Sarah Belanger Earley ’71 Receives 2016 Distinguished Alumna Award

June 6, 2016 (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 Sarah Belanger Earley ’71 of San Francisco and Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. The award was announced Saturday, June 4, at the Reunion Banquet held on campus.

Earley graduated from Saint Mary’s in 1971 with a bachelor of arts in business administration. In her 45 years as an alumna, Earley has generously shared her business acumen, her leadership abilities, and her philanthropic nature with Saint Mary’s College and other organizations that are dear to her.

In her nomination of Earley, former Board of Trustees member Debbie Johnson Schwiebert ’74 wrote, “Sarah’s life has been an example of what all Saint Mary’s women strive to do: use our God-given gifts to make a difference in the world. Sarah has used her time, talent, and treasure repeatedly to make a difference in the lives of Saint Mary’s students, alumnae, and leadership.”

In 1998 Earley joined the Alumnae Association Board of Directors, where she served for four years before assuming the presidency in 2002. Her natural leadership continued to unfold in 2003 as she served on the Presidential Search Committee that brought President Emerita Carol Ann Mooney ’72 to Saint Mary’s College. The next year Earley was invited and unanimously approved to serve on the Board of Trustees, where she would continue her dedicated service for a decade.

When Saint Mary’s embarked upon the largest capital campaign in its history, Faith Always, Action Now, Earley once again unselfishly stepped forward to promote and advance the College as a tri-chair of the Campaign Steering Committee. In this capacity she worked tirelessly as a champion for Saint Mary’s highest needs and priorities, even initiating, with her husband Tony, a $1 million challenge match to help raise funds for the Angela Athletic & Wellness Complex, now under construction.

Her determination and time commitments have not been exclusive to Saint Mary’s. She is also deeply invested in her local communities. In 2004 she became founder and president of the Belle Isle Women’s Committee, a group dedicated to the restoration and preservation of Detroit’s Belle Isle. She currently serves as Chair of the Board of the Belle Isle Conservancy and serves on the boards of the City Parks Alliance, the American Conservatory Theater, and the San Francisco Botanical Garden.

Earley has received numerous honors and recognitions, including the 2008 Detroiter of the Year by Hour Detroit magazine, the Jeffery W. Barry Award for Educational Excellence and Community Service from Walsh College, and the Saint Mary’s College President’s Medal in 2014.

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.