March 15, 2022
 
Hello, Friends,

We have a great deal of news for you this week, with several significant achievements to share and a host of upcoming events to add to your calendars.
Maryland/DC Gathering on April 7
For those of you who will be in the D.C. metro area, please plan to join us on April 7 at the home of Bryonie Byers and Kevin Avery ’80 in Chevy Chase, Maryland for our next gathering. It's such a great opportunity to reconnect with classmates and other alumni and alumnae and hear from Head of School Chris Lauricella P'20, '22. To register, visit www.albanyacademies.org/marylanddc-registration.
Athletic Hall of Fame inductees named
Nine athletes and one team will be inducted into the Academies Athletic Hall of Fame at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 19 at the Crowne Plaza Albany – The Desmond Hotel. Congratulations to this year’s inductees: Maddie Daly ’10; Jenny Evans ’92; Bridget Malicki ’11; Molly Ortolano ’05; Tim Alston ’77, P’08 ’11; TJ Conti ’97; Tim Harris ’82; Mark Nemith ’02; Devon Wimberly ’02; and the members of the 1996-1997 Boys’ Basketball Team. We hope you can join us on May 19 for the Hall of Fame dinner and ceremony. More information will be forthcoming.
Former Academy student-athletes to participate in
NCAA and NIT Tournaments
March Madness is here! Congratulations to four of our former student-athletes who are playing on teams in the NCAA Tournament in Buffalo this week: Riley Mulvey, University of Iowa (Big 10 Champions), Kieran O’Haire ‘21, Providence College (Big East Champions), August Mahoney ’21, Yale University (Ivy League Champions) and Andre Jackson ’20, UConn.
Hameir Wright '17 will be playing in the NIT Tournament with the University of North Texas basketball team. The Mean Green are on the rise in college hoops after winning an NCAA Tournament game last season and winning C-USA's regular-season title by two full games this season. Best of luck to all of them!
Distinguished Alumnae announced
I am pleased to announce the selection of our Distinguished Alumnae and the recipient of our annual service award. The Outstanding Young Alumna Award will be presented to Brittiny Belmonte Razzano ’04, P’34, and Suzanne Walsh, Esq. ’87 will receive the Distinguished Alumna Award. The Fredericka V. Slingerland Volunteer Service Award will be presented to Nancy Cohen Wekselbaum ’69, a school trustee. These awards will be presented during Reunion on May 20 and 21. Congratulations to these very deserving women! We’ll announce the Distinguished Alumni in the next newsletter.
Reunion is just two months away
Online registration will open later this week for Reunion on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, May 19, 20, and 21. We don’t want you to miss out on all the fun your classmates and other alums will be having at this annual event so register soon. We have many fun events and activities planned. You can find the full Reunion schedule here.
Robotics Team participates in statewide competition
The Albany Academies Botman Robotics Team has been recognized as one of the top 20 teams in New York State. The team competed in the state championships on March 6 at Mohawk Valley Community College in Utica. Of the 300 teams who competed this season, only 28 advanced to this NYS competition. The team also earned the Think Award - presented to the team that best documents the design process they followed to build their robot. Congratulations, Team Botman!
Senior dancers selected for SPAC’s Festival for Young Artists
Senior dancers Lilly Cooney ’22 and Ursula Wolfe ’22 had their self-choreographed duet “Gold Slumbers” selected for the Saratoga Performing Arts Center’s Festival for Young Artists and were named as runner-ups for the Outstanding Artist Award. This is a huge accomplishment! Their dance will be featured on SPAC’s Festival for Young Artists online gallery (https://www.spacfoya.org/) and they will perform it live at SPAC on Sunday, June 5.
Alumni and Alumnae step up for Founders’ Day and Charter Day
I am excited to report that the Head’s Challenge for both Founders’ Day and Charter Day has been met and we will be receiving the $1,814 and $1,813 donations that Mr. Lauricella pledged. Many of you said that you were pleased to know that our Head was honoring these important days in the history of our school. Our thanks to all of you who answered the call! Founders’ Day and Charter Day kicked off our Reunion giving season. Current students at The Albany Academies have always been supported in part by the generosity of our alumni and alumnae. Please continue this tradition and make Albany Academies memories possible for future generations with a gift to the school in honor of your class. Our giving page now accepts donations via Venmo, Google Pay, Apple Pay, bank transfers, Bitcoin, PayPal, and credit cards, visit https://give.albanyacademies.org/campaigns/reunion-2021.
Dr. Bobby Higgins II '77 speaks at Mid-Winter Dinner
Our annual Mid-Winter Dinner, sponsored by the Alumni Association, was held on March 10 in Caird Chapel and featured Dr. Robert Higgins II from the Class of 1977 as the evening’s speaker. Dr. Higgins is the President of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Executive Vice President of Mass General Brigham, roles he assumed in December of 2021. Dr. Higgins spoke about leadership, the important lessons he learned while a student at The Albany Academy that resonate with him still today, and the challenges he is facing as a CEO of a major health care institution. We are always so pleased to welcome back such incredibly talented and accomplished alums like Dr. Higgins, and they always enjoy walking the halls of their alma mater again.
Commons Threads event postponed
Due to inclement weather, Wendy Summer ‘69, the keynote speaker for our Common Threads event, was unable to safely travel to Albany so we postponed the event. The new date and time are Saturday, April 23 at noon. We apologize for any inconveniences caused as a result of this change in scheduling. Current tickets will be honored on the new date and registration is still open. Please visit www.albanyacademies.org/common-threads-registration to register for the April event.
Spring Gathering coming in April
Have you made plans yet to attend our Spring Gathering on Saturday, April 30 at The Kenmore in Albany? Funds raised through this event support our financial and merit scholarship programs. It's a fun evening filled with outstanding auction items, great food, and music. To purchase tickets, click here.
Alumni/ae gatherings a success
We have held two very successful alumni and alumnae gatherings in recent weeks - a Young Leaders event at Granary Tavern in Boston on February 24 and a gathering at the home of Mila and Tom Tuttle ’84 in Palm Beach on February 26. Those who attended enjoyed the company and the chance to hear about what’s happening on the campus from Head of School Chris Lauricella.
Member of the Class of 2008 passes away
It saddens us to share the news that Daniel Marshall Hogan ’08 passed away unexpectedly on February 26 in Baltimore, Maryland. Daniel had a love for music even when he was a small child; during his time at The Albany Academy, he learned to play the upright bass, guitar, mandolin, and ukulele. After graduating from Siena College with a degree in creative arts, he began a career as an audio engineer. His family said that they will “always remember him as a loving soul with limitless empathy for others. He was fun, funny, and smart.” They ask that donations in his name be made to the music program at The Albany Academies “so that Dan’s memory will always live on in the music.” Donations can be made at www.albanyacademies.org/thank-you-for-your-gift.
A warm welcome to our newest team member
I am so pleased to welcome Silvia Edmonds to the Office of Institutional Advancement as the Director of Development. Silvia has more than 27 years of experience as a non-profit professional with a proven record of success in transformational giving to strengthen an organization’s financial position while advancing their strategic mission. While Director of Annual Giving at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, she secured major gifts while managing a team that expanded the donor base and increased the percent of alumni/ae giving and volunteers engaged with Rensselaer. She started her philanthropy and development career at Northeast Health, where she managed foundation operations, major gifts, campaign initiatives, annual giving, and multiple fundraising events. Most recently, Silvia was Director of Mission Advancement at The Sisters of St. Joseph, where she had strategic and operational responsibility for communications, philanthropy, and grant funding opportunities. Silvia’s responsibilities at the Albany Academies will focus on the cultivation of major gifts and legacy giving. Silvia is a mother of two grown children and grandmother of four. She resides in North Greenbush with her husband, Vince.
The official first day of Spring is less than a week away so let’s all look forward to that and to the many springtime events when we can get together again.
Please keep in touch!

Best,
Ann Wendth
Chief Advancement Officer