Excellence in Service to Hood College Award

The 2019 recipient of the Excellence in Service Award were Magaly Mauras Green ’74, M.A.’79 and The Class of 1969 Board of Trustee Members.

Magaly arrived at Hood College in fall 1970 from her home in Puerto Rico and ever since has immersed herself in all things Hood. She earned her master’s degree from Hood in 1979, has served on the Alumni Executive Board and is currently chair of the Board of Associates. She has been a class reporter and fundraising agent for her class, and has served on the Multicultural Alumnae Network and the Hood Magazine Editorial Board. Magaly and her husband, Ken, who graduated from Hood in 1981, settled in Frederick and raised their three sons in the community. While raising a family and building her career with the National Parks Service, Magaly always found time for Hood. In addition to the many hours of service she has given to the College, rarely has she missed a convocation, commencement, homecoming or reunion. We are so very fortunate that Magaly chose to attend Hood and to make Frederick her home.

Cheryl Brown Dreiling ’69, H’13 is a current and emerita trustee, as well as former Board chair. Cheryl was the first Brown sister to attend Hood, passing the legacy onto her two younger siblings, Sharon Brown Vejvoda ’71 and Melanie Brown Hughes ’76. After graduating from Hood, Cheryl earned her master’s degree in management from
American University in 1976. In 2002, she retired from her position as operations manager with Hewlett-Packard, and has been delighted to devote more time to traveling. Aside from trips she’s taken on her own, Cheryl has been on five Hood College AHI Alumni trips, including our most recent tour of the Andalucia region of Spain. She has played a key role in the fundraising success for the Class of 1969 Endowed Scholarship. In 2013, upon completion of her first stint on the Board of Trustees, Cheryl was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters. She was additionally recognized that year for her devoted service with the naming of the Dreiling Seminar Room, located in Coblentz Hall.

Joan Esselen Foot ’69 is an emerita trustee, serving nine years on the Board, from October 2009 until June 2018. Following her graduation from Hood with a bachelor’s degree in religion, Joan went on to earn her master’s in education from Eastern Michigan University. After retiring from The Saint Paul Foundation as a gift planner and community funds specialist, Joan has utilized her knowledge and expertise of fundraising to collaborate with her fellow classmates to fundraise for the Class of 1969 Endowed Scholarship. In addition to helping increase participation and giving for her class’s scholarship, Joan and her younger sister, Jane Esselen Blocker ’72, continue to be involved with the Esselen Family Scholarship Fund. This fund was established in 1995 by their parents, Gustavius and Marjorie, to provide financial aid to future generations of Hood students. Joan and her husband, Buck, have three children and 11 grandchildren, and split their travel time between Minnesota and Florida.

Gail L. Gamble ’69, H’93, M.D. is both a current and former member of the Hood College Board of Trustees, having served from 2007 to 2013, and rejoined in 2015. She is a Hood legacy alumna, following her mother, Martha Pease Gamble ’42, and her aunt, Marguerite Pease Emery ’47. After graduating from Hood with a bachelor’s degree in history, Gail went on to earn her master’s degree in education from Bowling Green University, and then her Doctor of Medicine from the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in 1979. Gail served as a physician at the Mayo Clinic, specializing in medical and cancer rehabilitation. Then she accepted the position of medical director for cancer rehabilitation at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. In 1993, Hood conferred upon Gail an honorary Doctor of Science degree to recognize her achievements in the medical field. Gail calls Scottsdale, Arizona, home, and continues to be extremely engaged in ensuring that Hood continues to expand its profile in the higher education community.

Carol Crofoot Hayes ’69, Esq. is a former trustee who served on the Board from 1999 to 2003. She graduated from Hood magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in English. Ten years later, she earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago. In 1985, Carol joined the Coca-Cola Company as Finance Council, and was elected assistant secretary in 1987. She traveled frequently in her position with Coca-Cola, negotiating many international, multi-million dollar transactions. She was associate general counsel and corporate secretary before retiring from corporate life in 2011. After that, Carol started a second career in professional counseling, specializing in the field of domestic abuse and sexual trauma. In 2015, she gave an amazing TED talk in Savannah, Georgia, sharing how she strove to achieve balance in her life while juggling her high-powered career while raising her family. Carol now lives in Atlanta where she enjoys spending time with her daughter and twin granddaughters. 

Deborah Jones Lash ’69, Esq. is a former member of the Board of Trustees, having served, from 1993 to 1999, and then again from 2001 to 2003, serving as chair from 2002 through 2003. After earning her bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from Hood, Debby went on to achieve her master’s degree in education from Towson University. She taught at both the Samuel Ready School in Baltimore and then the North Shore Country Day School in Chicago before earning her Juris Doctor from
the University of Detroit Mercy. In addition to serving on Hood’s Board of Trustees, Debby has served on the boards of the United Way of Greenwich, the Friends of Acadia National Park, the Junior League of Greenwich Sustainer Advisory Council, the American Red Cross, and has volunteered with numerous other nonprofit organizations. Most recently, Debby and her husband, Jim, were honored for their outstanding leadership in the nonprofit community by the National Executive Service Corps. Debby and
Jim spend most of their time in Maine where they enjoy hiking in Acadia National Park.