Alumnae Association Honorees
Seven honored for service and achievement
Seven women who bring distinction to themselves and to Russell Sage College through their achievements and service have been recognized by the Russell Sage College Alumnae Association. The prestigious Doris L. Crockett Medal, honoring consistent service to the College as well as career achievement was bestowed on Janet Willis Jones '68 during Reunion weekend. The Marion Hughes Reuss 45 Outstanding Young Alumna Award, recognizing significant milestones within 15 years of graduation, and the Associations new Women of Influence Award, recognizing professional achievement and community influence, will be bestowed at alumnae events throughout the year.
Janet Willis Jones '68, 2008 Doris L. Crockett Medalist
As a trustee of The Sage Colleges; annual giving class agent and Alumnae Admission Program volunteer; past member of the RSCAA board and Presidents Council; member and past president of the Associations Boston Chapter; and past baccalaureate speaker (to name just a few of her activities), Janet Willis Jones 68 service to Sage is even more impressive when considered in conjunction with her service to the nursing profession and to her community. She is the director of Student and Alumni Services for Lawrence Memorial Hospital/Regis College Collaborative ASN Program in Medford, Mass., where she initiated the schools first alumni fundraising campaign. A vice president of the Massachusetts/Rhode Island League for Nursing and member of national nursing honor societies Sigma Theta Tau and Phi Kappa Phi, she has presented and published on the national level. She co-founded the Woburn Council of Social Concerns Foster Parents for Adolescents in Crisis, and she and her husband have been foster parents to 56 adolescents.
Dinah Benveniste Cohen '75, 2008 Woman of Influence
Dinah Benveniste Cohen established the Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program (CAP)--the worlds largest assistive technology program--at the U.S. Department of Defense so that federal employees living and working with a disability would have the resources to fully participate in the workplace. Since 1990, CAP has provided devices to more than 60,000 workers.
Erin M. Crotty '88, 2008 Woman of Influence
Erin M. Crotty, Director of Community Relations at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, served as the first female commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) during former Governor George Patakis administration and helped establish New York as a national leader when it comes to environmental issues.
Nancy Kozinn Falchuk '66, 2008 Woman of Influence
Nancy Kozinn Falchukis president of Hadassah, a 300,000-member womens organization rooted in the Jewish faith. She is founder of the Hadassah National Center for Nurses Council; a driving force behind Israels first clinical masters program in nursing; and has raised millions of dollars to support international humanitarian projects.
Laura K. Turnblom '01, 2008 Marion Hughes Reuss 45 Outstanding Young Alumna
Laura K. Turnblom is an attorney at Malkin & Ross and provides legal counsel and governmental relations assistance to non-profit and human services clients. A former appellate court attorney for the New York State Appellate Division Third Judicial Department and legislative aide to New York State Assemblyman David Koon, she serves Sage as a class agent and alumni admission volunteer.
Judith Axler Turner '63, 2008 Woman of Influence
Former Sage alumna trustee Judith Axler Turneris senior program manager for Turner Consulting Group, a consulting company specializing in electronic government and grants management. A former journalist, she led the team that created the online version of The Chronicle of Higher Education and she has written for The New York Times, Washington Post, and Popular Computing, among other publications.
Ann F. VanSant '67, 2008 Woman of Influence
Ann F. VanSant, Ph.D., is a professor and Ph.D. program director in the Department of Physical at Temple University. She has served as the editor of Pediatric Physical Therapy since 1994 and the journal has been honored by the American Physical Therapy Association as best peer reviewed journal three times during her tenure as editor.
