Community: SPS Hosts First Virtual Alumni Association Event

Will Dunn ’02 elected president, Shaun Rein ’96 to serve as executive vice president; distinguished alumni award recipient EQ Sylvester ’57 honored.

The St. Paul’s School Alumni Association held its Annual Meeting – and its first as a virtual session – on May 28, 2020.

Will Dunn ’02

In her final term as president of the Alumni Association, Liz Robbins ’79, P’17 hosted a Zoom meeting with form directors and members of the Alumni Association Executive Committee to start the event, before transitioning to a webinar open to all alumni. More than 180 alumni, hailing from seven different countries, Zoomed in, making it one of the most well-attended Annual Meetings ever. Rector Kathy Giles opened the first session of the evening by welcoming all the volunteers in attendance.

“Thank you for your service to the School in your role as form director,” said Giles. “You are conduits to all kinds of information and relationships that are very important to people.”

Shaun Rein ’96

The voting members of the Association then heard speeches from five candidates running for Alumni Association president, and cast votes on behalf of their respective forms. After the votes were tallied, Will Dunn ’02 was elected to succeed Robbins as president, while Shaun Rein ’96 was elected executive vice president. Dunn and Rein will begin their three-year terms on July 1, 2020.

In the second portion of the event, Giles greeted the expanded virtual audience, and spoke about the state of the School. “The students left for March Break and didn’t return this spring, but that doesn’t mean the good work of the School isn’t going along,” noted Giles. “Strong. Resilient. Optimistic. Those are three good words for where St. Paul’s School is in the spring of 2020. Your interest in St. Paul’s School strengthens the experience of the current students, as scattered around the world as they are.”

EQ Sylvester ’57

Robbins followed by offering her gratitude to the volunteers in attendance, and thanked Rector Giles for her leadership. She also recognized 2020 Alumni Association Award recipient EQ Sylvester ’57, founder of the Freedom Golf Association and chairman of the board of the United States Adaptive Golf Alliance. “EQ has impacted hundreds and hundreds of lives with his work,” said Robbins, “and I hope when we are able to gather again, we can all honor EQ in person.”

Fund Chair Doug Asano ’92 and Chief Development Officer Bruce Smith presented on the state of the Annual Fund, and the evening concluded with attendees voting to approve a slate of changes to the Association bylaws. The changes include an increase in the maximum number of the Association’s directors, from 85 to 100; a process for removing officers, should there be cause; a change pertaining to the office of the president, allowing an individual to run for this office for a second consecutive term; and a process of ranked voting to settle a tie.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Annual Meeting, and congratulations to Will Dunn and Shaun Rein on their appointments as the new leaders of the SPS Alumni Association.