Distinguished Alumni Award

In celebration of the extraordinary successes of Greenfield Community College alumni, GCC confers two Distinguished Alumni Awards each year.

The Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes alumni who have achieved substantial public recognition for their accomplishments or success. To be eligible for nomination, the nominee should have:

• Earned at least 15 credit hours at Greenfield Community College or earned a degree or certificate
• Earned the respect and trust of their associates in their chosen field
• Made substantial contributions to the good of their fellow human beings
• Volunteered for organizations that promote the common good

The Young Alumni in Action Award recognize alumni age 35 or younger who have demonstrated quality volunteer involvement and emerging success in their chosen career. To be eligible for nomination, the nominee should have:

• Earned at least 15 credit hours at Greenfield Community College or earned a degree or certificate
• Volunteered for organizations that promote the common good
• Made substantial contributions to the good of their fellow human beings

For more information, contact Nance Rifanburg, at or (413) 775-1600.

All nominations will be reviewed and selected by a diverse group of GCC faculty, staff, alumni and community members.

• Thomas Bean ’70, Engineer, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Brownsville, TX
• Thom Beers ’72T, CEO and Executive Producer, Original Productions, Los Angeles, CA
• Laurie Benoit ’87, Executive Director of Development, College of Sciences and Mathematics, University of Massachusetts,  Amherst, MA
• Christopher R. Bilodeau ’03T, Special Agent with the U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service, Shady Side, MD
• Holly Bressett ‘01, Esq, Sierra Club’s Coal Reduction Program, Madison, WI
• Vanessa Brewster ’10, artist
• Maureen Brown ’86, Nurse, Anchorage, AK
• Meg Burch ’10, school nurse Union 38
• Terri Cappucci ’93, Documentary and Fine Art Photographer, Turners Falls, MA
• Keith Clark ’83, Local Production Manager, WGBY, Springfield, MA
• Patricia Coffin ’95, Emergency Room Nurse, Baystate Franklin, Greenfield, MA,
• Robert Cohn ’71, CEO, Cohn & Co. Real Estate Agency, Greenfield, MA
• Denise DiPaolo ’94, Owner, Ristorante DiPaolo, Turners Falls, MA
• Christopher Doyle ’98 Director, Pricing and Market Analysis, Aspen Dental, Syracuse, NY
• Doris Doyle ’78T, Esq, Clerk Magistrate (retired), Franklin County (MA) Superior Court
• Michelle L. Dwyer, ’03, CEO, Franklin First Credit Union
• Diane Esser ’72T Esq, Diane Esser Law Offices, Greenfield, MA
• Nancy Fournier ’85T, CPA,  Partner, Melanson Heath & Co, Greenfield, MA
• Tom Fredrick ‘87, CPA Thomas Frederick CPA /Professor, Greenfield Community College
• Rosemarie Freeland ’93, Women’s Resource Center Coordinator, Greenfield Community College
• Ruth Gallagher ’93, Public Health Nurse, Northfield, MA
• Brian Gilmore ’67, Executive Vice President Public Affairs, Associated Industries of Massachusetts, Boston, MA
• Dave Granlund ’69T, nationally syndicated Editorial Cartoonist, NEA-United Media, Waconia, MN
• Clare Higgins ’90T, Executive Director, Community Action, Greenfield, MA/ former Mayor, Northampton, MA
• Marian Holbrook ’95, Community Volunteer, Northfield, MA
• David Hyde ‘91, M.D., Medical Director, Franklin Memorial Hospital, Farmington, ME
• Jody Kasper ’94, Chief of Police, City of Northampton, MA
• Stuart Kenney ’87, Musician, Leyden, MA
• Steven Kravetz ’81, Owner/ Treasurer, Center for Extended Care, Amherst, MA
• Joan LaPierre ’70, Founder and Co-Owner, LaPierre’s Advertising, Inc, Shelburne, MA
• LaWanza Lett-Brewington ’92, Co-Owner, Plain Talk Consultants
• William Martin ’91, Mayor, Greenfield, MA
• Isaac Mass ’99, Esq, Law Office of Isaac Mass
• Thomas McCarthy ’79, Director, MA Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Universal Access Program, Amherst, MA
• Carolyn Nims McLellan ’66, Professor of English, Greenfield Community College
• John Merrigan ’97, Register of Probate and Family Court, Greenfield, MA
• Sharon Meyers ‘78, Owner/ Administrator, Center for Extended Care, Amherst, MA
• Ira Mitchel ’78, Mitchel Ventures Inc/Subway of North Greenfield (MA)
• Margaret Palmeri ‘70, Clerk Magistrate, Franklin County (MA) District Court
• Carol Purington ’72T, Poet and Writer, Colrain, MA
• Sarah Reid ’99, Outreach Director, North Star Self Directed Learning Center, Hadley, MA
• Mary Rice ’91, GCC Associate Degree Nursing Program, Mass Medical Reserve Corps, MA
• Peter Ripley ‘78, M.D. Owner/ Physician, Yarmouth (MA) Medical Center, LLC
• Phillip Ringwood’03 Executive Director Dial Self, Turners Falls, MA
• Judith Roberts ‘94, Executive Director, The Literacy Project, Greenfield, MA
• Thomas Roberts-Wierzbowski ’03T, Author, Film Maker and Advocate for People with Disabilities, Colrain, MA
• Sandy Sayers ’85, Executive Director, Franklin County United Way, Greenfield, NA
• Darryl Shaw ’96, Manager of Information Technology Support and Operations, Black Entertainment Television, New York, NY
• David Sibley ’76, Human Resources Manager, USA Hauling and Recycling, Enfield, CT
• Jean Simmons’65, Professor of Nursing (Emeritus), Greenfield Community College
• Sandra Staub ’84, Esq,  Legal Director, American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut, Hartford, CT
• Todd Sumner ’85, Principal, Francis W. Parker Essential Charter School, Devens, MA
• Hank Tenney ’71T, Director, Parks and Recreation Department, Hanover NH
• Craig White ’81T, Co-Founder and Owner of Hillside Organic Pizza, Bernardston, Hadley, and South Deerfield, MA
• Douglas Williams ’78, Ph.D, Executive Vice President, Research and Development, Biogen Idec, Cambridge, MA
• Deborah Heath Wingreen ’81, Teacher, Jepson Magnet School, New Haven, CT
• Michael Winn ‘93, Fire Chief,  Greenfield (MA) Fire Department
• Raymond Zukowski ’77, Chief of Police, Turners Fall (MA) Police Department (retired)