Chris Bohjalian ’82
The author of 18 books, he has seen his work translated into more than 30 languages. His novels regularly appear on bestseller lists.
He has won widespread acclaim for his narratives, which cover topics including midwifery, human trafficking and the Armenian Genocide.
William Burns
He is pesident of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a former U.S. deputy secretary of state. His accomplishments as a career diplomat included helping to end Libya’s weapons program and working on a historic interim nuclear agreement with Iranian leaders.
Inger Damon ’84
Director of the Division of HighConsequence Pathogens and Pathology at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, she was CDC incident manager for the Ebola response in West Africa.
Sandra Faber
She is an astronomer and astrophysicist noted for the FaberJackson relation, which is the first known structural scaling law for galaxies. Her work has also uncovered irregularities in the expansion of the universe caused by gravity from superclusters of galaxies.
Kirk Johnson ’82
As the Sant Director of the National Museum of Natural History, he oversees the largest collection within the Smithsonian. He led a 2011 excavation in Snowmass Village, Colo., that unearthed more than 5,400 mammoth, mastodon and other iceage animal bones.
Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot
She is a sociologist and educator who studies the culture of schools, the ecology of education and the relationship between human development and social change. She pioneered an approach to social science known as portraiture.
Other Honorees
Medal for Eminent Service: Kelly L. Close ’90
Honorary Marshal: Brooke Kamin Rapaport ’84
Obed Finch Slingerland Memorial Prize: Milton Felipe Rico Becerra ’16
Woods-Travis Prize: Alexander Corey Vega ’16
Robert J. Garvey: President Martin read a tribute and gave a cane to the Commencement mainstay and retiring sheriff of Hampshire County, who has opened and closed Amherst graduations for decades.
Phebe and Zephaniah Swift Moore Awards, given to high school teachers nominated by members of the graduating class:
Dawn Gafa, Hazel Park (Mich.) High School
Robert Gerver, North Shore High School, Glen Head, N.Y.
William Kahn, Brooklyn (N.Y.) Technical High School