Our Association

Our Association shone brightly during the first week in March at the much-anticipated, many times delayed, finally in-person International Forum in London. Alumnae/i traveled from across the globe to attend and, once again, demonstrated that when there is an opportunity to be with smart, interesting, and dynamic Mawrters, we will make it happen! The weekend’s activities fostered the type of intergenerational as well as international connection that is a hallmark of a Bryn Mawr event. The UK Club showcased the strength and enthusiasm of our regional networks and was the most gracious host to those who gathered for the two-day event. 

I would be remiss if I did not loudly and publicly thank my fellow Board of Trustees member Severa von Wentzel ’95, who has been drumming up participation and enthusiasm for this program since 2018. The sheer Mawrter willpower on the part of the UK Club leaders as well as the expertise of the Alumnae/i Relations and Development staff, who planned and organized the event, exemplified the tenacity and passion of our Bryn Mawr community. 

Reflecting on the Forum on my way back home to California, it was easy to connect the dots between the weekend’s theme and the work of the Association Executive Board over the years. Since its founding in 1897, Bryn Mawr alums have imagined, designed, and iterated on the ways we connect with each other as well as with the College. Each Association president, along with the leadership volunteers of the Association, has adapted and responded to history, current events, and shifting life experiences, with the goal of spurring on connection between and among fellow Mawrters. After our alma mater became the first women’s college to offer a Ph.D. program in social work in 1920, we expanded our Association to include our graduate school alumnae/i. Over the years we have seen volunteerism grow. Today, nearly 1,000 of the College’s 25,000 living alumnae/i formally volunteer for the College and our community. A far cry from the initial Alumnae Association charter that had only five volunteers listed. 

Despite the changes to the Association and its leadership over the years, the throughline, I believe, has been to foster a robust and resilient alumnae/i body—one that is ever more inclusive and expansive. I have been honored to be a part of the shifts that have taken place in the Association over the last few years. These include moving to virtual elections for the slate of Association Executive Board candidates, ensuring participation from our alumnae/i around the world; a refreshed process for identifying and supporting volunteer leaders; and, most recently, stronger representation and leadership from alums of our graduate programs. This spring, Alumnae Association leadership updated our name to Alumnae/i Leadership Council, which we believe better reflects our charter and mission and will light the way for even greater alumnae/i participation and volunteerism in the Association. 

Please join me in welcoming the newest members of our Alumnae/i Leadership Council, as well as our new Association-nominated Bryn Mawr College Trustees. The time-honored changing of the guard of our Association continues. I am looking forward to what is next. 

Best, 

Sally Bachofer ’97

Member, Bryn Mawr College Board of Trustees, and President, Bryn Mawr Alumnae Association