For 38 years, Jan Woodford’s work for the Academy happened mostly behind the scenes — coordinating reunions, connecting alumni, quietly making sure people felt welcome. In May, the spotlight was all hers.
Students, faculty, alumni, staff and trustees filled Love Gym to honor her with the 2026 Founders’ Day Award, given annually in recognition of longtime service to the Academy.
Sam Brown ’92, trustee and president of the Exeter Alumni Association, introduced Woodford by reading aloud her 13 honorary class years in rapid-fire succession — ’40, ’41, ’44, ’49, ’51, ’52, ’53, ’59, ’60, ’62, ’70, ’71, ’78 — drawing applause from the crowd.
“Your gracious management of reunion weekends,” he continued, “and other events on and off campus helped thousands of Exonians strengthen their connections with each other and with the Academy, enabling the school itself to grow stronger year after year.”
“What made Exeter special for me wasn’t just the work, it was the people.”
—Jan Woodford
Woodford arrived at Exeter in 1987, a veteran of the Air National Guard, and spent two years with the Annual Fund (now known as The Exeter Fund) before moving to Alumni Relations, where she remained a fixture for decades. She co-advised Exonians with Disabilities and spearheaded Exeter Salutes, a program started in 2019 to honor alumni who currently serve or who have served in the armed forces and connect them with current students. Upon her retirement, the Jan Woodford Alumni Reunions Fund was created in her honor — carrying forward her commitment to welcoming all alumni back to campus, regardless of finances.
“You always approached your work on behalf of Exeter and Exonians as far more than a job,” Brown said, “which helps to explain why you did it so well.”
When Woodford took the lectern to accept the award, she spoke with clarity about her guiding principles. “I have been fortunate to have had two jobs that I truly loved,” she said. From the Air Force, she carried two lessons to Exeter: that compassion is not a weakness, and that integrity is nonnegotiable. “What made Exeter special for me wasn’t just the work, it was the people,” she said. “I’ve been fortunate to work alongside colleagues who supported me, guided me and helped make our work possible.”
Turning to the students in the room, she offered what may have been the afternoon’s most resonant thought: “One of our most powerful human needs is the need to belong. Each of you is still figuring out where you fit — in your friendships, your communities and in the world. But belonging isn’t about changing who you are to be accepted. It’s about finding places where your authentic self is valued.”
She closed by urging students seeking purpose in their career and life to remember that it “doesn’t have to be big or public.”
“It can be found in how you treat people and the problems you choose to solve and in the quiet impact you make every day,” she said. “My time at Exeter gave me that sense of purpose. It allowed me to be part of something that aligned with my values, and for that I will always be grateful.”
