Drew Terrell ’84

Our next Alumni of the Year recipient loves this place and its alumni with all of his generous heart.

A Washington, DC attorney, he is currently a member of the Alumni Board, whose thoughtful contributions help shape our mission and our actions. He is also a bit of a party animal, a skill he honed here on the Hilltop as a beloved member of the great Class of 1984. The Alumni Board of Directors is pleased to honor our very own “Drewski from Winooski” – Drew Terrell.

After graduating from St. Mike’s, Drew received his law degree at Virginia’s George Mason University in 1989. Although he lives just outside Washington, DC, where he recently retired as an award-winning Senior Counsel at Whiteford, a well-known Mid-Atlantic law firm, Drew’s heart is frequently here in Vermont, where he formed countless close friendships and even met a lovely UVM grad, his wife Megan.

Since early on in his legal career, Drew has generously offered career advice and networking connections to Purple Knights interested in the legal profession or the DC area. He has been a member of the Career Advisory Network since 1997, and a panelist and advisor to the Career Symposium for years. He has co-chaired and served on reunion committees for decades and is a prolific fundraiser.

Drew helped establish the Class of 1984 Memorial Scholarship, which enables current Purple Knights to attend SMC who otherwise could not afford it. He led fundraising for a stone bench that sits in the teaching garden in honor of his friend and classmate JoAnn Nied Washburn. He led the fundraising committee for the David Gallagher ’84 memorial bench that sits on the grassy knoll in the 200s. And along with his classmates Bob Ryan and Margaret McNeil, Drew helped create the Bobby Sullivan ’84 Memorial Scholarship, one of the largest scholarships in recent memory with over $100,000 donated. Drew has always stepped up to honor his fallen classmates and leave a legacy for them on campus, because Drew’s St. Mike’s friends mean the world to him.

A classmate and friend who is here today, J. Conlon, recently recalled their days together on campus fondly. “Drew and I were both English majors and were probably in many classes together, but what I remember most about Drew was his ability to get along with everyone. In college there are often disparate groups, maybe formed by point of origin, dorm, sport, musical interest – Drew seemed to be welcome in every setting and with every group. It was not that he changed to fit in, he was always himself. His sweet charm and great sense of humor were unwavering,” J shared. “To this day, he is a constant source of positivity, kindness and generosity.”

One current Trustee who’s here today shared a fond memory of a very hospitable Drew. As a junior, he lived on College Parkway and hung out with the soccer guys who ‘threw great parties’, while she and fifteen other freshman women from the Class of ’86 lived in overflow housing in Founders’ Annex. Drew naturally extended a personal party invitation to these ladies, surely wanting to make them feel welcome by the upperclassmen. Very classy of you, Drew! Needless to say, she’s been a fan of his since.

Drew is one of the alumni who cultivates the DC alumni club, welcoming new alumni to the city and offering great advice and connections. He is a regular at DC events, including the Destination DC alumni social, where last March he not only chatted with every single current student and alumni attendee, but he also willingly picked up the bar tab!

Drew has served on the Alumni Board since 2021, where he entertains alumni from across the decades. One of his Alumni Board friends from the class of 2018 recently said, “An amazing thing about Drew is how he keeps the St. Mike’s community connected wherever he is. He even met a fellow classmate in Paris after not seeing them since they both graduated! My favorite thing is watching him interact with current students when he’s on campus. They are charmed by one another, and he would do anything to help them as they start their careers.”

A little-known fact is that Drew travels the globe with a navy blue St. Mike’s baseball hat and takes a photo of it wherever they go. Not long ago he shared, “That little hat is the world traveler, and has seen every continent and met friends and classmates along the way.” Drew, you are an amazing ambassador for St. Mike’s. We are grateful for your willingness to represent St. Mike’s across the globe, yet always find yourself at home here in Winooski Park. For all of these reasons, we are delighted to present you with this Alumni of the Year award. Thank you and congratulations.