By Sarah R. Schwartz ’10

Margaret Wright Steele ’80 was presented with the Golden Disc Award for Meritorious Service at the Alumni Awards Presentation at Reunion on Friday, June 4. Steele was elected to become the second Arcadia alumna to be named Chair of the Arcadia University Board of Trustees, and she assumes the chairmanship on July 1.

The Golden Disc Award for Meritorious Service to Arcadia University is presented to alumni in recognition of outstanding volunteer leadership service to the University by promoting the effectiveness of the Alumni Association, and for outstanding contributions to the welfare of Arcadia University.

Graduating with honors and a degree in Business Administration, Steele became the co-owner of the Perez-Steele Galleries, a prosperous business venture that she started with her late husband, Frank, and continues to run. The firm holds an exclusive license to design limited-edition artist renderings of every Baseball Hall of Fame member for avid collectors. She also created the Steele Internship program at the Baseball Hall of Fame, which each summer brings 25 college students to Cooperstown, N.Y., for a 10-week paid internship. Steele is Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of Chestnut Hill Academy, a pre-K- through-12 private boys’ school in Chestnut Hill.

Steele has shown her commitment to giving back to the University through her service on the Arcadia University Board of Trustees in 1999 and has served as Vice Chair since 2005. She has participated on many of its committees including Finance and Investment, Student Affairs and presently, she is Chair of the Trustees and Honors Committee. She is also a longtime and active member of the University’s Planning Council.

As a member of the Board, she supported the call to challenge the campus community to undertake the first comprehensive evaluation of how buildings and grounds can better support current operations and future initiatives at Arcadia University. This challenge led to the creation of a Campus Master Plan that subsequently laid the groundwork for the development of the current campaign goals.

Steele’s knowledge of the process, vision to see the final product, and ability to inspire others made her the natural choice to Co-Chair the Campaign Planning Committee and Co–Chair the University Advancement Campaign Steering Committee. Under her leadership and with her co-chairs, she identified the University’s top priorities for fundraising and recruited its Campaign leadership. At Home & In the World–The Campaign for Arcadia University reflects the passion that Arcadia envisions for enriching the quality of student learning and life. The recent groundbreaking for the University Commons is a milestone in the life of this institution’s history,  and her Campaign leadership helped bring the vision to reality.

Steele’s natural ability to organize and inspire volunteers to give their best, along with her tireless dedication and outstanding contributions to the welfare of Arcadia University are deeply appreciated and treasured.