At Reunion 2026, the Alumnae/i Association Executive Board (AAEB) honored five alumnae/i for their career achievements and service to Simmons and the larger community. Here is a glimpse of these amazing alumnae/i and what Simmons means to them.
Florence “Peggy” (Adelson) Saslow ’44 P’73 P’76 Alumnae/i Service Award
Sandra Lief Garrett ’67
Garrett, a political science major at Simmons, retired from her public service and not-for-profit executive career in 2008. She served on the AAEB from 2017 to 2020 and was president of the Class of 1967 for the past four years. During her tenure, the class established the Class of 1967 Endowed Scholarship, which supports first-generation students at Simmons.
In her acceptance speech, Garrett reflected on how Simmons’ mission and vision align with her own values.
“I have devoted my career to improving people’s lives through public service,” said Garrett, who noted that the “educational building blocks” she experienced in city government were provided by Simmons, including through an internship with a state legislator, a junior year in the Washington Semester Program in Washington, DC, and an internship on Capitol Hill.
“If your experience at Simmons and the friendships you found there were meaningful to you, I encourage you to continue your involvement as active alums,” she said. “May Simmons continue to thrive and provide an outstanding education to future generations of women who will go out and make a difference in the world.”
Florence “Peggy” (Adelson) Saslow ’44, P’73, P’76 Alumnae/i Service Award
Elaine Zetes ’71
After graduating from Simmons with a degree in art history and English, Elaine Zetes ’71 began her career as a photo researcher at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Proximity to 300 The Fenway facilitated her start as a lifelong active alum.
After her years at the MFA, Zetes spent 36 years at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, retiring as Corporate Secretary and Chief of Staff to the President. And she did use her art history degree; at one point in her career, she managed the Bank’s extensive 20th-century art collection.
Zetes has served on the Alumnae Association Executive Board, the 125th Anniversary Campaign Committee, as Class Agent, Co-Secretary, VP, and President, and as Reunion Chair/Co-Chair for multiple Reunions, including this year. She was instrumental in raising funds for the Class of 1971 Endowed Scholarship.
“We are proud Simmons women and grateful for the opportunity our education has afforded us,” Zetes said. “The Simmons experience was transformational, giving us the skills to succeed with the added bonus of lifelong friendship. The Class of 1971 scholarship fund is our legacy to give that experience to future students.”
Community Service Award
Betty Boyle-Duke ’95, ’99MSN
Betty Boyle-Duke has served as a pediatric primary care nurse practitioner for over 25 years, but her other vocation is community service.
She has held leadership positions in the Black Nurses Association and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., where she led public service initiatives. As board chair of the Brooklyn YWCA in New York, she created a community service initiative that culminates in an annual event (now in its fourth year) to care for and honor marginalized and low-income women.
“This award reminds me that our greatest impact often comes in service to others,” said Boyle-Duke in her acceptance speech. “What Simmons gave me was more than an education; it was a blueprint for service, leadership, and community engagement.”
Boyle-Duke shared how service has guided her life and career during and after her time at Simmons, especially in her work to address health disparities affecting Black communities and other marginalized populations.
“If we know these disparities exist, what are we going to do about them? For me, the answer has always been action," she said. "This award recognizes not only what has been accomplished, but the values that Simmons instilled in me many years ago, that, through service and advocacy, all of us have the ability to make a difference."
Recent Alumnae/i Achievement Award
Sandy Fonseca-Lopes ’15
This award honors an alumna from the past 10 years who has made outstanding contributions to Simmons. Sandy Fonseca-Lopes ’15, a neuroscience and behavior major, was active in the Black Student Organization, Student Government Association, and Residence Life, and volunteered with City Year to support public school students. Fonseca-Lopes received the Class of 2015 Leadership Award and, as an alumna, has helped organize the Black Alumnae/i Symposium and supported Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.
Although she was unable to attend the Reunion, Fonseca-Lopes’ award was accepted on her behalf by her friend, Daphne Remy Gomes, who read a prepared statement.
“When I arrived at Simmons, I was a young woman with big dreams, but still figuring out how I fit, still finding out how to use my voice,” she said. “At Simmons, I learned that my voice has power, my presence has purpose, and leadership isn’t something you wait to be given, but something you step into … Simmons taught me that I did not need to shrink to belong, and that lesson has shaped every room I've entered since.”
Throughout her career, Fonseca-Lopes has focused on supporting young people by showing up “again and again with compassion, consistency and care. Even the smallest amount of care can change the trajectory of someone’s life.”
Lifetime Achievement Award
Enna Jimenez ’91, ’06EE, HT
Enna Jimenez, a double major in computer science and Spanish, has excelled in senior leadership roles in technology and management over the past 35 years. Her work has been recognized in Boston and nationally, including by a Leadership and Excellence citation from then-Governor of Massachusetts Charlie Baker in 2019.
Jimenez has devoted her time and talent to Simmons, as a past president of the AAEB and the Board of Trustees. Last year, she chaired the committee for Simmons’ 125th anniversary Reunion celebration.
In her speech, Jimenez shared that as a commuter student at Simmons, her parents “would drive me here early in the morning and pick me up late at night. They never complained; they just showed up. That’s the kind of love that carries you through everything.”
Jimenez recognized a few of the individuals at Simmons who changed the course of her life. Professor Margaret Menzin “challenged me in ways that stretched my mind and sharpened my confidence.” She described the late Dean Betty Rawlins as “a woman of grace, integrity, and genuine investment in her students; I carry her with me.”
“I have always made a point to come back to Simmons … Everything Simmons planted in me is still growing,” Jimenez said. “The work is not done, the mission is not finished, and as long as I have something to give, I will give it to support Simmons and the women who built it.”
To find your local Simmons community, reach out to the Simmons University Alumnae/i Association and learn how to get involved. Direct any questions to [email protected].