The Alumna of Achievement Award recognizes alumnae who have excelled in their professional or volunteer accomplishments and who are recognized leaders in their fields of endeavor.

A native of New York City, Jeanne Fisher-Thompson received her undergraduate degree in English literature from Marymount College and her graduate degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Shortly after graduation, Jeanne taught journalism at colleges in Wisconsin and Nigeria. While in Nigeria, she participated in the foundation of the nation's first professional media association.

In the 1980s, Jeanne was active in fighting barriers to women in higher education and administration, working with groups such as the Project on the Status and Education of Women at the Association of American Colleges and the American Council on Education on issues such as college credit transferability, a problem for many women whose education was interrupted.

Jeanne's development work includes serving as director of corporate and foundation relations for the George Washington University and as the director of grants management for the United Negro College Fund. She was senior director of development programs for Georgetown University, where much of her fundraising focused on scholarships and endowment support.

More recently, as assistant head of school at the National Cathedral School in Washington, D.C., Jeanne worked on her sixth and final capital campaign.

She has been a volunteer with St. Thomas More Cathedral in Arlington, Va., the Tahoe Rim Trail Association, and is a member of Sweet Adelines International.

Now retired, Jeanne splits her time between Washoe Valley, Nev., and Arlington, Va., with her husband, Jim, a retired writer and editor for the U.S. Department of State. Their son, John, is a First Lieutenant in the Marine Corps, who recently returned home from Afghanistan.