Medal for Eminent Service
Since graduating in 1990, Kelly Close has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to Amherst and is known for adjusting her volunteer activity to suit the needs of the College. Currently, she is vice president of the Society of the Alumni and the Amherst Association of Northern California. She is also a member of the Executive Committee of the Alumni Council and an Alumni Fund agent for her class. The recipient of Amherst’s Distinguished Service Award in 1996, Close served as class president, Reunion gift chair and a Lives of Consequence West Coast campaign volunteer before dedicating herself as a Pathways mentor and frequent Career Center presenter.
Close earned an MBA from Harvard in 1995 and went on to work as an analyst at Goldman Sachs, as an equity research analyst covering medical technology at Merrill Lynch and as a management consultant for McKinsey & Co.’s health care practice. In 2002, she established Close Concerns, a health care information firm focused on diabetes and obesity.Tireless in her dedication to Amherst’s students, Close has employed dozens of young alumni and student interns, far more than any of her fellow graduates of the College.
In addition to her commitment to Amherst, Close has volunteered at the Diabetes Hands Foundation, the Behavioral Diabetes Institute and the Greater (San Francisco) Bay Area chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
This year, the College honors Close with the Medal for Eminent Service as Amherst marks its 40th anniversary of coeducation.