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Alumnae Awards
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Alumnae Awards are one of the highest honors graduates of National Cathedral School can receive from their alma mater. For many years, NCS bestowed the following awards on alumnae: Professional Achievement, Young Professional Achievement, Volunteer Achievement, Young Volunteer Achievement, and the Bettie Warner Thompson ’46 Lifetime Achievement Award.
Last year, the Alumnae Office updated the awards to shine a light on the NCS mission and each of the values we strive to instill and uphold at NCS: excellence, service, courage, and conscience. We will continue to bestow upon one deserving alumna the Bettie Warner Thompson ’46 Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognizes unparalleled commitment to NCS.
Excellence Award
Recognition of an alumna who has shown mastery of a skill or talent and/or has achieved distinction in their field.
Recognition of an alumna who has shown mastery of a skill or talent and/or has achieved distinction in their field.
Service Award
Recognition of an alumna who has made a difference in the world, contributing to the greater good of humanity and responding with purpose to the needs of others.
Recognition of an alumna who has made a difference in the world, contributing to the greater good of humanity and responding with purpose to the needs of others.
Courage Award
Recognition of an alumna who has acted with conviction, strength, and integrity, standing up for themselves and others.
Recognition of an alumna who has acted with conviction, strength, and integrity, standing up for themselves and others.
Conscience Award
Recognition of an alumna who is guided by an abiding sense of right and wrong and has sought ethical responses to life’s challenges.
Recognition of an alumna who is guided by an abiding sense of right and wrong and has sought ethical responses to life’s challenges.
Bettie Warner Thompson ’46 Lifetime Achievement Award
Recognition of lifelong support, loyalty, and commitment to NCS through participation as an alumnae volunteer, and/or philanthropic support of the school.
Recognition of lifelong support, loyalty, and commitment to NCS through participation as an alumnae volunteer, and/or philanthropic support of the school.
Nominations will be evaluated by a committee of faculty and staff, and final selections will be made by Head of School Elinor Scully. The Awards are typically presented during the Alumnae Awards Luncheon on Reunion Weekend.
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Reunion Awards 2025
Recipients of the 2025 Alumnae Awards
Bettie Warner Thompson ‘46 Lifetime Achievement Award
Bettie Warner Thompson ‘46 Lifetime Achievement Award
Margaret Crawford Hearst '76
National Cathedral School is proud to announce that the Bettie Warner Thompson ’46 Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Margaret Crawford Hearst ’76, a distinguished alumna whose lifelong commitment to NCS reflects extraordinary service, leadership, and devotion to the Cathedral community.
Margaret comes from a family that deeply valued education, hard work, and service. Inspired by generations of women who attended girls’ schools and women’s colleges, she followed in their footsteps from NCS to Smith College.
She began her career in Washington, DC, working in the bureau for a group of local television news stations, including the NBC affiliate, before transferring to San Francisco in the early 1980s. There, she thrived in a fast-paced newsroom environment, contributing to coverage of major events, including the 1984 Democratic Convention, the AIDS crisis, earthquakes, and local and national news. After a decade in broadcast journalism, she joined the San Francisco Examiner and later led media relations for the International Conference on AIDS.
Margaret has brought that same energy and purpose to her community service. In both Washington and San Francisco, she has been deeply engaged in organizations focused on education and health, including Visiting Nurses, Hospice, AIDS patient support services, and the Junior League. She has also been an active leader in her children’s schools, serving in roles ranging from room parent to Annual Giving Chair and Governing Board Member.
Throughout her life, NCS has remained a constant touchstone. Margaret has served as a Class Representative and has volunteered for several reunions for the class of 1976. She helped develop and was an active member of the Alumnae Board of Visitors, and she served on the Governing Board during Aggie Underwood’s tenure as the school was in the midst of a significant capital campaign.
Margaret’s receipt of the Bettie Warner Thompson ’46 Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes not only her exceptional service to NCS, but also her enduring commitment to the School’s mission. Her example continues to inspire the entire Cathedral community
Excellence Award
Patricia L. Turner ’86, P’17, '24, MD, MBA, FACS
On the occasion of her 40th Reunion, National Cathedral School is proud to present the Excellence Award to Patricia Turner ’86 in recognition of her extraordinary leadership in medicine, surgery, and academic excellence.
Patricia L. Turner, MD, MBA, FACS, is the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and a clinical professor of surgery at the University of Chicago. She was previously Director of the Division of Member Services at the ACS, and before joining the ACS, Dr. Turner was in full-time academic practice at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, where she was the surgery residency program director and the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) surgeon champion. Dr. Turner currently serves as President of the ACS Foundation. Her other roles in national professional organizations include service as a member of the CEO Council of the Joint Commission and Board of Directors of the Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS). Dr. Turner is a past president of CMSS, past chair of the American Medical Association (AMA) Council on Medical Education, past chair of the American College of Surgeons’ Delegation to the AMA House of Delegates, past chair of the Surgical Section of the National Medical Association, past President of the Society of Black Academic Surgeons, and past member of the Wake Forest/Baptist Medical Center Board of Directors. In addition, Dr. Turner is a trustee of the James R. Rice Family Foundation and has served on the Board of the AMA Foundation and Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre, reflecting her commitment to supporting philanthropy, the performing arts, and STEM training for young people. She is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago.
A native Washingtonian, Dr. Turner is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the Bowman Gray School of Medicine at Wake Forest University, and she continued her training as an intern and resident in surgery at Howard University Hospital in Washington, DC. Her fellowship training in minimally invasive and laparoscopic surgery was completed at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Weill-Cornell University School of Medicine, and Columbia University School of Medicine in New York City. She earned her MBA from the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business. She is a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society and the National Academy of Medicine. Dr. Turner is board-certified in surgery, is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and is a member of the American Surgical Association, American Medical Association, National Medical Association, Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES), Southern Surgical Association, Southeastern Surgical Congress, Society of University Surgeons, Society of Black Academic Surgeons, Association of Women Surgeons, and Latino Surgical Society. She is also an honorary member of the Asociación Colombiana de Cirugia, the Excelsior Surgical Society, and the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma.
Patricia L. Turner, MD, MBA, FACS, is the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and a clinical professor of surgery at the University of Chicago. She was previously Director of the Division of Member Services at the ACS, and before joining the ACS, Dr. Turner was in full-time academic practice at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, where she was the surgery residency program director and the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) surgeon champion. Dr. Turner currently serves as President of the ACS Foundation. Her other roles in national professional organizations include service as a member of the CEO Council of the Joint Commission and Board of Directors of the Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS). Dr. Turner is a past president of CMSS, past chair of the American Medical Association (AMA) Council on Medical Education, past chair of the American College of Surgeons’ Delegation to the AMA House of Delegates, past chair of the Surgical Section of the National Medical Association, past President of the Society of Black Academic Surgeons, and past member of the Wake Forest/Baptist Medical Center Board of Directors. In addition, Dr. Turner is a trustee of the James R. Rice Family Foundation and has served on the Board of the AMA Foundation and Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre, reflecting her commitment to supporting philanthropy, the performing arts, and STEM training for young people. She is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago.
A native Washingtonian, Dr. Turner is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the Bowman Gray School of Medicine at Wake Forest University, and she continued her training as an intern and resident in surgery at Howard University Hospital in Washington, DC. Her fellowship training in minimally invasive and laparoscopic surgery was completed at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Weill-Cornell University School of Medicine, and Columbia University School of Medicine in New York City. She earned her MBA from the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business. She is a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society and the National Academy of Medicine. Dr. Turner is board-certified in surgery, is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and is a member of the American Surgical Association, American Medical Association, National Medical Association, Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES), Southern Surgical Association, Southeastern Surgical Congress, Society of University Surgeons, Society of Black Academic Surgeons, Association of Women Surgeons, and Latino Surgical Society. She is also an honorary member of the Asociación Colombiana de Cirugia, the Excelsior Surgical Society, and the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma.
Service Award
Carolina Brito ’06
Celebrating her 20th Reunion, National Cathedral School is honored to present the Service Award to Carolina Brito ’06 for her exceptional leadership in education and her unwavering commitment to equity, access, and community care.
Carolina Brito is a bilingual school leader whose career has centered on building schools where excellence and intellectual identity are normalized for Black and Brown students. At Oyster‑Adams Bilingual School in DC, she led an instructional realignment that produced major gains for students furthest from opportunity—including +10.6% growth in Math proficiency, +19% growth in English language arts proficiency for economically disadvantaged students, and a 92% pass rate for AP Spanish. The community accomplished all this while also organizing direct support for undocumented families during U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) incursions. Oyster-Adams families organized safe carpools and launched a major relief fund to address food and employment insecurity. Previously, as principal of a Boston Public bilingual K-8 school, she expanded bilingual inclusion for students with disabilities, doubled the percentage of students meeting state growth targets, and built a community hub model offering adult education, family services, and a parent‑to‑teacher pipeline.
Across her roles as teacher, dean, principal, and mentor, her work has consistently aimed to dismantle systemic obstacles, strengthen multilingual academic pathways, and ensure that Black and Brown students can thrive as confident, intellectually empowered learners.
Carolina Brito is a bilingual school leader whose career has centered on building schools where excellence and intellectual identity are normalized for Black and Brown students. At Oyster‑Adams Bilingual School in DC, she led an instructional realignment that produced major gains for students furthest from opportunity—including +10.6% growth in Math proficiency, +19% growth in English language arts proficiency for economically disadvantaged students, and a 92% pass rate for AP Spanish. The community accomplished all this while also organizing direct support for undocumented families during U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) incursions. Oyster-Adams families organized safe carpools and launched a major relief fund to address food and employment insecurity. Previously, as principal of a Boston Public bilingual K-8 school, she expanded bilingual inclusion for students with disabilities, doubled the percentage of students meeting state growth targets, and built a community hub model offering adult education, family services, and a parent‑to‑teacher pipeline.
Across her roles as teacher, dean, principal, and mentor, her work has consistently aimed to dismantle systemic obstacles, strengthen multilingual academic pathways, and ensure that Black and Brown students can thrive as confident, intellectually empowered learners.
Courage Award
Catherine Robertson '81
National Cathedral School is proud to recognize Catherine “Cathy” Robertson ’81 with the Courage Award during her 45th Reunion, honoring her extraordinary advocacy for neurodivergent individuals and her fearless commitment to justice, inclusion, and community.
Catherine Robertson grew up in the DC area and, after graduating from NCS, went to Northwestern University for a BA in English and, later, an MA and PhD in Communication and Performance Studies. She did a variety of research and writing work while doing her dissertation, and then she moved to Oklahoma with her first husband and taught a variety of classes at the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City University, and the New School for Social Research. Unexpectedly, she later joined the defense team for Terry Nichols in the Oklahoma City bombing case. Working as a mitigation specialist, Cathy realized that Nichols was autistic, and she led the mitigation case that spared him the death penalty. That experience ignited her interest in criminal justice and disability. Along the way, she had kids and became the parent of an autistic son, which gave her a front-row seat to some pervasive failures of the special education system. She returned to teaching (a course called “Crime & Punishment” back at the New School in New York, then a professorship in Communication Studies at Notre Dame College of Ohio). Then, the search for support for her autistic son brought her home to DC. Here, she helped launch a new Maya Angelou Public Charter School inside the city’s facility for incarcerated youth—a program that became a national model and also showed her how to have the courage to just start working on what she believed in. In 2016, she put all of it—the interest in social justice, the nonprofit experience, and the challenge of understanding neurodivergent kids, into launching DC Peers, a community for neurodivergent teens and adults in Washington, DC, which has opened its own “third place” in Tenleytown, and she still serves as Executive Director.
Catherine Robertson grew up in the DC area and, after graduating from NCS, went to Northwestern University for a BA in English and, later, an MA and PhD in Communication and Performance Studies. She did a variety of research and writing work while doing her dissertation, and then she moved to Oklahoma with her first husband and taught a variety of classes at the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City University, and the New School for Social Research. Unexpectedly, she later joined the defense team for Terry Nichols in the Oklahoma City bombing case. Working as a mitigation specialist, Cathy realized that Nichols was autistic, and she led the mitigation case that spared him the death penalty. That experience ignited her interest in criminal justice and disability. Along the way, she had kids and became the parent of an autistic son, which gave her a front-row seat to some pervasive failures of the special education system. She returned to teaching (a course called “Crime & Punishment” back at the New School in New York, then a professorship in Communication Studies at Notre Dame College of Ohio). Then, the search for support for her autistic son brought her home to DC. Here, she helped launch a new Maya Angelou Public Charter School inside the city’s facility for incarcerated youth—a program that became a national model and also showed her how to have the courage to just start working on what she believed in. In 2016, she put all of it—the interest in social justice, the nonprofit experience, and the challenge of understanding neurodivergent kids, into launching DC Peers, a community for neurodivergent teens and adults in Washington, DC, which has opened its own “third place” in Tenleytown, and she still serves as Executive Director.
Conscience Award
Janet Garvin McCabe '76
Janet McCabe is an environmental policy expert who has worked in government, academia, and the nonprofit sector. Her professional experience includes work in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) during the Obama and Biden presidencies (as Acting Administrator of the Office of Air and Radiation from 2013-2017 and as Deputy Administrator from 2021-2024), Assistant Commissioner for the Office of Air Quality at the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, Executive Director of Improving Kids’ Environment, Inc., and several positions at Indiana University (IU), including the IU Environmental Resilience Institute. She has been married to Jon Laramore since 1984, and she has children Alice and Peter and stepson Dan and three grandchildren so far (Remy, Jack, and Elliot). She lives in Indianapolis and sings in the Indianapolis Women’s Chorus.
On the occasion of her 50th Reunion, National Cathedral School is proud to present the Conscience Award to Janet McCabe ’76 in recognition of her distinguished leadership in environmental policy and her lifelong commitment to protecting public health and the planet.
List of Awardees
Bettie Warner Thompson ‘46 Lifetime Achievement Award
Penny Webb Armstrong ‘60
Penny Webb Armstrong ‘60
Jean Frantz Blackall ‘46
Parkie Adams Blaylock ‘49
Helen Wood Brigham ‘56
Vicki Gould Colburn ‘64
Diane Burr Dickey ‘62
Ann Jenkins Farmer ‘58
Jerry Hardy FitzGerald ‘57
Diane Farquharson Fleming ‘52
Cynthia Livingstone Gibert ‘59
Penny Glass ‘59
Anne Brooks Gwaltney ‘75
Jan Holderness ‘56
Mogy Lucas Holmes ‘56
Betsy Christenberry Holleman Burke '60, P '98, GP '20, '25, '26
Betsy Christenberry Holleman Burke '60, P '98, GP '20, '25, '26
Jan King Evans Houser ‘50
Mary Barr Johnson ‘58
Karen Steinhardt Kirkbride ‘52
Pixie Allnutt Kubeck ‘55
Patty Noble Mason ‘62
Sewell Freeman McLeod ‘58
Joanne Bonneville Moses ‘50
Julia Foulke Oat ‘41
Margot Strong Semler ‘50
Dinah Sunday ‘69
Elvira McMillan Mannelly ‘61
Bettie Warner Thompson ‘46
Melesse Werkheiser Traylor ‘56
Heather McDaniel Willis ‘88
Professional Achievement
Professional Achievement
Rima Al-Mokarrab ‘96
Nancy Stead Atwood ‘62
Margaret Miles Ayres ‘61
Jennifer Barron ‘88
Marjorie Bassila ‘56
Amie Bishop ‘78
Margaret Boasberg ‘86
Esther Brimmer ‘79
Deborah Washington Brown ‘70
Beverly Butcher Byron ‘50
Tatia Williams Carson ‘93
Ana Walker Caskin ‘80
Mary Ann Rorison Caws ‘50
Anna Uhl Chamot ‘51
Alexandra Wallace Creed ‘84
Martha Craig Daughtrey ‘60
Linda Vandaele DeCherrie ‘91
Hannah Weil Ehril ‘77
Mimi Lucas Fleming ‘57
Jocelyn Frye ‘81
Ellen May Galinsky ‘60
Cynthia Livingstone Gibert ’59
Nancy Needham Goodrich ‘44
Peggy Brown Gunness ’55
Alice Hill ‘74
Angela Roddey Holder ‘55
Alice Huang ‘57
Naomi Iizuka ‘83
Luci Baines Johnson ‘65
Frances Kendall ‘65
Lydia Hoff Kris ‘88
Ann Lackner-Graybiel ‘59
Emily Lawson ‘89
Sarah Lisanby ‘83
Susan Mango ‘70
Kathy Mack McDonald ‘80
Kristin Nicholson ‘89
Michelle Nunn ‘85
Deborah Price ‘76
Susan Rice ‘82
Diann Rust-Tierney ‘73
Jennifer Sheehy ‘80
Linda Keene Solomon ‘82
Putrie Viravaida ‘60
Amanda Williams ‘92
Lisa Williams-Fauntroy ‘87
Young Professional Achievement
Young Professional Achievement
Monica Barnes ’97
Zoe Bedell ‘03
Catharine Bellinger ‘08
Laura Brenneman ‘95
Linda Chavers ‘00
Alexa Chopivsky ‘97
Victoria Dunnan ‘02
Elizabeth Askew Everhart ‘96
Emily Repp Geiger ‘97
Lauren Goldberg ‘92
Alaina Harper ‘99
Margaret Thomasson Norris ‘93
Michelle Nunn ‘85
Nina Woolley Ragunanthan ‘08
Stephanie Ready ‘94
Margaret Richardson ‘94
Tessa Berenson Rogers ’10
Xanthe Scharff ‘98
Maureen Smolskis ‘11
Sarah Staudt ‘06
Dacia Toll ‘90
Excellence Award
Anja Brau ’94
Anja Brau ’94
Caroline Krass '85
Ashley Speights ’04
Ashley Speights ’04
Service Award
Liz Hirschhorn ‘04
Gigi Galbraith ’69
Patrice M. Pitts '75
Courage Award
Gillian Schweitzer Boice '85
Cynthia Olds ’74
Conscience Award
Holly K. Tabor '90
Noelle Trent ‘99
Conscience Award
Holly K. Tabor '90
Noelle Trent ‘99
Volunteer Achievement
Lynn Grant Adams ‘64
Sarah Whitehouse Atkins ‘82
Mary Barber ‘67
Carolyn Vinson Bou ‘78
Eloise Graham Brooks ‘64
Margaret Greer Carr ‘78
Joan Crandall ‘58
Diane Burr Dickey ‘62
Hutchey Brock Doley ‘82
Kristen Durkin Staples ‘86
Judy Carr Evans ’58
Ellen May Galinsky ’60
Tish Garnder ‘53
Cynthia Livingstone Gibert ’59
Penny Glass ‘59
Nancy Needham Goodrich ‘44
Peggy Brown Gunness ’55
Susan Gutchess ‘68
Anne Brooks Gwaltney ‘75
Frances Newton Harwood ‘59
Mary Hobart ‘61
Jan Holderness ‘56
Betsy Christenberry Holleman Burke ’60
Susan Eichelbaum Homestead ‘55
Deborah Principato Jessiman ‘79
Mary Barr Johnson ‘58
Pat Row King ‘70
Diana Moshovitis Lach ‘82
Frances McCall Lewis ‘57
Alice Tulley Lively ‘61
Helen Luke ’47
Patty Noble Mason ‘62
Shirley Shreve McCombe ‘53
Sewell Freeman McLeod ‘58
Julia Foulke Oat ‘41
P.C. Pitts ‘75
Skye Raiser ‘85
Margot Strong Semler ’50
Lou Rollinson ‘77
Jean Abrams Smith ‘44
Linda Keene Solomon ‘82
Tina Chen Stark ‘76
Betsy Bell Stengel ‘64
Susie April Marhsall ‘63
Dinah Sunday ’69
Melesse Werkheiser Traylor ‘56
Vicki Van Rensselaer ‘67
Teri Allen Walters ’80
Young Volunteer Achievement
Young Volunteer Achievement
Lauren Adler ‘85
Catherine Sheehan Bruno ‘87
Mary Graeter Cheng ‘95
Kristen Crockett ‘94
Alexis Ellis ‘07
Jocelyn Moore Gailliot ‘99
Anna Bierlein Handy ‘00
Jeni Hansen ‘96
Diane Jones ‘80
Anne Handwerger Large ‘86
Elizabeth Krabill McIntyre ‘01
Georginna Paul ‘90
Tracy Ferguson Pepperman ‘90
Molly Price ‘95
Kate Schnare Salisbury ‘95
Hawley Morrison Schneider ‘03
Anna Sproul-Latimer ‘03
Amanda Crawford Stifel ‘92
Leah Sullivan ‘98
Molly Atwood Taylor ‘91
Nancy Weindruch ‘03
Mieka Freund Wick ‘93
Heather McDaniel Willis ‘88
Alumnae Citation
Alumnae Citation
The Alumnae Citation was first awarded in 1965, and in 1997 was split into Professional and Volunteer Achievement Awards. The citation was presented each year to one or two alumnae who distinguished themselves in their career or performed outstanding work within their communities.
Jocelyn Arundel Alexander 1948
Mildred Gwin Andrews 1921
Lucy Adalade Barton 1910
Barbara Jean Betz 1928
Jean Frantz Blackall 1946
Mary Ann Rorison Caws 1950
Catherine Ellen Cooper 1968
Martha Craig Daughtrey 1960
Eleanor Creekmore Dickinson 1948
Jean Wallace Douglas 1939
Clare Hammel Dupont 1951
Ellen May Galinksy 1960
Lucille Ahnawake Hastings 1918
Nora Ronhovde Hohenlohe 1962
Angela Roddey Holder 1955
Alice Huang 1957
Lucia Beverly Hollerith 1909
Louise Alpert Howton 1963
Mary Elizabeth Johnston 1908
Alice Ann Koontz 1945
Kathryn Bradley McGrath 1962
Ruth Larner Oliphant 1909
Harriet West Overbeck 1921
Lloyd Leva Plaine 1965
Penelope Pate Scott 1963
Cita Scott 1970
Janie Ruffner Stirling 1948
Bettie Warner Thompson 1946
Elizabeth Hendry Vercoe 1958
Margaret Hicks Williams 1918
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