From the Desk of Meredith White Howell '97, Alumni Board President, 2022–2024
Summer 2024 marks the completion of my time as Durham Academy Alumni Board president. The past two years have been a joy, marked with various highlights spawned from the nature of a school and an alumni body that exuded positive and constructive growth.
During my time in this role, I have observed alumni from across the globe returning to campus and offering their earnest reflections of DA today. The words of praise, encouragement and constructive feedback have been accompanied by boots on the ground, with members of DA’s alumni community meeting with students and one other to teach, learn and grow together. Without a doubt, I can say that Durham Academy’s alumni are more engaged than we have ever been.
The Alumni Board has been hard at work planning a handful of impactful events that connected alumni with folks on campus. The first of these, spearheaded by Alumni Board member Jason Lapidus ’15, was our inaugural MasterClass with Faculty. This gathering over Zoom featured American literature teacher Jeff Biersach — who has just wrapped up his 20th year teaching in the Upper School — and included lots of laughs and lessons based on Jeff’s gleanings from his two decades of teaching DA students. Alumni Board member Natalie Sutton Alvarez ’07 assembled a panel comprising DA alumni working in the healthcare industry who shared about their career journeys and discussed their professional passions with current students. The panel, moderated by Alvarez, included the board’s Dr. David Sailer ’11, who was joined by Eleanor Wertman ’07 and Elise Hartley ’10. The school year also included visits from other alumni who offered their time for “lunch and learns” with current Upper Schoolers. The channels between past and current DA students are flourishing. This type of engagement is becoming a standard for alumni — who are, more than ever, returning to campus and sharing expertise that enriches students’ experience at Durham Academy.
Our alumni are also having a major positive impact on the school in ways that are less visible on campus. Our annual Giving Day saw alumni participation increase 16% from the previous year. Fellowship among alumni was fostered all over the country, as Director of Alumni Philanthropy & Engagement Tim McKenna and Head of School Michael Ulku-Steiner hosted alumni events in the Bay Area, Charlotte, New York City, Washington, D.C., and Austin. At the Spring Alumni Reception in April, Andy Crawford ’97 (Distinguished Alumni Award), Derek Rhodes ’11 (Alumni Service Award) and retiring English teacher Jordan Adair (Faculty and Staff Legacy Award) joined the ranks of Durham Academy alumni award honorees.
For us local alumni, it is a thrill to see classmates from across the country make visits back to campus. We invite you to join the many Cavs who have returned and extend a pointed invitation for you to attend one of our upcoming events: 2024 Homecoming Weekend (Oct. 4–5) and the DA Athletic Hall of Fame Induction on Dec. 13. Our campus is always open to alumni, so please stop by when you can for some warm smiles, fond memories, and to witness firsthand the ways that our school is thriving.
I am in awe of the alumni with whom I have had the opportunity to collaborate on the Alumni Board; this is an involved, generous and creative group. I look forward to the ways the board will continue to cultivate community, both within the alumni family and with Durham Academy’s current students under the leadership of 2024–2025 Alumni Board President David Peters ’13. Durham Academy’s strength has always been in our people. It is inspiring to see alumni who recognize ways to give back to DA, and in doing so, pay it forward to another generation of impressive graduates. I have never been prouder to be Cavalier!
Meredith White Howell ’97
Alumni Board President, 2022–2024