Circle of Excellence 2024

On Thursday, May 2, 2024, Kate Kernan Doerge ’92 and Matt Reynolds ’82 received Tabor’s Circle of Excellence award, the highest honor the School by the Sea offers. This award celebrates members of the extended community for their contributions to Tabor and the world, and acknowledges those who personify Tabor’s mission to connect, serve, and lead. This year, the awards were presented in front of the entire school for the very first time, allowing students and faculty to learn about these impressive alumni and ask them questions.

As Principal of Kate Doerge Consulting, Kate is a proven business leader, brand strategist, and trusted advisor, relentlessly driving organizational transformation and delivering impactful results.

Kate and her husband Chad also established Penny’s Flight Foundation, a nonprofit launched in celebration of the life of their daughter, Penny. Through Penny’s story, they aim to bring awareness to and make medical advancements for Neurofibromatosis (NF), while also inspiring others to find positivity in the face of adversity.

Matt Reynolds is the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Representative of the UN Refugee Agency to the United States of America and the Caribbean. His distinguished career includes over 35 years in government service, humanitarian response, oversight, and management. Additionally, he is a Senior Congressional Fellow with the Stennis Center for Public Service, and a trustee of International College in Beirut, Lebanon.

The awardees clearly resonated with students as their words and inspiring stories were mentioned in multiple student speeches at Commencement this year!

To learn more about the Circle of Excellence or to nominate someone, please visit taboracademy.org/coe. The next Circle of Excellence awards ceremony will be held in 2026.