ANSELMIANS HONORED AT ALUMNI AWARDS BRUNCH
Saint Anselm College hosted its annual Alumni Awards Brunch on Sunday, November 2, 2025. Ten Anselmians from a variety of backgrounds, and whose time on the Hilltop spanned more than 56 years, were honored for their service to their communities, the college, and their country.
The 2025 Alumni Award winners include:
Joyce Latvis Arel ’60
Career Achievement Award
After graduation, Arel began a career that spanned more than 60 years, first as a hospital nurse and later rising to a place on the board of directors of St. Joseph Hospital in Nashua, N.H. She later returned to school for her Master of Education and spent 25 years as an educator. She served as president of both Nashua Board of Education and Board of Aldermen, the only person in Nashua’s history to hold both posts. She later served on the board of the New Hampshire Community College System where she secured legislation enabling community college credits to transfer to New Hampshire universities.
“At Saint Anselm College, many professors added depth, structure and understanding to not only the subject matter, but to the value and connectedness of learning to life,” said Arel.
Mary Jo (O’Dwyer) Majors, B.S.N. ’69, M.S.N., H.D. ’24, Capt., Nurse Corps, U.S.N.R. (Ret.)
John A. Houghton ’46 Alumni Council Award
Throughout her years on the Alumni Council, Majors brought passion, purpose, and profound care to everything she did. As longtime co-chair of the Recognition Committee, the Alumni Awards was her favorite event of the year, and she worked tirelessly to honor the achievements of her fellow alumni, ensuring that their stories of faith, service, and excellence were celebrated with the dignity and joy they deserved. For Majors, this work was more than an obligation—it was an expression of gratitude and love for the Saint Anselm family that shaped her life.
“Let us honor Mary Jo by continuing to serve—in small acts and in large ones—with the same steady, generous spirit she gave to her country, her college, and her community,” said Robert Elliot ’95 while accepting the posthumous award on her behalf.
Denis Lynch ’81
John F. Barry Spirit of Saint Anselm College Award
Since graduating, Lynch has continued to keep the college and its mission at the center of his life. A former Saint Anselm director of alumni relations, he has supported the college through the creation of the Mary Alice Lynch Nursing Scholarship Fund and the Ernie Thorne ’34 Scholarship Fund, while also connecting the college with other funding opportunities. His professional achievements in security, operations, and leadership—with organizations including the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), the Department of Defense, and Hewlett-Packard—reflect his integrity, discipline, and excellence, while also extending the reach of the Saint Anselm alumni network across the nation and the world.
“I was blessed to be in the great class of 1981. Our class is like the Olympic flag: Many rings of friendships tightly linked together in unison,” said Lynch.
James P. McDonnell ’81
Joseph P. Collins ’34 Alumni Award of Merit
For his outstanding professional achievements, his dedication to the betterment of society, and his lifelong example of Anselmian values in action, Saint Anselm College proudly presented the Joseph P. Collins ’34 Alumni Award of Merit to James McDonnell ’81.
McDonnell currently serves as the chief of police for the Los Angeles Police Department (L.A.P.D.) where he managed the response to the Palisades fires in early 2025 and is responsible for much of the preparation for the 2028 Summer Olympics.
Throughout a remarkable career, McDonnell has demonstrated professional excellence and visionary leadership within two of the nation’s premier law enforcement agencies—the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the L.A.P.D. His dedication to justice, community safety, and ethical policing has earned him widespread respect among peers and the public alike.
McDonnell was unable to attend the ceremony, but will be presented with his award when he returns to campus this spring.
Kellie Sprague, M.D. ’86
Nursing and Health Sciences Award
Following her graduation from Saint Anselm College in 1986, Sprague earned her medical degree from the University of Vermont and has since built a distinguished career spanning more than three decades in the field of hematology and oncology.
Over the course of her career, Dr. Sprague has served as director of the Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Transplant Program and assistant professor of medicine at Tufts Medical Center, where she guided groundbreaking clinical research, co-authored peer-reviewed studies, and mentored the next generation of physicians. In 2021, she joined MaineHealth Cancer Care as director of the Hematologic Malignancies Program, where she continues to lead with vision, skill, and deep humanity.
“While all of these accomplishments have brought me great meaning and purpose, it is still my time with patients that brings me the greatest joy,” said Sprague. “I feel deeply blessed to do what I do every day.”
George Parodi, Ph.D., P ’97, ’02, ’06 and Maureen Parodi (Mount Saint Mary) ’70, P ’97, ’02, ’06
Parents Leadership and Service Award
The Parodis worked hard to provide their three children—Anna (Parodi) Groenewal ’97, Julia (Parodi) Mitchell ’02, and Joseph Parodi-Brown ’06—with a Saint Anselm College education. Their belief that education is not merely preparation for life, but life itself, has guided generations of their family and inspired all who know them.
A respected member of the Saint Anselm faculty until his retirement in 2018, Professor George Parodi served the chemistry department and the college with distinction, integrity, and dedication to his students. Maureen Parodi, a Mount Saint Mary College alumna (class of 1970), shared in that calling—creating a home grounded in curiosity, compassion, and faith.
“[Saint Anselm College] is a place where many families send multiple children and even grandchildren, like we did,” said Maureen. “There is a reason for this. It is a place that fosters the ideals and morals that parents like us try to instill in our kids.”
Michael O’Loughlin ’07
Catholic Leadership Award
“I think about Saint Anselm often, and there’s a lot of lessons I learned here as a student. Two come to mind as I think about my career as a journalist. One is the importance of being able to ask good questions … the other is listening to those answers,” shared O’Loughlin. “Saint Anselm’s insights into the theology of faith seeking understanding have guided me since I was a student and continues to this day.”
Since graduating from Saint Anselm, O’Loughlin has worked to practice his Catholic faith and shed light on untold stories of faith, courage, and mercy. His book, Hidden Mercy: Catholics, AIDS, and Untold Stories of Compassion in the Face of Fear (Broadleaf Books, 2021) received professional acclaim but also a message from Pope Francis, praising his work for bearing witness to the Church’s call to compassion and care for the suffering. He has served as the executive director of outreach and was recently named the executive director of the National Catholic Reporter.
Kristine Adams ’16
Young Alumni Achievement Award
Less than a decade into her professional career, Adams has emerged as a trusted leader and policy innovator in the homeland security enterprise. As air cargo branch manager at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), she leads a team responsible for shaping aviation security policy across the global air cargo supply chain. Her vision and leadership are instrumental in the current effort to consolidate nine separate cargo security programs into a single, unified U.S. National Cargo Security Program, streamlining regulatory burden while strengthening national security.
“This recognition means more to me than I can say,” said Adams. “It is a timely and deeply appreciated affirmation, not just of the counterterrorism and international coalition-building work I have been privileged to do on behalf of the American people, but of the belief that humble service, rooted in faith and community, still matters.”
Kenneth Binder
Walter J. Gallo ’58 Award
Kenneth Binder, who sadly passed away on December 13, 2025, enjoyed a 36-year professional career as a leader in the world of Catholic philanthropy. Serving as director of development at his alma mater, Providence College, he also served as vice president for institutional advancement at Rivier College, and then vice president for development for Catholic Charities at the Diocese of Boston.
Binder was an integral part of the advancement team at Saint Anselm, as a major gifts officer and assistant vice president of major gifts. He most recently served as special assistant to college advancement. In all these roles, he built and maintained relationships with Anselmians throughout New England and beyond, successfully cultivating gifts to support every area of the college and the lives of its students.
TRUE BLUE: LEONARD G. COPPENRATH ’81
Leonard G. Coppenrath, ’81, hasn’t made it back to the Hilltop all that often since he graduated almost 45 years ago, but that doesn’t mean the things he learned at Saint Anselm College are far from his heart.
In fact, Coppenrath—a criminal justice major who has worked for the Massachusetts State Police since 1986—still has his copy of Formal Logic, a book he used during his humanities class with Fr. Anselm Regan as the program Portraits of Human Greatness launched with his graduating class.
“The Saint Anselm experience made me use my brain and develop common sense,” says Coppenrath, who is now a major with the Massachusetts State Police. “Saint Anselm was crucial in my growing up and maturing to a great degree.”
Coppenrath, a classmate and roommate of Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell ’81, was a walk-on for the Hawks varsity soccer and hockey teams, and he also played club rugby and club hockey during his time at Saint A’s. The Marshfield, Mass., native and resident couldn’t be happier with the choice he made to attend the Benedictine institution.
“I needed to get away from home, but also wanted to be close enough that I could get back if I needed to,” he says. “I didn’t want a big, big school because I didn’t think I would do well in that atmosphere—Saint Anselm fit me well.”
Coppenrath knew he was destined for a career in law enforcement at a young age. Part of the decision to attend Saint Anselm was the reputation of the criminal justice program.
“I knew when I was 15 years old that I wanted to investigate homicides,” he says, pointing to the 1970s TV show Toma as the catalyst for his career in law enforcement. And he credits then-Dean of Students Fr. Peter Guerin and longtime men’s soccer coach Ed Cannon as having the biggest influence on his life at Saint A’s. Cannon, who met Coppenrath during freshman orientation, was able to get him a pre-season tryout for the soccer team.
“It’s not just what I learned; it’s from whom I learned it and how,” he says. “Sports, particularly those with a lot of physical contact, have a way of humbling you,” he says. “Police work can do the same—quickly.”
When it comes to his work, he is quick to mention that his department is filled with extremely bright people who never cease to impress him. In fact, two of the top people running the state police are also fellow alumni: Deputy Superintendent Mark Cyr ’97 and Chief Administrative Officer Michele Small ’00. In addition, a recent reunion brought several Saint Anselm graduates together at headquarters for a photograph (shown above).
Coppenrath has spent most of his adult life dedicated to helping various charities, particularly Children’s Hospital and the Special Olympics, a baton he grabbed after his daughter Emily was born with Down syndrome in 1996. He participates in several events for the Special Olympics of Massachusetts, including being part of Emily’s Edgers—a team that rappelled 24 stories down the side of the Hyatt Regency in Boston, helping to raise more than $70,000 for Special Olympics Massachusetts.
And while Coppenrath’s days are busy with work and charitable commitments, he enjoys finding time for what’s most important: spending time with family, and being the father of Ethan, Sarah, and Emily, and grandfather of 7-year-old Hunter.
D. CRAIG MACCORMACK ’95
LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTER:
CAROLINE (SHEERAN) MCDERMOD ’99 AND AYLA MCDERMOD ’28
It’s been more than 30 years since Caroline (Sheeran) McDermod ’99 first arrived on the Hilltop, but with every return to campus, she remembers grass-stained uniforms, sweaty cleats, and the beginning of lifelong friendships. The soccer standout was drawn to Saint Anselm’s academic reputation and charm, and she knew it was a place where she could study history while shining on the field. “It was a special four years,” Caroline says.
The Plymouth, Mass., native began her rookie season with a bang, leading the squad in goals scored and to a groundbreaking victory at the 1995 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC)—the women’s soccer program’s sole ECAC win. Her perseverance and skill earned her the 1995 NE-10 Rookie of the Year award, but this achievement wasn’t Caroline’s priority. “I was more focused on being part of a team,” she says. “That’s what sticks with you—you may not remember the scores of games.”
Athletic accolades aside, Caroline received the Melucci Scholarship her senior year, which inspired her to want to give back. After graduation she signed up for AmeriCorps as part of their Athletes in Service to America program, where all volunteers were former college athletes. During this time, she also earned a master’s degree in educational psychology from Northeastern University in Boston and served as assistant women’s soccer coach for the school. “It was a busy few years, but so much fun,” she says.
Caroline soon returned to Saint Anselm, specifically the Abbey Church, where she was married to her college sweetheart and former men’s soccer captain Matthew McDermod ’99 by Fr. Benet Phillips, O.S.B. ’87.
For more than 20 years, Caroline has worked as a guidance counselor at Abington Middle School in Abington, Mass. After attending countless alumni events and cheering on women’s soccer with former teammates, Caroline never could have guessed her daughter would become NE-10 Rookie of the Year, just like her.
Ayla McDermod ’28, a member of the women’s lacrosse team, insists her journey to the Hilltop was her own. She had heard many stories of the college from her parents, but what attracted her to Saint Anselm was a desire to study nursing while playing lacrosse. “Lacrosse [is] my safe place,” Ayla says.
During Ayla’s rookie season at Saint Anselm, she not only earned playing time, but started the first game with a hat trick, and led the season in goals scored (just like her mom). Her speed and composure helped the team reach the NCAA Tournament. Soon enough, a new award debuted in the McDermod home: 2025 NE-10 Rookie of the Year. Like mother, like daughter.
For women’s lacrosse coach Meghan Smith ’12, seeing how Ayla represents herself, her team, and her school makes her feel lucky to be her coach. “She’s everyone’s biggest supporter.”
Both Caroline and Ayla attribute their athletic accomplishments to their teammates’ thoughtful encouragement. “I’m happy she’s happy, and that she found a family on the lacrosse field,” says Caroline. Caroline’s own encouragement of her daughter’s passions has made her Ayla’s biggest role model. “I’m so proud of my mom,” says Ayla. “She raised me to be the best version of myself. I wouldn’t be where I am without her.”
While Caroline and Ayla may have chosen different sports on the Hilltop, they arrived at the same conclusion: Being Anselmian changes you. “It’s not just four years; it really is forever,” Caroline says. “You [can] be part of this community at any chapter in your life.”
BY KORI E. CHAMBERLIN
A NATURAL RESOURCE: KATHARINE CUSACK ’21
Katharine Cusack ’21 is sitting with a New Hampshire farmer at his dining room table. As cattle graze on fields outside, the conversation inside focuses on solar panels and energy efficiency. Energy is expensive and the farmer wants to cut costs. Cusack may have the answer.
In her role as technical assistant for Clean Energy NH, Cusack explains the farmer’s funding options, and that she can complete the 10-page U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Energy for America Program grant application for him free of charge. It’s a complicated and competitive process, she says, but if he earns the grant, he could afford solar panels, which would reduce his electricity bill.
“I do technical assistance work for small businesses and farms, to help them apply for federal grant funding for renewable energy projects like solar, small-scale wind, and geothermal, and energy-efficiency projects like refrigeration, lighting, and automated controls,” she says. “It’s more impactful being in person, getting to tour the facility, recommending efficiency improvements or where they should put the solar array.”
Her interest in clean energy and sustainability began while growing up enjoying New Hampshire’s natural resources and flourished as a communications major with a politics minor at Saint Anselm. During her undergraduate studies on the Hilltop, Cusack was interested in the landscape in her home state and volunteered for campus groups that supported that ethos, including the Center for Ethics in Society and Access Academy’s Meelia Center for Community Engagement. Since her grandmother took classes at the college, and her father ran the polling program at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics (NHIOP), Cusack gravitated toward politics too, and was a Kevin B. Harrington student ambassador at NHIOP.
“I took environmental history with [Prof.] Beth Salerno and environmental politics with [Prof.] Peter Josephson. We had a textbook with different environmental case studies that made me so interested in environmental justice and advocacy work, and how grassroots mobilization can really have an impact on the environment,” she says. “I thought that class was the most fun and interesting, and it was probably one of my favorite classes because it made me want to do environmental work.”
Pursuing that passion, she recently worked on an important piece of legislation—the Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy and Resiliency (CPACER). It is the financing program that allows commercial property owners to finance upgrades for energy efficiency through a tax assessment. “That is the tie between what I did at the Center for Ethics in housing and zoning, and energy and resiliency, upgrading water for sanitation, resiliency for storms, solar array or efficiency projects,” she says.
Outside of work, Cusack remains passionate about the outdoors, from running and hiking to biking, skiing, and climbing, and much of her free time is spent outdoors. This dovetails with her volunteer work as a U.S. Forest Service backcountry steward. She adopted an .8-mile stretch of trail in the White Mountain National Forest where she trims branches, saws fallen limbs, and cleans out drainage ditches in the spring and fall.
It seems all her interests in the environment, communications, and politics are converging on this precise time and place, and she is grateful for the opportunity to make an impact.
“I love the support of my colleagues, and I love being a go-between, with the operations team, the policy team, and … the technical assistance team,” she says. “But I would say my favorite thing is the farm tours, working with a farmer about their needs and where they can make improvements, and then seeing those improvements implemented.”
BY ANNIE SHERMAN ’99