The winners of this year’s Judy Lord Awards are Betsy Durning, Tarsia Duff, the late Megan Salladino, and Cheryl Sharp. 

The award honors the memory of Music and Dance Department Administrative Coordinator Judy Lord. Always an advocate for crossing boundaries, building and strengthening community, and fostering diversity, Lord was active in several groups, such as the Cooper Foundation Committee, Staff Advisory Council, and Women in Sync, and she supported the Chester Children’s Chorus from the very beginning. 

The Judy Lord Endowment was established in 2004 by anonymous donors who are friends of the College. The endowment memorializes Lord’s enthusiasm and community spirit and is a reward for hard work and contributions to Swarthmore College life. Earnings from the Judy Lord Endowment are awarded to academic departmental administrative assistants with tenure of 10 or more years at the College.

Here’s what this year’s Judy Lord Award winners and their colleagues had to say:

Psychology Administrative Coordinator Betsy Durning: “I was thrilled to get the Judy Lord Award, and I am so excited to visit my second cousins in Ireland. I met their grandfathers (my great uncles) when I was young, as they came to visit my grandmother. I look forward to seeing the farm where they grew up and sharing stories of the past.”

Psychology Department Chair Dan Grodner: “Betsy has been a valued part of the fabric of the College for many years. It's gratifying to see her honored for her many years of dedicated service.”

Linguistics Administrative Assistant II Tarsia Duff: “It is an honor to accept the Judy Lord Award, which acknowledges my hard work and contribution to the life of the College. I plan to use this award to go to Greece, experience my heritage, and reconnect with my distant family and friends. I will learn more about my father's childhood and what obstacles he had to face to come to America. There are challenges one faces in life every day, but it is the way you choose to handle them that allows you to accept what life has to offer.”

Linguistics Department Chair Emily Gasser ’07: “Tarsia is indispensable to the Linguistics Department. She works so hard to make the department run smoothly and to make all our students feel welcome here. We're absolutely thrilled to see her honored with this award.”

Administrative Coordinator for Interdisciplinary Programs Cheryl Sharp: "I am truly honored to receive this recognition and appreciate the Judy Lord Award's acknowledgment of the vital contributions administrative support makes to the College."

Associate Professor of Economics and Environmental Studies Jennifer Peck ’06: “Cheryl's position is unique in that she supports many different interdisciplinary programs and departments, all with different needs. She manages this extremely diverse array of tasks with a calm, cheerful efficiency that makes it a delight to work with her.”

Associate Professor of Political Science and Latin American and Latinx Studies Sam Handlin ’00: “Cheryl is an invaluable colleague. Her professionalism, ability to juggle responsibilities across many different programs, and many other talents have been essential to the growth and vitality of interdisciplinary programs at Swarthmore."

Associate Professor of Modern Languages & Literatures and Global Studies Carina Yervasi: “There are so many reasons that Cheryl is the ideal recipient of the Judy Lord Award. These six words come immediately to mind when I think of Cheryl and what a positive experience it is to work with her: responsive, kind, super-efficient, thorough, present, and friendly."

Subsequent to receiving the Judy Lord Award honor, Economics Administrative Assistant Megan Salladino died on Feb. 1, 2025. Her supervisor, Economics Department Chair Amanda Bayer: “We are heartbroken. Megan kept our department running efficiently, which is high praise coming from an economist. With her attentiveness, thoughtfulness, and great sense of humor, she created community among faculty, staff, and students.”