Alumnae Association presents Distinguished Alumna Award to Susan Scherer Calandra ’72

June 5, 2017 (Notre Dame, Ind.) — The Distinguished Alumna Award, awarded annually by the Alumnae Association of Saint Mary’s College of Notre Dame, Indiana, honors a woman who exemplifies the standards, ideals, and mission of this Catholic liberal arts women’s college and who has given outstanding service through ongoing work for the Alumnae Association. The award is the association’s highest recognition. 

This year’s recipient is Susan Scherer Calandra ’72 of Foster City, California. The award was announced Saturday, June 3, at the Reunion Banquet held on campus.

According to the citation, Calandra is Senior Associate Vice President for Finance at Stanford University. In her role, she oversees accounting and reporting for the University and Treasury and Procurement functions.  She has implemented new financial systems evolved Stanford’s reporting capabilities, and established a global business support function.

Calandra joined the Saint Mary’s Board of Trustees in 2006 and concluded her service on the Board at the end of May. During her time on the Board, she served as Treasurer, chaired the Audit Committee, and was a member of the Investment Committee. In 2012, she worked alongside her fellow Investment Committee members to enter into an agreement with the University of Notre Dame, which allowed the College the ability to purchase units in the unitized Notre Dame Endowment Pool (NDEP). This investment management agreement, of which Calandra was a major proponent, has created a significant financial growth opportunity for Saint Mary’s. Today, with a current long-term investment fund value of more than $188 million, the College continues to outperform its Strategic Portfolio Benchmark despite challenging market conditions.

Calandra has given back to the College in other ways as well. She is involved with the Bay Area Alumnae Club and was a member of the Class of 1972’s Reunion Gift Campaign Committee. She is also deeply invested in her local community and is a dedicated wife and mother well known for putting her family first. She is also an active volunteer at her family’s parish serving on the Pastor’s Finance Council, as a lector, and as a Eucharistic minister.

About Saint Mary's College: Celebrating over 175 years of empowering women to make a difference in the world, Saint Mary’s College is recognized as a pioneer and continued force in the education of women. A Catholic, liberal arts institution in Notre Dame, Indiana, the College offers more than 50 undergraduate academic programs and also offers co-educational master’s degrees.