By Victoria Hochman, Thompson & Bender, for Sarah Lawrence College

Oct. 31, 2018:  Sarah Lawrence College has announced the appointment of longtime Bronxville resident Ellen de Saint Phalle as its new director of community relations. De Saint Phalle, an alumna of Sarah Lawrence College, said she is looking forward to strengthening the college’s already deep ties with the community in Bronxville and Yonkers and throughout Westchester. She envisions developing new opportunities to offer Sarah Lawrence as a liberal arts resource for the community.

“I am grateful to Sarah Lawrence for this opportunity,’’ she said. “I am excited to play a part in connecting people to this rich cultural and intellectual resource.”

De Saint Phalle’s main focus will be enhancing the Friends of Sarah Lawrence College program. Benefits of the Friends program include lectures, special events, library borrowing, swimming privileges, discounts at Sarah Lawrence’s popular Writing Institute, and the opportunity to engage in the vibrant intellectual life of the college. Learn more about the Friends of Sarah Lawrence College at sarahlawrence.edu/friends.

De Saint Phalle is no stranger to the Sarah Lawrence community. She earned her master’s of fine arts degree in writing from the college in 2007. A poetry advocate, de Saint Phalle served as program coordinator for Sarah Lawrence’s John and Penny Barr Poetry Reading Series, which showcased established and emerging poets in spring and fall readings. She also helped to introduce Poetry Out Loud, a national poetry recitation contest, to Bronxville High School.

Prior to starting work in her new position in September, de Saint Phalle served as director of community relations at Concordia College for five years. She and her husband, Pierre, will be awarded the President’s Award for Excellence in Service to the Community at Concordia College’s 37th Annual Community Dinner on November 8.

De Saint Phalle served on the Bronxville Board of Education from 2000 to 2004. She has been a member of the Friends of the Bronxville Public Library, the Bronxville Village Green Committee, and the Bronxville Rotary, and she serves as chair of publicity and marketing for The Bronxville Historical Conservancy. A graduate of Wellesley College, de Saint Phalle and her husband live in Bronxville and have four adult children.

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