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Press Releases

Simmons College President Helen Drinan Receives Legacy Award

BOSTON (Oct. 22, 2008) — Simmons College President Helen Drinan, a respected leader in the Boston health care and business industries, has been awarded the 2008 Legacy Award by Boston Women Communicators (BWC). The award recognizes Drinan's achievements and commitment to professionalism in communication, the advancement of women's careers, and her efforts to ensure gender equity in the workplace.

Drinan will be honored at BWC's 14th Annual Legacy Award celebration Oct. 27, at the French Library & Cultural Center at 43 Marlborough St. in Boston' Back Bay.

Drinan became president of Simmons College in July 2008, after serving as a member of the Simmons College Board of Trustees since 2003, and board chair since 2007. She is an alumna of two Simmons graduate programs: the Simmons School of Management and the Simmons Graduate School of Library and Information Science.

Drinan previously worked for nearly two decades at BankBoston Corporation and for several years as senior vice president of Caritas Christi Health Care System, the second largest health care system in New England. While at Caritas, she was recognized for cultivating a culture focused on inclusion and respect.

Additionally, she has served on the board of directors of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts since 1995, and was president of the Society for Human Resource Management, the world's largest professional association devoted to human resource management, from 2000 to 2002.

BWC is dedicated to supporting women in communications and helping them to advance their careers by working to ensure equal opportunities in the industry, encouraging professional development, and recognizing achievements of outstanding women communicators.

Simmons College is a pioneering, nationally ranked university in Boston with nearly 2,100 undergraduate students and 2,600 graduate students. Founded in 1899 as the first women's college in the nation to combine liberal arts with career preparation. Simmons today has an undergraduate college for women, and graduate programs for women and men in social work, management, health sciences, library and information science, and liberal arts.

If you would like to view photos from the event, click here.