Celebrating the 2026 Alum Award Recipients

Jersey City, NJ

Devon has spent a lifetime embodying the motto “It’s never too late to try something new.” Their career in strategy & operations began with education nonprofits, including the former Young Adult Literacy Program at the Brooklyn Public Library, and an organization that guides high school students through the college application process with an emphasis on securing financial aid. Devon pivoted to healthtech where she worked at Grow Therapy, a mental health platform aiming to make therapy more accessible and affordable. 

Outside of their career, Devon is a volunteer at their local animal shelter, a Brooklyn tenant union, and a community fridge. Their newest project is an indie entertainment venture with an all neurodivergent cast focused on making accessible content for neurodivergent audiences. Devon continues to stay connected with Westover alums in NYC. Through their professional and personal life, Devon has shown a commitment to thinking through social issues, doing the necessary work to address them, and being fully invested in their community.

 

 

Past Governor

New York, NY

Dr. Dena Simmons is a lifelong learner, truth-teller, and abolitionist from Bronx, NY. She is the founder and executive director of LiberatED, an organization centering radical love, healing, and justice in education to support the mental health and well-being of youth and educators so all children can live, learn, and thrive in the comfort of their own skin. She is also a visiting professor at the Institute for Racial Justice at Loyola University of Chicago. Previously, she served as Assistant Director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, supporting schools in leveraging emotional intelligence to create compassionate and just learning environments.

Before her work at Yale, Dena served as a middle school educator, teacher educator, diversity facilitator, and curriculum developer. She has been a leading national voice on social and racial justice pedagogy, emotional intelligence, social and emotional learning (SEL), liberatory educational practices, bullying prevention, and collective healing. Her speaking engagements include the White House, the Obama Foundation Summit, the United Nations, two TEDx talks, a TED talk on Broadway, South by Southwest EDU, and Oprah Winfrey Network’s Speak Sis. Her work has been featured in Education Week, Edutopia, Learning for Justice, NPR, HuffPost, MAKERS: Women Who Make America, and other numerous media outlets.

Dena is the recipient of several prestigious fellowships, including the Harry S. Truman Scholarship, J. William Fulbright Fellowship, Education Pioneers Fellowship, Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship, Phillips Exeter Academy Dissertation Fellowship, Hedgebrook Writing Residency, Baldwin for the Arts Fellowship, Spring Point Learner Residency, Highland Project Fellowship, and Arthur Vining Davis Aspen Fellowship. She earned her doctorate from Teachers College, Columbia University, where she also taught in the Summer Principals Academy. Her research explores the intersection of SEL with culturally responsive pedagogy, healing, and justice, with a focus on fostering belonging and collective liberation in K–12 schools.

Born and raised in the Bronx in a one-bedroom apartment with her immigrant mother, older sister, and twin, Dena experienced firsthand the effects of inequity and marginalization. As her sister’s early caretaker and advocate, she learned the essential role of care in human development—an ethos that continues to drive her work to build educational systems that embrace students’ full humanity.

One of Dena’s many significant contributions is her founding of LiberatED, a vision she first conceived in 2018. After experiencing racism and trauma in academia, she took leave to heal in 2020. In 2021, she launched LiberatED and committed to building it full-time. Today, LiberatED provides school-based resources, workshops, and training that reimagine SEL as a liberatory practice rooted in justice, identity affirmation, and collective care.

Her thought leadership extends at the national and global levels, and she continues to influence policy, pedagogy, and institutional culture. Her recognition, through numerous fellowships and honors, underscores her impact as a scholar-practitioner dedicated to transforming educational systems.

Dena’s life and work embody equity, belonging, healing, and courageous leadership. She has risked professional comfort to pursue justice, shaping the field with integrity, rigorous scholarship, and radical compassion. Everything about her lived experiences and career reflects her resilience and unwavering commitment to creating environments where all students––all people––can thrive.

Dena is wholeheartedly endorsed for this award. Honoring her would not only recognize her substantial achievements but also amplify the vital movement she leads toward healing, justice, and freedom for all.

 

 

Past Governor

Southbury, CT

Deirdre comes to the aid of Westover by attending many activities, events, and supporting the School in its efforts to keep the alum community vibrant. She served on the Board of Governors (1976–1982) and continues to attend as many Westover events as possible, including Head of School Polly Fredlund’s installation.

 

Deirdre has served as hostess for many alum gatherings. From a variety of classes at her home and hosting traveling alums, she has opened her home as a Westover hotel and even hosted dinners for the Class of ’75, ’76, and ’77.

 

Currently, Deirdre serves as a Class Agent and a mentor for Westover’s Financial Independence, Readiness, and Empowerment (F.I.R.E) Program, where she offers her considerable marketing knowledge to the next generation. She is also a Reunion Gift Chair and Reunion Committee member, and regularly volunteers at the Southbury Historical Society.

 

She is a hub of information, a great fan, and a cheerleader of Westover. Her enthusiasm and love for the School reconnected many alums back to Westover, and we are honored to recognize Deirdre’s contributions in strengthening our alum community.

 

 

Marianne Barbino Dubuque has been selected to be inducted into the Westover Athletic Hall of Fame. During her time at Westover, Marianne was an exceptional athlete and served as captain of the soccer team. She continued her athletic career at the University of Connecticut, graduating in 1980, where she played goalkeeper for UConn’s soccer team. Beyond her own playing career, Marianne dedicated many years to supporting youth soccer in Connecticut, coaching within the Connecticut Junior Soccer Association’s Northwest District Division II and for Connecticut District Select teams. Her commitment to the sport and to mentoring young athletes was recognized when she was named Coach of the Year for the Connecticut Northwest Division. Marianne was also an avid runner who completed numerous half marathons and the Disney Marathon.

Marianne passed away in 2023. We believe that recognizing her impact on athletics at Westover and beyond serves as a lasting tribute to her passion, leadership, and the inspiration she provided to so many. Marianne is truly deserving of this honor, as she embodied all that this award represents, and we could not be more excited to honor her in this way.

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These award winners will be recognized during Reunion Weekend (June 5–7) at the Alum Association Assembly on Saturday, June 6. To attend, please register for Reunion here.