About the Award
Established in 1993 on the occasion of the college’s 200th anniversary, Bicentennial Medals honor members of the Williams community for distinguished achievement in any field of endeavor. The college awarded 23 Bicentennial Medals in 1993 and has added five to seven awardees in each year since.
The Bicentennial Medals recognize alumni for “significant achievement in any field of endeavor.” We hope that seniors will find the recipients’ career paths and their accomplishments inspiring as they begin to think of life after college.
This Year’s Medalists
- William R. Moomaw ’59
Moomaw is a global thought leader on climate change and a lead author of the intergovernmental panel reports on this planetary threat that shared a Nobel Peace Prize. He will deliver the Convocation Address. - John Sayles ’72 and Maggie Renzi ’73
Pioneers of independent film, Maggie Renzi, producer, and John Sayles, screenwriter and director, have been making challenging movies together for over thirty years. - Michael S. Weiner ’83
Executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, Weiner is a pivotal figure in collective bargaining and is highly respected by players, agents, and executives. - Douglas H. Shulman ’89
Former IRS commissioner, who led technology innovation and breakthrough offshore tax enforcement, Shulman was also a financial industry regulator and a co-founder of Teach for America. - Mariam B. Naficy ’91
A highly successful entrepreneur and e-commerce pioneer, Naficy is now founding CEO of Minted, which sells work from emerging designers around the world.
Megamenu Social