This is another in a series of updates intended to keep you informed about the work of the Presidential Search Committee. The search is progressing well and on schedule.

The committee members met recently to discuss our progress and to initiate the systematic review of applications. This initial review, the first of several stages in the candidate vetting process, will continue throughout the spring.

The multi-faceted process of building a strong and diverse pool of well-qualified candidates is ongoing. We ask once more for your help in identifying promising prospects or people who might be able to suggest such prospects. Please reach out to our consulting team, Jim Sirianni (j.sirianni@storbecksearch.com), Ruth Shoemaker Wood (r.wood@storbecksearch.com), and Julie Williams-Krishnan (juliewk@storbecksearch.com) of Storbeck Search, with names and contact information related to any potential candidates. The nominations and suggestions that we receive from those closest to the Salem community may be among the most meaningful in the process of candidate generation.

The committee members will meet again early next month to begin reducing the pool of applicants to a smaller group for further review and evaluation.

The search prospectus continues to be available for your review.

On behalf of the search committee, I will share additional periodic updates with you throughout the process. Please feel free to reach me with any questions. Thank you for your support.

The Office of Alumnae Engagement has put together a month-long slate of virtual events to help you get your Salem fix! Open to all classes, with special recognition of 0s, 1s, 5s, and 6s, join your friends in live sessions or watch later at your convenience. From a wine & design event with John Hutton, to an alumnae panel, to the Annual Meeting of the Alumnae Association, a full events schedule will be released soon.

In recognition of Women’s History Month, this column celebrates the history of innovation in education at Salem Academy and College. Our story has its beginnings in the Moravian dedication to education and the community’s belief that girls deserved an education as much as boys did. Salem has a long tradition of leadership in the education of girls and women. This legacy has been fostered by strong women from its first teacher, Elisabeth Oesterlein, to the women of today.

In the 18th century, Elisabeth Oesterlein joined a group of Moravian girls and young women who journeyed from Pennsylvania to Wachovia to serve a higher purpose according to their beliefs. At the age of 22, Oesterlein taught her first class in Salem’s Gemein Haus where Main Hall now stands. This school grew into the institution of Salem Academy and College today.

Over the centuries, Salem has led the way forward in girls’ and women’s education. In the 17th century, former students such as Martha Miksch returned as teachers. In the 1800s, the school formally trained young women to be teachers. Students such as Emma Lehman, who began teaching at Salem in 1864, became leaders in their fields. In the 1880s, Salem Female Academy, as it was known then, took the bold step of offering courses for women who would prefer to make their own living in the office rather than the schoolroom. Thus, Salem offered classes in bookkeeping, commercial law, telegraphy, and typing.

This tradition of strong female leadership continued in the 20th century, when Julianne Still Thrift became the first woman to serve as president. The tradition of innovation continued with the creation of an adult learning program that has become the Martha H. Fleer Center for Adult Education.

Now in the 21st century, as the College forges a new path in health leadership and as the Academy creates new opportunities for students, Salem Academy and College continues in the tradition of those first women and girls who charted their path from Pennsylvania to a new life in North Carolina.

Ashley Tomlin joined the Salem team in December 2020 as director of alumnae engagement for both Salem Academy and Salem College. For Ashley, as a graduate of Salem College, taking the job was an exciting chance to return to a place she loves.

“It feels as though I have come full circle,” Ashley said. “I was really involved when I was an undergrad at Salem College. I was an athlete, helped at orientation, and was involved with many other activities. I really loved my time at Salem College, and I am really passionate about women’s empowerment through education. I feel so lucky to have a job that combines these two passions. I am thrilled to work at a place I love so much and that means so much to me.”

Ashley majored in history at Salem and graduated in 2005. “I met the very best people at Salem, and they are still very much in my life today. There is something so special about Salem. One can get a world-class education and connect with faculty members who care deeply about your education, your goals and what you see for your future.”

She went on to get a master’s degree in higher education administration at Georgia Southern University. She worked for eight years as director of student activities and new student orientation at Wesleyan College. But when her partner got a chance to take a great job back in the Triad, Ashley returned to Salem.

In her current position, Ashley does a lot of different things including working with both the Academy and College Alumnae Boards, helping plan reunions, and assisting with the day-to-day operations for the Office of Alumnae Engagement.

While she is delighted to be working for Salem College, a place that changed her life for the better, she is equally happy to be working for Salem Academy. Before the COVID-19 pandemic shut things down and before she took her current position, Ashley was a contract employee for the Academy helping plan reunion weekend. “Although I only worked at the Academy for about a month and a half, I realized immediately what a special and unique place it is,” she said. “The academics as well as the focus on leadership and civic engagement are really incredible. I was so impressed with the students and faculty at the Academy, and I am so happy I get to work with this amazing place.”

Salem Voices: A Conversation with Salem Alumnae posts on the first and third Tuesdays of every month at 12:30 p.m. The most recent episode was released on March 16 and featured Cynthia (Cindy) Lovin McArthur, C’75. Cindy’s wide-ranging conversation with Lucy Rose, C’76, Vice Chair of the Salem Academy and College Board of Trustees is available at Salem Voices.

Cindy is the Deputy Director of the External Relations Office at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Johnson Space Center has served as the hub of human spaceflight activity for more than half a century. It is home to the nation’s astronaut corps, the Mission Control Center, the International Space Station Program mission operations, the Orion Program, and a host of future space developments to enhance scientific and technological knowledge to benefit all of humankind.

As Deputy Director, Cindy shares the human spaceflight story by leading, integrating, and amplifying the work of a Johnson Space Center team of civil servants and contractors in the areas of employee communications, digital media, public affairs, public engagement, STEM engagement, legislative affairs, exhibits, and university collaboration.