Doreen Conforti Chemerow

Class of 1973: Paying it forward

Doreen Conforti Chemerow was a first-generation college student who hoped to attend a small liberal arts college such as Ripon.

“However, I needed more financial aid in order to do that,” she said. From Ripon, she received generous scholarship and financial aid in the form of work on campus, as a resident assistant and an assistant in the Office of the Registrar. Without this aid, attending Ripon College would not have been possible, she said.

Her life is defined by committing her time, talents and treasures to move others forward, not only at Ripon College but also in the wider community.

Chemerow was born in February 1951 in Kenosha, Wisconsin. She and her husband, David, both are 1969 graduates of Tremper High School in Kenosha. She was a National Merit Scholar.

At Ripon, a campus she called “welcoming, supporting, and intellectually challenging,” she majored in history, was certified in elementary education and participated in Alpha Delta Pi. She also led the Raiderettes, the women’s drill team, which was part of ROTC. She later received a master’s of business administration in finance from Columbia University.

Chemerow worked for about 10 years at Trans World Airlines (TWA), including as the director of domestic and international pricing, and assistant vice president .in credit card market planning with Chemical Bank, both in New York. She then volunteered for many years at Planned Parenthood.

Chemerow said her Ripon education made many good things possible for her, both in her career and personally, and she sought to pay forward the help she received.

She and her husband have supported nearly every facet of life at Ripon College, from arts to athletics to new initiatives and student scholarships and awards, to faculty and instructional support.

During the Imagine Tomorrow campaign, they established the Doreen L. ’73 and David I. Chemerow Chair in Theatre and provided a significant facelift to Benstead Theatre in C.J. Rodman Center for the Arts. The Chemerows love theater and wanted the students to have the chance to explore theater.

They also supported the renovation and expansion of the athletics, health and wellness center, and established the Conforti and Chemerow Scholarship to benefit graduates of Tremper High School who wish to attend Ripon.

Chemerow first served the College as a member of the Alumni Board and a reunion committee volunteer from 1994 to 1996.

For 22 years, from 1996 to 2018, she served on Ripon’s Board of Trustees, including on several committees, including chairing the Advancement and the Governance committees. She served for five years as the secretary and the vice chair, and is now an Honorary Life Trustee.

In recognition of her dedication to Ripon College, she was presented with a 2008 Distinguished Alumni Award and the 2014 Medal of Merit, Ripon’s highest honor.