The mission of the Executive Committee is to serve, support, and advise Amherst College and its alumni. The Committee seeks to achieve this
by functioning as the principal liaison between the College and its alumni;
by promoting and facilitating the engagement of alumni and their meaningful participation in the life and future of the College;
by inspiring alumni to support the College through contributions of service and philanthropy; and
by supporting the College’s mission of advancing the liberal arts and teaching and advising undergraduates.
The Executive Committee (EC) is composed of: 15 alumni, the Co-Chairs of the Alumni Fund, and the President of the Society of the Alumni. They work closely with the Office of Alumni and Parent Programs as an advisory body to strengthen alumni engagement. The EC meets on campus three times a year. Committee members serve three-year terms, and five new members are appointed each year.
Katherine Chia is the co-founder of Desai Chia Architecture, an award-winning architecture and design firm. Desai Chia’s portfolio includes residential, retail and commercial projects as well as commissions for product design and collaborations with artists. The firm has received many accolades, including numerous American Architecture Awards, American Institute of Architects Design Awards, Interior Design Best of Year Awards, Good Design Awards and the IDEA Award.
Prior to founding Desai Chia Architecture, Katherine worked with renowned artist Maya Lin on architecture and art commissions. She earned her Master of Architecture degree from M.I.T. in 1991. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Amherst College in 1988.
Chia is a registered architect in the state of New York. She has also been a faculty member in the architecture department at Parsons The New School of Design and served as a Fellow of the Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies. Chia has served as a Trustee of Amherst College and the United Nations International School. She lives in New York City with her husband and business partner, Arjun Desai (Bennington ’88), and their children Deven (21), class of 2022, and Lila (16).
Amherst has been such an anchor in my life in so many ways. It’s more than just a great education. For me, it also represents a web of amazing relationships—I continue to be inspired by my classmates, how they have forged a path out into the world since graduation, and what they are contributing to their communities.
My current alumni roles include serving as the President of the Society of the Alumni and the Presidential Search Committee—Amherst alums are a highly engaged group and they really want to help the college succeed in providing the best liberal arts education to the broadest range of students.
My past alumni roles as a trustee and co-chair of the Amherst Fund were equally as rewarding—the trustees’ collaboration with the administration, faculty, alumni and students to shape the future of College continues to be quite remarkable. I continue to be grateful for the thought and consideration that goes into the envisioning effort as Amherst hones its liberal arts mission in the 21st century. I look forward to another great year working with the hundreds of alumni volunteers who care so deeply about Amherst!
"My object in living is to unite/ My avocation and my vocation." So wrote Robert Frost in "Two Tramps in Mud Time." And though I never would have guessed it when I was accepted to Amherst (I was fairly clueless about the admissions process), exactly that has happened.
Arriving at Amherst in 1981 from New York City, I thought I was going to study science and not continue with sports. I ended up majoring in Spanish and English—somewhere in Frost Library my honors thesis on heroines in Austen and Dickens gathers dust. I was on the volleyball team all four years and played JV basketball my freshman year. I also belonged to Alpha Delta Phi until fraternities were disbanded in the spring of 1984, the semester I studied abroad through Hamilton College's program in Madrid.
My work has always centered around the power of education and the written word. I began my professional journey at the National Geographic Society, where I spent four years on the editorial side of the magazine and then worked in the Geography Education Program for another four years. A move back to New York City led to a four-year stint at Kaplan Educational Centers, then a short stint at Peterson's as a senior editor, until I found my way to admissions.
I loved my position as associate director of admissions at Columbia Law. During that time, I also earned my Master’s in Public Administration from Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs. When my husband's work brought us to Greenlawn, New York, I spent a few years deeply involved in various PTAs at my children's schools, while also working part-time at three law schools: Hofstra, Touro and St. John's.
It was while looking for colleges for my middle son that I realized how much I missed being in admissions. That led me to being a regional admissions counselor, first for SUNY Geneseo and now for SUNY Oswego, which is where I am today. It's interesting to represent an institution 242 miles from where I live, but I am proud to work for such a great state school.
When not helping students and families with the college admissions process, I am usually involved in other avocations: cooking, reading a book (with my cat on my lap), doing puzzles or walking my dog. Last but certainly not least, I have three sons: Henry (UPenn undergrad and grad), Cole (Stony Brook and SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry) and Gus (Xavier University). Trent Anderson, my husband (UCLA undergrad and USC for law and business), also works in higher education; he is currently the Associate Dean for External Relations and an adjunct professor at St. Johns University School of Law.
Sara Gehrdes hails from Maryland but moved to Chicago sight unseen after she graduated from Amherst in 2011, and she believes that's officially long enough to make her a real Chicagoan. She was a tour guide while at Amherst and loved sharing why Amherst is such a special place with prospective students. She turned her love of that work into a decade plus long career as a recruiter for some of Chicago's top tech companies and start-ups where she helps people find their next great career move. Outside of work, she can typically be found checking out the latest releases at a movie theater, working out at Orangetheory, or eating an obscene amount of candy (hence the need for Orangetheory). She recently married Patrick Figliozzi, a CalPoly and University of Chicago alum, who, thankfully, quickly embraced the Amherst spirit and now looks forward to the annual Amherst vs Williams viewing party as much as Sara does. Beyond the Executive Alumni Committee, she is also the Alumni President of the Class of 2011, and the Social Media Coordinator for the Chicago Alumni Association.
Margaret Santana is delighted to join the Amherst Executive Committee. She is a member of the Class of 1995 and resides in New Jersey with her husband Chris Santana (also class of 1995), two teenage children and three dogs. Professionally, Margaret held various marketing and business development roles at American Express and Ogilvy & Mather advertising. After leaving the professional world to raise her family, Margaret committed her time and energy to volunteering for her children’s schools. Margaret had the honor of being president of the Parent Association at The Pingry School during COVID (2020-21) which included sitting on the Board of Trustees. She is currently still active on the Trustee Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee and a member of the Head of School Search Committee. Margaret also served as president of the Parent Association at Christ Church Nursery School in 2007. She is a devoted and active alum of Amherst College, where she has served as class agent and class secretary.
Margaret's local community involvement is extensive and includes serving on the Board of the Junior League of the Oranges and Short Hills. Margaret is currently on the Board of Trustees for Meeting Essential Needs with Dignity (M.E.N.D.) NJ, a consortium of food pantries in Essex County where she helped to spearhead the strategic planning process and coordinates local volunteer efforts. Margaret is also on the Board of Trustees for The Warehouse NJ, which helps individuals and families who have experienced homelessness to successfully transition into their new apartments with donated furniture, household items and other essential resources.
Gabriela Snyder joined the Alumni Executive Committee in 2020. While a student at Amherst, Gabriela double-majored in psychology and Spanish. She also participated in a variety of extra-curricular activities, including the Cambodian Tutoring Program, Student Housing Advisory Committee, Peer Career Advisor, Women’s Chorus and Rugby.
Gabriela works with individuals, couples and families as a marriage and family therapist (MFT) outside of Philadelphia, having received her MA from La Salle University in December 2019. Prior to changing careers later in life, Gabriela worked as a professional education and training consultant for the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC). Before joining GMAC, she worked as associate director of MBA Admissions & Financial Aid at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania where, in addition to her admissions responsibilities, she managed all diversity outreach and pipeline development at the MBA level. Before Wharton, Gabriela oversaw the fellowship selection process for The Robert Toigo Foundation, which provided grants and leadership development to minority MBAs. Gabriela also spent several years at Goldman Sachs & Co., first in New York City in learning and professional development, and later in San Francisco in human capital management.
Gabriela currently lives in the suburbs of Philadelphia with her husband, Andrew Snyder ’99, three boys—Rafael, Stefan and Sebastian—and a Goldendoodle named Lola. She an active volunteer at her children’s schools and serves as treasurer for the Presbyterian Women and as a board member of the Mission Council at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church. Gabriela also helps to fundraise for Amherst as co-chair for the 1821 Society for the Class of 1999.
“Amherst changed the course of my life in every way. I began dating my husband early freshman year and we have been together ever since. We developed incredible, lifelong, close friendships that we are blessed to have as a part of our collective lives. I participated in on-campus recruitment, which launched my career. My experience as a student was enriching and life-altering, and I am happy to be able to give back to a place that provided me with so much. As an alumna, I have been impressed with Amherst’s visionary strategy, which is at the forefront of important and difficult issues, both within higher education and at the global level.”
Cristina Sproul ’05 lives in Falls Church, Virginia, with her husband Chad Reams and their daughter Lila. Since 2014, Cristina has worked as an immigration attorney at Just Neighbors, a not-for-profit organization providing legal services to low-income immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees. Just Neighbors’ mission also strives to build a stronger community through education, advocacy, and volunteerism.
At Amherst, Cristina graduated cum laude, double majoring in political science and Spanish. She was involved in the Student Housing Advisory Committee (responsible for organizing the campus-wide housing process) and Social Council (responsible for planning all College-sponsored social events).
After graduating from Amherst, Cristina obtained her law degree from the University of Maryland School of Law. While in law school she served as co-president of Maryland Public Interest Law Project, Inc., which raises funds to provide summer grants to students working for not-for-profit legal agencies serving the under-represented. She also served as the fundraising chair of the Latino/a Law Students Association, and was an associate editor for the University of Maryland Law Journal of Race, Religion, Gender, and Class. Cristina is a recipient of the University of Maryland Public Service Award.
As an alum, Cristina has remained close with administrators and professors, and has assisted in her class reunion planning. Additionally, Cristina stays connected to the Amherst community through her classmates, as well as through her strong family ties to Amherst (father Robert Sproul ’69 and brother Michael Sproul ’02).
Geoffrey Underwood is senior marketing executive at Eaton Vance/Morgan Stanley Investment Management (Boston), responsible for global brand strategy and creative across the asset management business. Over the past decade, Geoffrey served as the architect of Eaton Vance and Calvert “Responsible Investing” brand strategy and oversaw marketing capabilities across advertising, websites/digital, sales collateral, database marketing, events and production. Prior to financial services marketing from the client side, Geoffrey supported a range of business clients from within advertising agencies Digitas (Boston/Atlanta), Modem Media (San Francisco) and Bates Advertising (New York). His first job out of Amherst was at the National Geographic Society (Washington, DC) where he advocated for improved geography education in K-12 schools.
Underwood was an anthropology major at Amherst, and played trombone in the Amherst Jazz Band. A formative college experience was his junior year study abroad program in Kenya. He went on to earn an MBA at Northwestern University (Kellogg Graduate School of Management) with a focus on marketing and branding. Geoffrey and his wife Dede Danforth live in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Geoffrey is the co-president of the Amherst class of 1984 and currently has a daughter, Josie, at Amherst, enjoying her senior year.
