Since 1990, the Harvard Alumni Association (HAA) has recognized alumni for outstanding service to the University through leadership and engagement activities. Formerly known as the HAA Award, in 2025 the distinction was renamed the John P. Reardon Jr. Alumni Award in honor of Jack Reardon’s deep commitment to Harvard and its alumni community—and was endowed through a generous gift from Paul AB ’75, MBA ’82 and Mary Finnegan. Reardon AB ’60 passed away in June 2026 after six decades of service to Harvard, including as executive director of the HAA.
The HAA has announced six recipients of the 2026 John P. Reardon Jr. Alumni Award: Geraldine Acuña-Sunshine AB ’92, MPP ’96; Eryn Ament Bingle AB ’95; Robert S. Blacklow AB ’55, MD ’59; Robert George Manson MPA ’04; Allyson Mendenhall AB ’90, MLA ’99; and Steven Schaumberger MBA ’88.
Geraldine Acuña-Sunshine AB ’92, MPP ’96
Geraldine Acuña-Sunshine of Boston, Massachusetts, and Manila, Philippines, has contributed leadership to Harvard for many years. She has served the University in multiple roles, including as the first Filipina elected to the Board of Overseers and its vice chair for 2023–24.
A longtime champion of Harvard College and Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), Acuña-Sunshine has increased alumni participation and financial support as co-chair of the Harvard College Fund and HKS Fund executive committees. She continues to serve on the HCF Women’s Philanthropy Initiative and advisory boards to the deans of HKS, Harvard Medical School, Harvard Graduate School of Education, and the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
Passionate about the alumni community, she is a past president of the Harvard Club of the Philippines, has co-chaired several College reunions, and served on the HAA board and Nominating Committee.
A social entrepreneur focused on education, Acuña-Sunshine is President and CEO of Khan Academy Philippines, the first international licensee of Khan Academy. Under her leadership and in partnership with the Philippine Department of Education, it has reached more than 3.2 million learners, supported over 3,200 schools, and trained more than 24,000 teachers nationwide.
Eryn Ament Bingle AB ’95
Eryn Ament Bingle of Riverside, Connecticut, is the exemplar of an engaged alum whose joyful, inclusive, and collaborative Crimson spirit unites fellow alumni and bolsters support for future generations of students.
Bingle has served as reunion co-chair for her Class of 1995 since 2005. When the pandemic made it impossible to host their 25th Reunion on campus, she rallied to organize meaningful virtual events to celebrate the milestone. When restrictions were lifted, she led the planning of their make-up “27th” reunion, held on campus during Harvard-Yale weekend two years later.
A longtime supporter of the Harvard College Fund (HCF), Bingle has served on its executive committee since 2005, notably as co-chair from 2018–21. Bingle’s leadership at Harvard is broad and includes the HAA board, HCF Women’s Philanthropy Initiative, Phillips Brooks House Association (PBHA) National Advisory Board for Public Service, and Radcliffe Dean’s Advisory Council. Bingle is the first woman to chair the New York Major Gifts Committee.
Professionally, Bingle is CFO of Free and Fair Litigation Group, a nonprofit law firm that leads constitutional cases designed to slow the spread of authoritarianism in the U.S.
Robert S. Blacklow AB ’55, MD ’59
Robert S. Blacklow of Lincoln, Massachusetts, has left an enduring mark on Harvard as a proud member of the Class of 1955 and a steadfast volunteer who serves with energy, warmth, humor, and a deep affection for his alma mater.
Blacklow has worn many different volunteer hats with distinction, including Class of 1955 secretary and reunion chair, Harvard College Fund volunteer, member of the HMS reunion planning and gift committees, member of the Committee for the Happy Observance of Commencement, and member of the PBHA board.
As a College director on the HAA board and in numerous reunion roles, he has honored Harvard and Radcliffe histories and embraced the experiences of older generations, creatively using technology to include classmates unable to travel to campus. Blacklow serves on the planning committee for the Crimson Society, an annual program for post-50th Reunion alumni who are not in a reunion year.
A retired senior lecturer in global health and social medicine at HMS and president and dean emeritus of Northeast Ohio Medical University, Blacklow has inspired generations of students through his lifelong commitment to medicine and access to care.
Robert George Manson MPA ’04
Robert George Manson of Dublin, Ireland, embodies the spirit of “One Harvard,” connecting alumni across the University and around the world through his unwavering enthusiasm, leadership, and commitment to public service.
A longtime member and past president of the Harvard Club of Ireland, he established a fellowship that sends nonprofit leaders in Ireland to executive education programs at Harvard Business School and co-founded an outreach program to encourage students to apply to HKS.
During the pandemic, Manson drove collaboration between the Harvard Clubs of Ireland and Boston, developing a range of engaging remote programming, including the Harvard Alumni Allyship Series with Matt Hegarty. In 2022 he received the HAA Clubs & SIGs Outstanding Volunteer Award and HKS’s Julius E. Babbitt Memorial Volunteer Award. An avid marathoner, he and David Lieberman were vital partners in launching Harvard Moves, a global initiative focused on getting alumni moving with their local community
Manson previously served as an HAA regional director for Europe and member-at-large on the HAA executive committee. He continues to serve on the HKS Alumni Board Executive Committee and remains on the Board of the Harvard Alumni Disability Alliance Shared Interest Group (SIG), which he co-founded with the late Brooke Ellison.
Allyson Mendenhall AB ’90, MLA ’99
Allyson Mendenhall of Denver, Colorado, is an impactful leader who brings a broad, University-wide perspective to her leadership and has worked tirelessly to build community and ensure alumni voices are heard at Harvard.
A champion of the Graduate School of Design (GSD) alumni community for years, Mendenhall has held numerous volunteer roles—including chair of the GSD Alumni Council, member of the GSD Dean’s Leadership Council, and Graduate School director on the HAA board—helping to shape institutional initiatives and advance the School’s visibility within and beyond Harvard.
Her thoughtful and collaborative leadership led her to become the first GSD alum to serve as HAA board president in 2022–23. In this role, guided by her theme “Community by Design,” she strengthened alumni connections across all Harvard Schools, fostered global engagement, steered community-building initiatives, and further amplified the GSD in the wider alumni network.
In 2022, Mendenhall received the Harvard GSD Alumni Award, which recognizes the leadership and impact of GSD alumni within their communities and across their areas of practice.
Mendenhall is chief practice resources officer at Sasaki, a multidisciplinary design firm.
Steven Schaumberger MBA ’88
Steven Schaumberger of Chicago, Illinois, has made outstanding contributions to the Harvard alumni community through intentional, hands-on leadership marked by a strong commitment to intellectual vitality and alumni engagement.
Over the last 13 years, Schaumberger has played a central role in bringing together Harvard alumni across the Chicago area by organizing hundreds of events that foster connection and lifelong learning as the programming chair for the Harvard Business School Club of Chicago (HBSCC) and the Harvard Club of Chicago (HCC). He has shepherded hundreds of programs featuring Harvard professors, best-selling authors, journalists, public officials, and a range of other distinguished speakers and guests. In addition to orchestrating these, Schaumberger has often served as host and interviewer.
In all of his leadership roles—including as the longest-serving president of the HBSCC from 2015 to 2018 and a board member of the HCC—he has consistently embodied the core principles of collaboration, cooperation, and collegiality, navigating diverse perspectives with grace and understanding.
Schaumberger is past managing director of NFP Insurance Solutions and current director at the life insurance brokerage firm Winged Keel Group.
To submit a nomination for the 2028 John P. Reardon Jr. Alumni Award, complete the online form by June 30, 2027. Nominations received after the deadline will be considered for the following year.