Created in 2015 to honor the school’s 175th Anniversary, the Williston Northampton Medal is presented to an alumnus/a who has made significant achievements and contributions to his/her profession and/or community, shown a commitment to professional growth, or is recognized for leadership in his/her field. The contributions do not need to be publicly renowned but should represent important creative effort or accomplishment with professional, societal or educational value.

Dyan deNapoli is a penguin expert, TED speaker, and the award-winning author of THE GREAT PENGUIN RESCUE, which chronicles her experiences co-managing the rehabilitation of 20,000 oiled penguins. Known as “The Penguin Lady”, Dyan’s mission is to raise awareness and funding to protect endangered penguins. To that end, she donates part of her proceeds to penguin conservation groups. A frequent guest on radio, TV, and podcasts in the US and abroad, she has given four TEDx talks; with one being featured on the main TED website. Dyan is a lecturer for Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic, and just returned from her fourth voyage to Antarctica.