Young Alumna Award
Sue S. Chan ’06
After graduation, Sue Chan joined world-renowned restaurant group Momofuku as an entry-level chef assistant. Two years later, she became its brand director. Inspired by Barnard students who asked for advice about breaking into the male-dominated culinary industry, she cofounded the Toklas Society, a not-for-profit group for women in food and hospitality that helps them find inspiration, mentorship, and community. In 2015, Chan founded c/o CHAN, a PR, management, and production agency specializing in food and hospitality. Chan has been a leading supporter of Edible Schoolyard NYC, has assisted City Harvest, and has worked in communications and marketing for The Food Bank for New York City.
Woman Of Achievement
Delia Ephron ’66
Delia Ephron is a master of what she calls “the family business:” writing. Her work as an award-winning essayist, novelist, screenwriter, and playwright spans decades, from 1979’s How to Eat Like a Child to her acclaimed 2013 book of autobiographical essays, Sister Mother Husband Dog, in which she dealt fearlessly with family, sisterhood, life, and loss. In one of the most successful sister partnerships in any business, she wrote, with Nora Ephron, the screenplays for You’ve Got Mail, Mixed Nuts, Michael, and This is My Life. Ephron was honored at the first Athena Film Festival in 2011. Her latest novel, Siracusa, was published in July.
Distinguished Alumna Award
Alex Guarnaschelli '91
After graduation, chef Alex Guarnaschelli moved to France, where she studied at La Varenne Culinary School in Burgundy and then spent several years in Paris, working at the restaurants Guy Savoy and La Butte Chaillot. After returning to the U.S., she worked with chefs Daniel Boulud and Joachim Splichal and later became executive chef at Butter in Manhattan. Guarnaschelli is a recurring judge on Chopped and has appeared on the Food Network’s Iron Chef America. In 2015, she opened Driftwood Room at Nautilus South Beach in Miami. She released her debut cookbook, Old School Comfort Food: The Way I Learned to Cook, in 2013.
The Millicent Carey McIntosh Award for Feminism
Arline Burstein Pacht ’56
Arline Burstein Pacht has spearheaded organizations that promote women judges as catalysts for social change. She was one of 100 founding members of the National Association of Women Judges in 1979 and sparked the effort to form a corresponding international group. After successfully proposing domestic violence as a priority issue for the organizations, Pacht developed the framework for the organizations’ pioneering human rights training program, designed to help judges with cases involving discrimination and violence against women. This year, the organizations announced the creation of the Arline Pacht Global Vision Award, to be presented biennially to a member who has made a major contribution toward advancing their global interests. Its first recipient was Pacht.
Award for Service to Barnard
Jyoti Menon ’01
Jyoti Menon’s greatest contribution to Barnard has been through her work with the alumnae-to-student mentoring program MAPS (Matching Alumnae to Partner with Students). She led the effort to strengthen and formalize the program, mentoring a number of students herself, streamlining the process of connecting mentors to students, and creating programming to help mentors gain insight into their own development. She is also a founding member of the Athena Leadership Council and serves as its cochair. She is one of four alumnae trustees and has served as a class officer, as a Barnard alumnae admissions representative, and on the Annual Giving and Young Alumnae committees. Currently she is a senior vice president for global digital payments at Citi.
Distinguished Alumna Award
Marcia Sells ’81
Marcia Sells has had several extraordinary careers in the arts, academia, business, law, public service, and community affairs. She is currently associate dean and dean of students at Harvard Law School. She has held positions as associate vice president at Columbia University, educational consultant for Dance Theatre of Harlem, vice president of the National Basketball Association, and assistant district attorney for Kings County. She has also served as chair of New York City’s YWCA and as a board member of Community Impact of Columbia and the Coalition for the Homeless. In 1999, she received the Woman of Power and Influence Award from NYC–NOW.
Award for Service to Barnard
Pat Tinto ’76
Pat Tinto’s service to Barnard began while she was still a student, as publicity coordinator for Spring Festival and editor of Mortarboard. After college, she was president of the Barnard Club of Fairfield County, Conn., for several years, and during that time, the club expanded its scope and mission to serve the needs of career women, commuting suburbanites, and full-time caregivers, and began including alumnae in surrounding areas. Tinto served on the AABC board for several years, as chair of the Regional Networks Committee, Reunion chair, and class correspondent. She has also served on the awards committee, the board of Barnard Business and Professional Women, and the planning committee for Leadership Assembly.
