomat.” During her  career  she served as assistant secretary general under Kofi Annan and Boutros Boutros-Ghali; senior Adviser/advocate for the United Nations Foundation; and as New York City Commissioner for the United Nations and Consular Corps, the liaison office which managed relations between the city and the world’s largest diplomatic corps. She is known as a skilled consensus builder and negotiator and led the outreach to 4,000 accredited non-governmental organizations at the UN. Sorensen serves on the board of the International Rescue Committee and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the International Women’s Forum and the Women’s Foreign Policy Group.  In 2002 and again in 2014, she was a Fellow at Harvard University. She is an experienced public speaker and has addressed thousands of audiences on matters related to the UN, including peace and security, development, human rights, conflict prevention, United States-UN relations and the value of diplomacy.

Jane Abramson O’Connor ’69, Author

Jane Abramson O’Connor  is a bestselling author known by millions of young readers as the creator of the popular Fancy Nancy children’s book series. But her impact on the publishing world goes far beyond the bestseller lists. For more than 40 years, O’Connor has worked to foster children’s love of reading. She has been a highly successful publisher, mentoring generations of new writers and editors in the craft of storytelling. She began her career in 1971 and was an editor at Scholastic, Inc., then Random House, where she eventually became editor-in-chief of children’s books. At Penguin Publishing (now Penguin Random House) she was publisher of mass-market children’s publishing for 10 years and is currently vice president and editor-at-large there. She has worked with such classic children’s book authors as Richard Scarry, Laurent de Brunhoff, Tomie dePaola and Joanna Cole. During her career, O’Connor has written more than 60 books for children as well as two novels for grown-ups. It was the Fancy Nancy series, though, that took the world by storm. To date, the books have sold 27 million copies worldwide, and the posh (that’s a fancy word for fancy) title character has become a cultural icon.

Cynthia F. Bearer ’72, Physician

Cynthia F. Bearer, M.D., Ph.D., is a renowned physician whose work promoting children’s health and environmental health has been described by her medical colleagues as “inspiring.” Listed among the Best Doctors in America and America’s Top Pediatricians, Bearer is an internationally recognized expert on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and the impact of environmental toxins on children’s development. She is currently the Mary Gray Cobey Professor of Neonatology and chief of the Division of Neonatology in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. In addition, she is chair of the board of directors of the Children’s Environmental Health Network, a national multidisciplinary project that protects the health of children as it relates to environmental hazards and promotes healthy environments. She has been awarded multiple research grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Environmental Protection Agency, totaling more than $10 million. Bearer earned a degree in mathematics from Smith, a doctorate in biochemistry from Case Western Reserve University and a medical degree from Johns Hopkins University. Throughout her career, Dr. Bearer has mentored scores of students, from the high school to graduate levels.

Stephanie D. Neely ’85, former Treasurer of the City of Chicago

Stephanie Neely is vice president, treasury, and an officer of Allstate Insurance Company. She is responsible for the strategic direction and management of liquidity, capital, ratings and corporate structure issues. In addition to overseeing a staff of nearly 20, she is a trustee of Allstate’s pension investment committee. She joined Allstate in 2014. Neely has more than two decades of financial services experience. Throughout her career, she has built on her strengths and redefined herself to win progressively more responsible leadership roles in both government and the for-profit sector—while maintaining work-life balance as the single mother of a son, now 16. As treasurer and chief investment officer for the city of Chicago from 2006 to 2014, Neely managed the city’s $7 billion portfolio and served as trustee on five city pension funds. She also broadened financial literacy programs that have reached more than 240,000 students in Chicago public schools; strengthened small businesses through innovative programs to provide access to affordable capital and an annual Small Business Entrepreneur Expo; and raised financial reporting standards. Neely began her career as a financial analyst with Smith Barney and assistant vice president at Paine Webber. She subsequently held municipal finance management positions at First Chicago/Bank One Capital Markets and other firms, and served as vice president of the institutional sales team for Northern Trust Global Investments from 2005 to 2006. In addition to earning her Smith degree in economics, Neely has an M.B.A. in finance from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.