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Alumni Award
Jonathan Isham
2025 Alumni Award Recipient:
Honored for His Leadership in Education, Climate Action, and Social Change
Jonathan Isham, Ph.D '75
The New Canaan Country School Alumni Award is presented to honor an alumna or alumnus who has had the courage and confidence to make a positive contribution to the world. This year, the distinction goes to Jonathan Isham, Ph.D. ’75, whose career as an educator, environmental economist, and social entrepreneur has empowered generations of students and global leaders to build a more sustainable and just future.
Dr. Isham is a professor of Economics and Environmental Studies at Middlebury College, where he has taught since 1999. His courses—ranging from Environmental Policy to Love in Action—combine academic rigor with real-world application, encouraging students to become changemakers in their communities and beyond. In 2012, he co-founded the Middlebury Center for Social Entrepreneurship and served as its inaugural director, helping to launch a new generation of mission-driven innovators.
His impact extends far beyond the classroom. In 2016–17, Dr. Isham served as a Fulbright Scholar at Ashesi University in Ghana, furthering his work at the intersection of education, equity, and sustainability. He has also delivered keynote addresses and led thought-provoking conversations at institutions such as Mt. Holyoke College, the American Economics Association, the Ashoka U Exchange, and Groton School. An active civic leader, he has served on the boards of Save the Children Federation, St. George’s School, and the Opera Company of Middlebury.
Dr. Isham’s research and writing reflect his deep commitment to solving the world’s most urgent challenges. He is the co-editor of Social Capital and Economic Development: Well-being in Developing Countries and Ignition: What You Can Do to Fight Global Warming and Spark a Movement. His current book project, Whole Earth Finance: Beyond Bretton Woods Solutions for the 21st Century, explores innovative economic frameworks to address global inequality and climate disruption.
Originally from New Canaan, Dr. Isham is the son of Jonathan and Libby Isham and the brother of Peggy Isham ’71 and Beth Isham Nichols ’73. He and his wife, Tracy Himmel Isham, live in Cornwall, Vermont, where they raised their three daughters, Faith, Katie, and LilyBob.
As he celebrates his 50th Reunion with the Country School Class of 1975, this award honors Dr. Isham for his intellectual leadership, deep sense of purpose, and lifelong commitment to positive change—qualities that reflect the very best of a Country School education.
Alumni Award Recipients
List of 29 items.
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2025: Jonathan Isham '75
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2024: Lucy Adams Billings '63
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2023: Nicholas Britell '96
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2022: Lisa Pike Sheehy ’83
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2021: AJ Mleczko ’90
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2020: Eric Woolworth ’80
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2019: Allison Kessler Vear ’00
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2018: Topsy Post ’66
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2017: Mo Vaughn ’82
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2016: G. David Forney ’54
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2015: Zach Iscol ’94
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2014: Katherine Ward ’79
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2013: Liz Barratt-Brown ’74
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2012: Matt Heineman ’98
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2011: Rick Ackerly ’60
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2010: Edward Hoagland ’47
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2009: Patricia Gates Lynch Ewell ’41
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2008: Hardy Jones ’58
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2007: Elizabeth Spelke ’64
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2006: L. Paul Bremer ’56
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2005: Edmund L. Resor ’66
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2004: William A. Shutkin ’80
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2003: Emily Mead ’41
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2002: Keith H. Brodie ’54
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2001: Samuel Sachs ’50
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2000: Elizabeth S. Crow ’61
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1999: Hedrick Smith ’47
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1998: Jonathan B. O’Brien ’53 & Joan Dominick O’Brien ’53
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1997: Peter Goldmark ’55
New Canaan Country School
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New Canaan Country School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin and are afforded all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, sex, sexual orientation, national origin or ancestry, or disability in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, financial aid policies or any other school-administered programs.