ALUMNAE AWARDS

FARAH JASMINE GRIFFIN ’81

Award for Lifetime Achievement

The Award for Lifetime Achievement was established in 1991. It is given to an alumna who has either demonstrated a lifelong dedication and commitment to helping empower those who have struggled with challenges and societal barriers or who has had a significant impact on an institution or community.

Dr. Farah Jasmine Griffin ’81 is a celebrated academic who has literally written the book on the African American experience through the lens of art and music. She is the author or editor of eight books including Who Set You Flowin?: The African American Migration Narrative (Oxford, 1995), If You Can’t Be Free, Be a Mystery: In Search of Billie Holiday (Free Press, 2001) and Harlem Nocturne: Women Artists and Progressive Politics During World War II (Basic Books, 2013). Farah received her B.A. from Harvard and her Ph.D. in American Studies from Yale and is now Chair of the African American and African Diaspora Studies Department at Columbia University, where she also serves as the William B. Ransford Professor of English and Comparative Literature. In addition to academic writing on the arts, Farah has contributed through collaboration on various endeavors, most recently as a consulting producer on the A+E Studios and ITV Studios America forthcoming adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, which will explore the African American community and vibrant music scene of the 1920s in New York City. Past credits include working with composer and pianist Geri Allen and director and actor S. Epatha Merkerson on two theatrical projects: “Geri Allen and Friends Celebrate the Great Jazz Women of the Apollo,” with Lizz Wright, Dianne Reeves, Teri Lyne Carrington and others, which premiered on the main stage of the Apollo Theater in May 2013 and “A Conversation with Mary Lou” featuring vocalist Carmen Lundy, which premiered at Harlem Stage in March 2014 and was performed at The John F. Kennedy Center in May 2016. Her forthcoming book, Read Until You Understand: The Profound Wisdom of Black Life and Literature will be published by W.W. Norton in September 2021.

Farah is an active community volunteer focused on issues of education, poverty and gender equity especially as they impact women and children. She currently sits on the board of The Brotherhood/Sister Sol, an organization that provides comprehensive, holistic and long-term support services to youth in Central Harlem.

In April 2021 Farah was awarded a prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship in the General Nonfiction category. No stranger to accolades, Farah also received the Baldwin Distinguished Young Alumna Award in 1996 and is a 125th Circle of Achievement winner. She has also given back to Baldwin as a founding member of the National Board of Advisors (NBA) and through her willingness to return to campus to speak to current students.

BINNEY CONNELL WIETLISBACH ’81

The Alumnae Award

The Alumnae Award was established in 1967 to honor Rosamond Cross on her 25th anniversary as Head of School. It is given annually to an alumna who has distinguished herself in her field of endeavor and whose life reflects a dedication to the principles of The Baldwin School.

Binney Connell Wietlisbach ’81 has worked in the financial services industry since 1985. Binney, who is known as “Missy” to her classmates, is the President of The Haverford Trust Company and has been with that wealth management firm since 1992. She is a member of Haverford Trust’s Executive Committee, a voting member of the Investment Selection Committee and a member of their Board of Directors.

Working her way up from an entry-level position in a traditionally male-dominated industry, Binney has been a dedicated champion of financial literacy for women. In 2008, she helped establish the Haverford Speaker Series for Women, a platform for women to learn, network and share ideas related to finances, investing and more, which has reached more than 3,500 women since its inception and continues to grow. In addition to taking a more active role in their personal financial lives, Binney has served as a mentor and advocate for young women launching careers in the financial industry, through speaking engagements and media interviews.

The Baldwin alumna and Penn State graduate has been recognized as one of Barron’s “Top 100 Female Financial Advisors” in the country and a Barron’s “Top 1,200 Financial Advisor.” Binney deploys her skills and talents to support the children of the greater Philadelphia area as a Director at The Caroline Alexander Buck Foundation, which provides educational opportunities and support for children from the greater Philadelphia area from preschool through high school, and as a Director of the Mindfulness Through Movement in-school nonprofit yoga program. On a more macro level, Binney strives to improve the quality of life in the Philadelphia region as a Trustee of The Connelly Foundation, which provides grants to charitable organizations in the areas of education, human services, culture and civic life. The Baldwin community has been a beneficiary of her expertise as well, as Binney has served as a member of the NBA, the Finance Committee and has volunteered her time to speak with several student groups.

ANJELIKA PARANJPE TEMPLE ’01

The Distinguished Young Alumna Award

The Distinguished Young Alumna Award was established in 1991. It is given to an alumna who has graduated within the last 25 years and has made significant contributions in her profession, avocation or volunteer services.

Anjelika Paranjpe Temple ’01 received her B.A. at Middlebury College and was subsequently awarded three post-graduate fellowships in fine arts. She spent one year as an artist-in-residence at the Vermont Studio Center followed by 10 months traveling abroad to work on a series of commissioned works. She then moved to New York and worked in the creative department of Lowe/ Deutsch, then went on to work at art-meets-tech startup 20x200.

Anjelika is Co-founder and former Chief Creative Officer of Brit + Co, a media company whose mission is to encourage women to unlock their creativity, find their unique path and take action in every aspect of their lives. In the fall of 2020, Anjelika and her Brit + Co cofounder launched Selfmade, a 10-week virtual startup school for women business founders.

Anjelika stepped back from Brit + Co in December 2020 and is serving as an advisor to women-owned startups and is a contributing writer to Represent Collaborative, a storytelling collaborative that covers issues of racial and social justice. Anjelika has appeared as a guest judge on the HBOMax crafting competition show Craftopia and is also a sought-after public speaker, encouraging young women to discover and further their own creativity. Anjelika was an active and engaged student during her time at Baldwin and served as Class Secretary.