The award has been bestowed on extraordinary Reed volunteers since 1987.
By Bennett Campbell Ferguson
August 15, 2024
In June, Darlene Pasieczny ’01 received the highest honor a Reed alumni volunteer can earn: the 2024 Babson Society Outstanding Volunteer Award, which was named for Jean McCall Babson ’42 and has been bestowed on extraordinary Reedies since 1987.
“I felt truly honored!” said Darlene, who is a member of the Reed Board of Trustees. “And inspired to keep going. Engagement with Reed meant different things to me at different times, but always brought joy and true connection and purpose. Helping Reedies rise and the college excel for the future is the legacy of all alumni volunteers.”
Darlene’s volunteer work at Reed dates back to her days as an admissions office volunteer. She was subsequently a member of the Class of 2001 reunion committee, a mentor at Working Weekend events, and she served on the Alumni Board, helping to rewrite the Alumni Association By-Laws in 2018 and create the Chapter Leadership Council.
At a ceremony in the Performing Arts Building Atrium, Darlene was honored by Dylan Rivera ’95, President of the Alumni Board. He cited Darlene’s many accomplishments in the Reed community, from founding the Reed Career Coaches Program to co-chairing the Reed Legal Network, which engages with Reedies practicing law nationwide.
“For all of these reasons and many more, our fellow alumni voted to recognize Darlene with the Babson Award for 2024,” Dylan said. “Darlene, thank you for all that you have done and all that you’ll continue to do on behalf of Reed and Reedies.”