Alumnae

Distinguished Alumnae

The Alumnae Award

The Alumnae Award was established in 1967 to honor Rosamond Cross on her 25th anniversary as Head of School. It is given annually to an alumna who has distinguished herself in her field of endeavor and whose life reflects a dedication to the principles of The Baldwin School.

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2024 Winner: Beth Morgan Hammack ’89

Beth Hammack recently announced she will be stepping down as the Co-Head Global Financing Group at Goldman Sachs after over 30 years with the company. She previously served as global Treasurer of the firm and CEO of GS Bank USA. Beth was a member of their senior most leadership group - the Management Committee and served on several other key groups including the Partnership Committee, Firmwide Enterprise Risk Committee and Global Diversity Committee. Beth was also the firmwide champion of the Goldman Sachs Women’s network.
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Beth rose through the ranks at Goldman as a market maker and risk taker, leading several key businesses in their Fixed Income Division including Short Term Macro trading, global Repo trading and U.S. Interest Rate Products. Beth was named managing director in 2003 and partner in 2010.

Outside of GS, Beth was the longest serving chair of the US Treasury’s Borrowing Advisory Committee and currently serves as chair of the board for Math for America and as a board member of Northwell Health and City Harvest. Beth earned an AB in Quantitative Economics and History from Stanford University and is a Baldwin class of purple alumna.

Distinguished Young Alumna Award

The Distinguished Young Alumna Award was established in 1991. It is given to an alumna who has graduated within the last 25 years and has made significant contributions in her profession, avocation or volunteer services.

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2024 Winner: Saleka Shyamalan '14

Saleka Shyamalan is a classically trained, Indian American musician, who began playing piano at the age of four. As the daughter of M. Night and Dr. Bhavna Shyamalan, Saleka was raised with a deep respect for the arts and absorbed an eclectic combination of music. After initially pursuing the path of a concert pianist, Saleka attended Brown University where she studied music production and composition.
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Saleka has performed at iconic venues across the United States, opening for both R&B legends and up-and-coming artists such as Giveon, Summer Walker, Andra Day and Boyz II Men. She released her first full-length body of work, Séance, in 2023, a debut that shows both her love for R&B and her classical training. Saleka has also enjoyed writing music for TV and film, including an EP of original songs for the Apple TV+ hit, Servant. She recently signed with Columbia Records and is currently collaborating with her dad on a film that comes out this August, a hybrid concert-thriller called “Trap.” In addition to music, Saleka uses her voice to raise awareness for social justice reform, youth education and women’s rights.

Alumnae Award for Life Achievement

The Award for Lifetime Achievement was established in 1991. It is given to an alumna who has either demonstrated a lifelong dedication and commitment to helping empower those who have struggled with challenges and societal barriers or who has had a significant impact on an institution or community.

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2024 Winner: Sara J. Burns ’74

Sara Burns is an accomplished executive with more than 30 years’ experience in the energy industry. She has worked in a variety of leadership roles including risk management, talent management, operations, corporate and regulatory strategy. She is respected as a leader who gets results and builds outstanding teams. She has won corporate awards for customer satisfaction and corporate leadership. She has extensive experience in crisis management and community engagement.
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Sara was President and CEO of Central Maine Power (CMP) Company for 19 years before retiring in 2017. CMP is Maine’s largest electric transmission and distribution utility and a subsidiary of AVANGRID. She was responsible for the operations and management of CMP as well as having wider leadership responsibilities for Avangrid’s Networks Regulatory and Business Growth functions. Sara began her career with CMP as manager of Risk Management. In her years with the company, she served as Chief Operating Officer, Vice President of Human Resources and Director of Financial Services. Before joining CMP, she worked at UNUM Corporation, Marsh & McLennan Companies and Chubb. She is a graduate of Colby College.

While employed at CMP, Sara was Chairman of the Board of Directors of Maine and Company, a state-wide business development organization and Maine Health, the state’s largest health provider. Sara also served on the Board of Trustees of Colby College.

After retirement, Sara served on the Board of Directors of Avangrid Networks, providing strategic insight and supportive leadership/guidance to the senior executive team. She is currently the Chair of the Board of the Mitchell Institute, a charitable organization founded by Sen. George J. Mitchell in 1999 to provide merit and need-based scholarships to Maine high school graduates.