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Barbara Kraus-Blackney Visionary Service Award
Past Recipients

ADVIS Visionary Service Award recipients are nominated by approved representatives from ADVIS member schools. Nominees’ contributions may reflect an ongoing or extraordinary gift of time, commitment, expertise, or financial support. Falling under one or more of the traditional categories of contributors of “Work, Wealth, and Wisdom,” or the more recent categories of “Raises Friends, Raises Funds, Raises Students,” award recipients are:

  • Exemplary school trustees, volunteers, and/or philanthropists, or
  • Individuals, not directly tied to one institution, yet having had a profound impact on area independent school education, or
  • Education professionals who have shown outstanding commitment and service to the broader educational professional community in addition to their individual school.
The recipients to date are:

2023-2024    Thomas Needham, Former Head of School, Hill Top School, Founder, Neurodiveristy Employment Network (formerly           Autism at Work), ADVIS Board Member (former), AJ Drexel Autistm Institute Board Member (former), Community                   Partnership School Board Member (former)
2022-2023 John Gilliland and Jeff Markovitz, Co-clerks and founding members of The Friends Collaborative (TFC)
2021-2022  Steve Piltch, Board Chair, Gesu School; Former Head of School, The Shipley School; Director, School Leadership Program, University of Pennsylvania, Graduate School of Education; (Former) President, ADVIS Board of Trustees; (Former) ADVIS Board Member
2019-2020  Eugene (Gene) Gardner, Former Board President, Lancaster Country Day School 
2018-2019  Tracey Specter, Former President, Board of Directors, 2013-2016, Board Member, 2006 - present, Perelman Jewish Day School
2017-2018 Jocelyn Hillman, (Former) Board Chair, Community Partnership School and Lynn Gadsden, Board Chair Emeritus, Community Partnership School
2016-2017 Patrick F. Bassett, President and Senior Consultant, HEADS UP EDUCATIONAL CONSULTING; Former Teacher, school head and President, NAIS, the National Association of Independent Schools. Award to be presented April 12, 2017 at the ADVIS Board Chair/Clerk and Head of School Dinner and Dialogue.
2015-2016 Earl J. Ball, Board Chair, Tower Hill School; former Head of School, William Penn Charter School; Senior Fellow, (Former) Director, School Leadership Program; Founding Director, Penn Residency Masters in Teaching, Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania
2014-2015 Robert E. (Bob) Shields, Former Board Chair, Archmere Academy;
Current Board Chair, Rosemont School of the Holy Child; Board of
Financial Advisors, Daylesford Abbey and CEO, Lakeview Capital, Inc.
2013-2014  Douglas "Chip" MacKelcan, Jr., Former Head of School, Sanford School;
Former ADVIS Board President; 40 year Independent School Educator and Leader 
2012-2013 David West, Former School Clerk Emeritus Member of the School Committee,
Germantown Friends School
2011-2012 Susan Floyd and Kathleen Hunt, Co-Founders, Center School 
2010-2011 Gretchen H. Burke and Rush T. Haines, II, Former Board Chairs and
Co-Chairs "Ever Episcopal" Capital Campaign, The Episcopal Academy
2009-2010 William D. Ravdin, Former Trustee & Clerk, Friends Central School;
Trustee, Friends Council; Pro Bono Counsel to ADVIS Schools
2008-2009 Margaret (Peggy) Ewing, Former Trustee & Finance Committee Member,
Clerk of Development & Governance Committees, Delaware Valley Friends School 
2007-2008 Frederick (Fred) C. Fletcher, II, Former Board Chair, Trustee Emeritus, 
The Shipley School 
2006-2007 Irene Horstmann Hannan, Board Chair & Trustee Emeritus, The Crossroads School
2005-2006 Thomas E. Zemaitis, Former School Committee Clerk, Moorestown Friends School 
2004-2005 W. Perry Gresh, Former Board Chair, Montgomery School 
James L. "Jay" Crawford, Jr., Former Head of School, The Episcopal Academy 
2003-2004 Melanie Stackhouse, Founder, Orchard Friends School 
2002-2003 Nicholas A. Giordano, Former Board Chair, Mount Saint Joseph Academy 
2001-2002 Solveig Stetson, Founding Executive Director, ADVIS