Celebrating Castleton Excellence

In August, at an intimate on-campus ceremony, members of the Alumni Association and Castleton community honored eight outstanding alumni and dedicated friends who received awards in 2020 and 2021 for their impact on their local communities, respective professions, and the University.

Ike Bendavid ‘16 was the recipient of the 2020 Emerging Leader Award. Bendavid is a twotime Emmy nominated news anchor for WCAX News. His career began as an intern in 2016, and since his initial hire, he has experienced and embraced all aspects of broadcasting, as a photographer, producer, anchor, and reporter.

Ike Bendavid

Joan ‘84 and Mark Brown were honored with the 2020 Spartan Impact Award for their dedication to supporting Castleton students. The couple sponsor an annual academic scholarship, the Roger G. Brown Memorial Scholarship, created in memory of Mark’s father, a professor at Castleton in the 1960s, as well as share more than 25 years of consecutive giving to the University. Both Joan and Mark also partake in student mentoring, providing job and internship opportunities for students, and most recently shared their testimony in video form to raise critical funds for student scholarships.

Ceil Hunt ‘11 received the 2020 Spartan Service Award of Excellence for her extraordinary record of volunteerism and dedication. Hunt has served as a member of the Friends of the Fair Haven Library, a Fair Haven Library trustee, the Fair Haven Town moderator, the Slate Valley Unified School District moderator, a board member of Fair Haven Concerned, a board member and Treasurer of the Castleton Community Center, a member and officer of the Fair Haven Historical Society, and a member and officer of the Castleton Women’s Club, in addition to her continued role on the Castleton Alumni Association Board of Directors. Dennis Wright ‘68 ’79 was recognized in 2020 with the Castleton Way Award. This onetime specialty award honored Wright for his steadfast support of the University in the areas of time, talent, and treasure. In 2019, Wright Painting donated labor to the renovation and restoration of the historic Granger House located on campus, and a recent multi-year pledge by Dennis and his wife, Tuesday, significantly bolstered student scholarship resources for deserving Castleton students.

Steve Earley ‘69 was celebrated as the Outstanding Alumni of the Year for 2020. With nearly 30 years of philanthropic giving, Earley’s impact on Castleton will be felt for generations. After retiring from a long-standing career as a teacher, administrator, and member of the Vermont School Crisis Planning Team, Earley continues to engage with the University on a variety of levels including, helping to organize and attend class reunions, as well as participating in annual events such as the Castleton Gala and Golf Classic.

Ali Flewelling ’11 received the 2021 Emerging Leader Award. Flewelling serves as a Communications Business Partnerships Manager for BAE Systems, the global aerospace and defense company. She leads a team of executive communications professionals who serve as advisors to the company’s senior executives. Her team provides strategic internal and external communication support for the Electronic Systems sector’s seven business areas, spanning commercial and defense markets, which employ more than 15,000 employees across 26 sites in the United States, United Kingdom, and Mexico.

Phillip Modesti ‘90 was celebrated as the Outstanding Alumni of the Year for 2021. After finishing a distinguished career in the military, Modesti began a career in medical sales and professional clinical education programs. He currently serves as Senior Director for Hologic’s Breast & Skeletal Health Division and, in 2021, established the first independently funded scholarship for United States veterans at Castleton, which is awarded annually to deserving student veterans.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION, VISIT: castleton.edu/alumni-association