The Founders Award was created by the merger of the Whitaker-Bement Award and the Samuel and Emily Williston Award, and honors the founders and principles of The Northampton School for Girls and Williston Academy. It is awarded to an individual whose loyalty, devotion, and service to The Williston Northampton School has been outstanding.

Ellen Livingston, Class of ’86 is the President of Johnstone Supply, a wholesale HVAC equipment and parts distributor based in Waltham, Massachusetts.  Ellen and her husband Richard started their company in 1995 and have just opened their fourth store. She and Richard reside in Weston, Massachusetts and have two children, Maxwell, who graduated from Williston in 2018, and Charlotte.

While a student at Williston, Ellen was a member of the varsity lacrosse and field hockey teams. And that experience may explain why she has never stood on the sidelines content to let others create change. Ellen is a current Board member of the Waltham Boys and Girls Club and serves on the board’s Executive Committee. She is a past board member of the Weston Education Enrichment Fund Committee and is a former 2 term President of the Weston PTO.

In 2015, when her son, Max, came to Williston, Ellen turned her attention and significant talents to the place that was most pivotal in her life and education. To Williston.

Ellen joined Williston’s Board of Trustees in 2018 and is currently co-chair of the Williston Northampton Fund and the Williston Builds Capital Campaign. She is a former Admissions volunteer, and a former member of the school’s Head’s Visiting Council, Alumni Council, and Reunion Planning Committee.  She is also her Class Representative.

Ellen embodies Williston’s mission of purpose, passion, and integrity. From Weston to Waltham to Williston, Ellen has dedicated her energies to improving the life and educational opportunities for the next generation.