2018-2019 Staff Recognition

Andrew Samwick Honored for Fifteen Years of Leadership as Director of the Rockefeller Center

Andrew Samwick ’64a was honored at the Rockefeller Center Board of Visitors dinner on May 9, 2019 for his 15 years of leadership as director of the Center. Samwick’s term as director ended on June 30, 2019. The Class of 1964 presented Samwick with the Class of 1964 Outstanding Leadership Award for his work as director since 2004. The Class had adopted Samwick as a member of their class on the occasion of their 50th reunion. They established the Outstanding Leadership Award to honor those who share the class’s belief in the importance of developing young leaders to take on today’s challenges. Samwick is the fifth recipient of the Award.

Samwick is the longest serving of the Rockefeller Center’s five directors. In that capacity, he nourished innovative and popular leadership programs that Samwick believes “are an essential element of Dartmouth’s mission to prepare its students for a lifetime of learning and of responsible leadership.” Samwick has been an unflagging advocate for leadership education at Dartmouth. Curt Welling ’71 Tu ’77, former chair of the Board of Visitors (2011-2017) praised Andrew’s legacy of leadership at the Center, and his many contributions—as teacher, executive, mentor, and innovator. “In all these roles, Andrew has been a superb partner, colleague and co-conspirator,” Welling said. “The Rockefeller Center today is stronger than ever, more effective than ever, more impactful on student lives than ever.” Welling continued, “You have built a terrific team at Rocky, kept that team intact for a long time, and changed the lives of hundreds of students. You have set the standard by which the College should develop broader leadership initiatives engaging all students."

Tim Harrison ’78, current chair of the Board of Visitors, added his recognition of Samwick. “It has been one of the single honors of my life to work with Andrew Samwick and the Board of Visitors of the Rockefeller Center,  to witness first-hand not just Andrew’s passion for teaching and mentoring his students, but also the creativity, leadership, and skill with which he and his dedicated team have expanded and enhanced the Center’s public policy and leadership training programs. Nelson Rockefeller must be smiling at Andrew’s accomplishments.”

Deputy Director Sadhana Hall Receives Prestigious Award

Sadhana Hall, the Center’s deputy director, is one out of 45 individuals worldwide to receive the Endeavour Executive Leadership Award, presented by the Australian Government to leading professionals to undertake research and professional development in Australian institutions. With support from the Endeavour Award, often described as “the Australian equivalent of the Fulbright,” Hall will work at Tranby National Indigenous Adult Education and Training, the country’s oldest independent Indigenous education provider serving the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Belinda Russon, CEO of Tranby, says she looks forward to welcoming Hall to Sydney. "This impactful research project will build Indigenous specific leadership program content and pave the way for meaningful and ongoing international research collaboration between our organizations," Russon says. Rockefeller Center Director Andrew Samwick says, “Sadhana will bring back the lessons learned from adapting her approach to this community, so that the Rockefeller Center can better prepare students for a lifetime of leadership, including advocating for and with marginalized groups for their greater opportunities here and abroad.

As the deputy director of the Rockefeller Center, Hall has designed leadership programs for the college’s undergraduate students. Based on this experience, she has authored a book, Teaching Leadership: Bridging Theory and Practice, in which she and her co-author Gama Perruci, dean of the McDonough Leadership Center at Marietta College, share their personal experiences of bridging theory and practice in curricular and co-curricular settings to set the pace and tone for leadership development and lifelong learning.

Program Officer Joanne Needham Recognized at Lone Pine Awards Ceremony

Joanne Needham, the Center’s program officer for public programs and special events, has received the prestigious Dartmouth College Lone Pine Award for Excellence in Passion and Commitment. This inaugural awards program intends to recognize Dartmouth College employees who have gone above and beyond in showing Dartmouth’s commitment to excellence in different areas of service.

The Rockefeller Center staff was pleased to celebrate Needham’s passion toward her work, at the Rockefeller Center and Dartmouth, at the Lone Pine Awards ceremony on Wednesday, April 3, 2019. Needham is honored and grateful to have been nominated and selected for the Passion and Commitment Award. “I learned about passion and commitment from both of my parents, and I gained a strong work ethic from my dad. I have found it easy to be passionate about and committed to my work at Dartmouth because of my amazing colleagues at the Rockefeller Center and across campus,” says Needham. She enjoys having the opportunity to meet distinguished speakers through her role working with Rocky’s Public Programs. Needham shares that her favorite part of her job is the constant learning and growth she experiences.

Needham makes visitors to the Rockefeller Center feel welcomed and engaged. She strives to give the entire Dartmouth community a great experience every time they come through the doors at the Rockefeller Center. Since joining the Rocky staff team in 2011, Needham has left an impact on many students, staff, and faculty because of her strong passion for the mission of the Rockefeller Center.  Dartmouth College and the Rockefeller Center would like to congratulate and recognize Needham for her outstanding contributions to the campus community.