Presidential Inauguration: Vassar Club of Hartford President, Jared Loring Chase ’04

Jared Chase has been elected president of the Vassar Club of Hartford. An Italian major at Vassar, Jared has worked since graduation as a writer and editor at the Pension Real Estate Association, a non-profit dedicated to enhancing education, research and communication for and among institutional real property investors. He is also an ESOL tutor with Literacy Volunteers of Greater Hartford. Prior to his election as the Hartford Club President, Jared served as the club’s vice president and admissions chair.

“I first became involved in the Vassar Club of Hartford because, while serving on Class Council at Vassar, I had enjoyed bringing students together through activities like the Arlington Street Fair and could envision doing the same for alumnae/i in my local community. The Hartford Club hosts an annual meeting as well as a cocktail party, and periodically sponsors field trips and guest lectures, often involving Vassar faculty. Our plan for 2009 is to travel to the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, the nation's oldest public art museum, for a group tour of an exhibit or part of the permanent collection,” says Jared.

The Hartford Club supports a scholarship fund at Vassar. As a scholarship recipient during his time at the college, Jared appreciates the importance of grant-based aid in making high-quality private institutions like Vassar accessible to students from a wide range of socioeconomic backgrounds. The club's pecan sales are the main source of scholarship funds and help to elevate the college's profile locally.

The club also plays a very important role in interviewing local applicants. While chair of Hartford’s admissions committee, Jared saw firsthand how effectively local interviewers can acquaint prospective students with the college while gauging their level of interest in Vassar.

Jared believes these three elements, keeping alumnae/i connected, raising scholarship funds, and helping the admissions office by representing Vassar in interviews and at college fairs, are of great value to the college and its graduates. He finds it to be a very worthwhile use of his time and effort to help ensure that the club stays actively involved in those initiatives.

In addition to Jared, we would like to welcome the entire Hartford Club team of leaders, Vice President Sharon Lundberg ’80, Treasurer and Directory Chair Lynne Berneike Hawkins ’65 and Secretary Helen Zalkan Pearl ’59.

We would like to extend a special thank you to Helen Rubino-Turco ’84 for her many years of dedicated service as the former President of the Vassar Club of Hartford.