Doug Renfield-Miller FR’71 CN’01P IT’05P ES’10P has been awarded the 2019 The Stephen M. Foster ES'65 Expemplary Service Award.

Service to SYA can take many forms and we appreciate contributions made by loyal volunteers and dedicated employees alike. SYA is more relevant and better because of the contributions made by many in our community. This year’s award recipient highlights extraordinary commitment, including an enduring family legacy as his three children followed in his SYA footsteps. With him, each represents one of SYA’s primary campuses: France, China, Italy and Spain. 

Following a long career in international finance, Doug now devotes most of his time to volunteer and philanthropic activities. At SYA, his volunteer roles span decades of service. He has held leadership positions as an SYA trustee and as Chair of the SYA Fund, of which he has been a stalwart advocate and supporter for almost 40 years. He served on the 50^th anniversary honorary committee and as a class agent, and is currently a member of both The Campaign for SYA cabinet and the President’s Council. When not in a formal role, Doug always rolls up his sleeves to assist where and when he is needed.

Renfield-Miller’s thoughtful guidance and unwavering philanthropic support of SYA have helped steer the course, bolstering SYA at times when it needed it most. In addition to his ongoing commitment to annual giving, his leadership support for the purchase and renovation of Villa Alvarez, SYA France’s home, and The Campaign for SYA demonstrate his belief that SYA plays a critical role in educating future generations of empathetic and global thinkers. 

Renfield-Miller's other volunteer service includes GoodEnding, Inc., a nonprofit he founded to improve end-of-life outcomes and reduce societal costs. He also serves on the Board and volunteers at Regional Hospice and Palliative Care in Danbury, Conn., and on the Board and as Treasurer of the Green Burial Council. Renfield-Miller is a Trustee Emeritus of Connecticut College, where he majored in French and earned an M.A. in international affairs at George Washington University and an M.B.A. from Stanford University. In 2015, he was appointed an Advanced Leadership Fellow at Harvard University where he is leading an initiative for collective action promoting democracy in the 2020 election.

 

Pictured above, from left to right:
Doug Renfield-Miller FR'71 CN'01P IT'05P ES'10P; son Jamie ES'10, daughter Charlotte IT'05, wife Jean and Doug; son Carrington CN'01 with his newborn daughter and future SYAer