Distinguished Alumna | Burke's Admissions arrow Admissions Director Welcome Why Burke's Request Information Spring Tours Tuition & Affordability Transportation Admissions FAQ Who We Are arrow Head of School Welcome Mission & Commitments Quick Facts Strategic Plan Faculty & Staff Board of Trustees Burke's Traditions Campus Academics arrow Educational Philosophy Lower School arrow Kindergarten First Grade Second Grade Third Grade Fourth Grade Upper School arrow Humanities Math Science World Languages Visual Arts Performing Arts Physical Education HEART Makery Mindset Library Support Services High School Counseling Student Life arrow Inclusivity & Belonging Athletics Wellness Student Leadership Service & Sustainability Outdoor Education After School & Summer Camps arrow Summer Camps Seedlings Camps Sports Clinics Music Lessons Support arrow Supporting Burke's Make a Gift Annual Fund Parents' Association arrow Parent Education Burke's Community Connections Grandparent Council Alumnae arrow Alumnae Events Distinguished Alumna Make a Gift Newsroom Calendar Employment Katherine Delmar Burke School on Facebook Katherine Delmar Burke School on Instagram Support Alumnae Distinguished Alumna banner banner The Katherine Delmar Burke School Distinguished Alumna Award is given each year to an alumna who embodies the values at the heart of the school’s mission to educate, encourage, and empower girls. The recipient exemplifies a life of learning, service to community, individuality, and the ability to make a difference in the world. 2026 Distinguished Alumna: Whitney Gaynor ’96 Whitney Gaynor ’96 is an entrepreneur and technologist. She earned her undergraduate degree from MIT and a PhD from Stanford University, where she specialized in advanced materials and electronic devices. Whitney is the co-founder and CEO of Sinovia Technologies, a company pioneering roll-to-roll printed electronics, including next-generation human-machine interfaces that are more environmentally sustainable than conventional technologies. She has published multiple peer-reviewed articles and served as principal investigator on research programs funded by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy. She and her founding team took the company through the Y Combinator accelerator in 2017 and she has raised $15M in financing in support of the business. Outside of her professional career, Whitney has been deeply involved in figure skating. Inspired by their mother, she and her sister, Darby ’98, trained and competed at a high level until age 18, with Whitney achieving multiple national rankings. After retiring as an athlete, she became an Olympic-certified official in both singles and pairs skating - one of only three people in the United States to hold these dual certifications. She lives with her husband and son in Menlo Park and is proud to have a niece in third grade at Burke's. Distinguished Alumnae Award Recipients 2025 Jennifer Egan ’76e 2024 Kemba Eneas Walden ’86 2023 Eileen Gu ’17 2022 Lisa McKnight ’82 2021 Shafia Zaloom '85 2020 Blair Rosenblatt Shane '85 2019 Ebony Frelix Beckwith '91 2018 Mary Shen O'Carroll '90 2017 Zoe Duskin '97 2016 Robin Hauser '78e 2015 Erica Howson Fortescue '89 2014 Lareina Yee '87 2013 Nancy Bibbero Cherney '70 2012 Pauline Moffit Watts '66 2011 Rachel Skiffer '88 2010 Vendela Vida '85 2009 Jean Afterman ’75 2008 Ann Blumlein Lazarus ’67 2007 Dr. Mary Maillard Piel ’73 2006 Mary Lowrey Gregory ’71 2005 Dr. Bella Shen Garnett ’89 2004 Nancy Hellman Bechtle ’55 2003 Heather Martinez Zona ’81 2002 Elisa "Bambi" Escamilla Schwartz ’56 Nominate a Distinguished Alumna Please enter all required information. Invalid text has been entered. Please correct all errors and click submit Katherine Delmar Burke School on Facebook Katherine Delmar Burke School on Instagram 7070 California Street, San Francisco, CA 94121 Phone: 415.751.0177 Burke's mission is to educate, encourage and empower girls. Our school combines academic excellence with an appreciation for childhood so that students thrive as learners, develop a strong sense of self, contribute to community, and fulfill their potential, now and throughout life. Burke's admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.