Mrs. Stautberg’s first career was in television, with Westinghouse/Group W, where she became one of the youngest White House correspondents, the first woman to head a Washington, D.C. TV bureau, and the first journalist to be chosen a White House Fellow. In that position, she became the first female to work at the National Security Council and was a special assistant to Vice President Rockefeller and staff assistant to Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.

Known for her energy, Mrs. Stautberg has often pursued more than one career at once. While employed as Director of Communications for Touche Ross, she founded MasterMedia Ltd, a publisher and speakers’ bureau. Having herself served on numerous boards, she also founded On Board Bootcamp, which provides an insider’s guide on how to be selected to be a corporate, private company, or advisory board director. She is the President of PartnerCom Corporation, which assembles and manages advisory boards and conducts executive searches for corporations and CEOs. She has been an adjunct professor, a public speaker, and written five books and numerous feature articles.

For her many years of achievement, and particularly for her work in mentoring and promoting women, we are pleased to recognize Susan Schiffer Stautberg as a Distinguished Alumna of The Shipley School.

Acceptance Speech

Good day,

I’m very honored to be here representing the class of 1963 and thanks for the honor.

Shipley was very inspiring to us, particularly our credo, “Courage for the deed, and grace in doing.”

Courage has many definitions, including boldness, adventuress, and audacity. Actually, I never thought I would be standing here today because of my bravura of setting off firecrackers all over campus, disrupting quiet day. Suspended, spending countless Saturdays writing on a blackboard, “I will not disrupt Shipley”—I learned to listen.

As Winston Churchill said “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak. Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” It includes a willingness to change as a result of what is said. Listening helps you to connect people to one another, to resources, and to other organizations.

Deed has many definitions, including achievement, crusade, and big idea.

At this school, I began to learn that, as David Bornstein wrote, in How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas: “An idea is like a play. It needs a good producer and a good (promoter even if it is a masterpiece.) Otherwise the play may never open; or it may open but, for lack of audience, close after a week. Similarly, an idea will not move from the fringes to the mainstream simply because it is good, it must be skillfully marketed before it will actually shift people’s perception and behavior.”

Grace also has many definitions, including charm, breeding, pose, dignity, and manners. The real essence of grace is not only an outward appearance but the sensibility and ability to make others feel at ease.

Grace is important not only in our day-to-day lives but in the world we interact with at large. We live in an interconnected globe and need to be able to interact and build trust. After I was accepted back, Shipley gave me the opportunity to represent the School on an international summer exchange program, which opened my eyes to the world.

As global citizens, it’s a necessity to tap the diversity that exists across cultures, geographies, borders, and time zones. Connect with the best people and creativity from anywhere and everywhere.

None of us are born with grace; it’s something we learn from role models such as many of my teachers at Shipley. But grace is the thing that can set us apart from no matter what career we choose. For instance, when I was (competing for the opportunity) to be a special Assistant to Vice President Rockefeller, he chose me, knowing that I could represent him with tact and style because both his wives attended Shipley.

Doing has many definitions, including achievement, execution, and exploit. I began to learn about the differences between a good and bad leader playing hockey at the Farm and in history class.

A leader must have good character and be inspiring. A leader should have energy, intelligence, and integrity. As Watergate and Enron showed us, the first two qualities, energy and intelligence can be dangerous without the third quality, integrity. You want to know that if you need to be in a foxhole that the person with you has a good character, that they have a true north.

Former cabinet Secretary and University President Donna Shalela says, “Leaders aren’t judged by college degrees, but by character. They aren’t judged by what they earn, but by what they contribute. And they aren’t judged by who they know, but by who they are.”

In conclusion, that magical word in an assembly, I want to thank the person who sent me to Shipley, and attended the school herself, my mother: Margaret Berwind Schiffer.

Many of you have a brilliant, handsome, or beautiful parent. You can either shrink, saying "I can never be like them," or you can go out and design your own destiny. Life isn’t about finding yourself, it’s about (creating yourself.) My mother always encouraged me.

So thank you, Mother, for having so much grace, and inspiring me to follow my dreams. And thank you, Shipley, for preparing me for this award today.

On behalf of the class of raspberry and blue room blue, we hope that none of you Shipley students, faculty, and parents—will ever underimagine your futures.

Good luck and God speed.