Deb Wright
Smith Staff
Office of Alumnae Relations and Development
Gift Planning Coordinator
What brought you to Smith?
I began working at Smith as a temp in early 2017 and was subsequently hired in May 2018. Working for Sam Samuels and the gift planning staff has opened my eyes to the world of planned gifts, and how legacy and paying it forward is so important to Smithies.
What do you do here?
My job is primarily administrative and involves office procedures. A favorite part of my job is marketing and designing our direct mail campaigns. I maintain our gift planning website and steward members of The Grécourt Society (alums who have named Smith in their estate plans). I assist our planned giving volunteers and hire and train our student workers.
Please share something you are proud of about your work at the college.
We send Grécourt Society members annual birthday cards after they turn 60. I had the idea of putting each member’s senior house on the cards, and we got great feedback from alums saying how much they loved seeing those images!
What’s your favorite spot on campus?
Paradise Pond. It's simply beautiful.
When you’re not working or traveling for Smith, what are you most likely to be doing?
Throwing sticks for my German Shepherd, Ruby; watching movies; listening to albums; cooking or baking challenging dishes; attending concerts; tending to my egg-laying hens; landscaping my property; spending time with my first grandchild and family.
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
England. I want to see where Doc Martin was filmed and where the Beatles grew up. I want to explore downtown London and hang out in pubs.
What’s a project you are passionate about?
Planting trees and perennials in my yard to create a serene landscape with lots of color. Coming soon will be a fish pond located strategically close to the chickens so that the hens and bats have lots of yummy insects to eat. I can’t wait to watch the aquatic biodiversity develop.
What’s a fun fact about you?
I was a folk singer with an acoustic duo in high school. At a show in Connecticut, friends came out to see me. Two who had never met each other before struck up a friendship and wound up getting married! To this day, they credit me with being their matchmaker. They remain happily married.
Favorite Smith tradition?
Illumination
Who would you most like to have dinner with?
Julia Child
Campus Café or Compass café?
Campus Café