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Distinguished Alumni
Distinguished alumni are individuals who attended Moravian Academy (or Moravian Preparatory or Moravian Seminary for Girls) and are more than fifteen years removed from their graduation. They have contributed significant resources to Moravian Academy, thereby positively and significantly impacting past and current students, teachers, and programs and/or have been identified as leaders in their profession and have made significant contributions to their communities. Distinguished Alumni are selected by the Alumni Association Executive Board.
Colonel (ret) Andrea Caldwell Berndt '71S
Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient
"Years later, in the middle of the ocean on a 43-foot sailboat, I appreciated all the math that had been drilled into my head at Moravian. The foundation they gave me carried me everywhere I went." Originally from Pennsylvania, Andrea Caldwell Berndt grew up in Venezuela before returning to the U.S. to finish high school at Moravian Seminary for Girls. She credits Mrs. Stableford and Mrs. Zief for nurturing her love of science, Mr. Hinderlie for building her writing skills through the discipline of a short story every night for three weeks, and Mr. Esch for mathematics that proved its worth on the open ocean. That firm foundation carried her to the University of Pennsylvania and on to a Master's degree in trauma/critical care nursing from the University of Maryland.
Andrea was privileged to serve 30 years as an Army Nurse — a career spanning 13 assignments and moves across the country and overseas. Beginning in critical care, her work expanded to education, research, and administration. She designed and equipped critical care units, taught critical care nursing, and built a reputation for creative problem solving and fostering teamwork and innovation wherever she served.
"On the battlefield, a wounded soldier's survival depends on clinical expertise. I was demanding and exacting — because it mattered."
During a stint as a research nurse, Andrea helped develop protocols to streamline vaccine development and protect troops from tropical diseases. Returning to education, she incorporated critical care into a practical nursing curriculum — knowing full well that lives in the field would depend on clinical mastery. She became Chief of Nursing Education and Staff Development at the onset of Desert Storm, facing the challenge of integrating 111 Reserve personnel in just 10 days: assessing clinical skills, providing remedial training, and arranging housing, uniforms, and pay all at once.
A founding member of a tri-service Army, Navy, and Air Force nursing education consortium in the national capital region, she went on to the Army Surgeon General's Office, where she was responsible for developing professional and military nursing education policy for Army nurses throughout the U.S. and worldwide.
Military Career Highlights
- Integrated 111 Reserve personnel in 10 days at the onset of Desert Storm — clinical assessments, remedial training, housing, and pay, simultaneously
- Founding member of a tri-service Army, Navy, and Air Force nurse education resource-sharing consortium in the national capital region
- Developed professional and military nursing education policy for Army nurses worldwide at the Army Surgeon General's Office
- As Senior Nurse Executive at Ft. Knox, navigated downsizing while maintaining care across a tri-state area and achieving national accreditation
- As Chief of Nursing Administration at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, coordinated nursing response to support the D.C. community following 9/11 and the anthrax incident
Upon retirement, Andrea became a full-time volunteer, active in civic and community organizations across Virginia, Florida, and now North Carolina. She deployed with the Red Cross for hurricane relief in Florida and provided disaster casework locally. She tutored children in reading and taught English as a second language to adults. She swung hammers on mission trips and with Habitat for Humanity's Weekday Warriors. She served on boards of sailing organizations and environmental groups, and currently volunteers at the local food bank and with the League of Women Voters.
When not volunteering, Andrea and her husband pursue a life of travel and adventure. As avid sailors, they raced on the Chesapeake Bay and spent winters cruising their boat to the Caribbean. After selling the boat, they took to their feet — completing the Camino Francés, hiking more than 500 miles from France across Spain in 2019, then the Camino Português, 300 miles across Portugal to Spain in 2023.
"We ditched the backpacks but kept the poles." They now enjoy shorter hikes in North Carolina and travel the world in considerably more comfort.
Andrea embodies the Moravian values of curiosity, resilience, and service — carrying the foundation built here into a life of extraordinary contribution, at home and around the world.
Carole Devey Schachter '76
Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient
"I always wanted to be a teacher, like my dad. What I didn’t know when I was young was what kind of teacher I wanted to be." Carole’s relationship with Moravian Academy began in 1971 when her family moved to Bethlehem so her father, David Devey, could lead the downtown campus of the newly formed Moravian Academy. Moravian Preparatory School and Moravian Seminary for Girls had just merged. Two years later, he began his 17-year tenure as Headmaster, and the family moved to the Green Pond campus—a move that fundamentally transformed her life.
Living on campus allowed Carole to immerse herself in the boarding program, sparking a lifelong passion for diverse cultures. While already studying German, she added Spanish to her schedule and, in 1974, departed for a transformative year as a Rotary Exchange student in Ayacucho, Argentina. Following her time there, she finished her year abroad in Brazil, which inspired her to add Portuguese to her linguistic studies.
"I found my calling reading in Spanish with students at Donegan Elementary School. I told the teacher, Mrs. Gaugler, that I’d be back. Four years later, she welcomed me with open arms as a new teacher."
Carole dedicated 35 years to the Bethlehem Area School District, largely serving English Learners. Her conviction that a language barrier is never a reflection of intelligence made her a fierce advocate for multilingualism, always encouraging parents to maintain their primary language at home.
Her commitment to growth led her to earn a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology and a second Master of Education in Educational Leadership. Even during her studies, she remained deeply connected to the Academy, serving as a substitute teacher and later returning to Benigna House to serve as a dorm mother at Couch Dormitory while teaching at Donegan during the day.
Leadership & Legacy
In her final five years of full-time work as the Supervisor of English Learner Services, Carole oversaw the ESOL staff and nearly a thousand students across 22 schools. Following Hurricane Maria, she was instrumental in providing housing, food, and compassion to hundreds of families arriving from Puerto Rico.
In retirement, Carole continues to be a "Mama Bear" for her students, including Shantey from Nicaragua, and Damian, a former student who shares her home when not on campus at Moravian University. She currently serves on the International Student Care Committee (ISCC) and the Moravian Academy Board of Trustees, honoring her family’s enduring connection to the community.
Whether serving as Chair of the Board of Trustees at Edgeboro Moravian Church or volunteering in Moravian Academy’s Spanish Immersion Program, Carole embodies the Moravian values of curiosity, community, and excellence.
Carole treasures her time with her two grown children and her four rescued golden retrievers. It is a privilege to serve the school she has cherished for over fifty years.
Past Distinguished Alumni
Ms. Bonnie Biafore '72
Michael Bodnyk '01
Mrs. Shelley Sherman Brown '68P
Mrs. Lee Shields Butterfield ’35P
Ms. Patricia A. Chase ’71P
Mrs. Peggy Peters Cook '77MA
Ms. Mely de Neufville Rahn '56S
Mr. Richard Fox '64P
Mrs. Nancy Fillman Frankenfield '64P
Dr. Anthon R. Fuisz ’84
Mr. Uday Gupta ’90
Mrs. Elizabeth "Betsy" Gordon '68S
Mrs. Rebecca Humbert Heck ’59S
Mr. John R. Jacob '84
Mr. Neil Johnson '73MA
Dr. Robert F. Knouss ’62P
Mr. Santo Loquasto ’62P
Ms. Regina Low ’60P
Martha Olga Luckenbach 1918P
Dr. Virginia Maulfair '56S
Mrs. Ann Sloyer Mindler ’70P
Mrs. Carol Meilicke Modjadidi ’66P
Dr. Russell Morgan ’60P
Mrs. Charlene Donchez Mowers ’64P
Mrs. Christine Herster Murphy ’70S
Mrs. Barbara Herster Newton ’61S
Mrs. Carol Burkhart Normington ’61P
Rahul Rohatgi '99
Ms. Winifred Romeril ’85
The Honorable Paula A. Roscioli ’83
Mr. Jeffrey Risberg ’75
Mr. Theodore A. Rosenberger ’84
Mrs. Candace Johnson Williams ’61S
Mr. D. Brooks Zug ’63P
Ms. Bonnie Biafore '72
Michael Bodnyk '01
Mrs. Shelley Sherman Brown '68P
Mrs. Lee Shields Butterfield ’35P
Ms. Patricia A. Chase ’71P
Mrs. Peggy Peters Cook '77MA
Ms. Mely de Neufville Rahn '56S
Mr. Richard Fox '64P
Mrs. Nancy Fillman Frankenfield '64P
Dr. Anthon R. Fuisz ’84
Mr. Uday Gupta ’90
Mrs. Elizabeth "Betsy" Gordon '68S
Mrs. Rebecca Humbert Heck ’59S
Mr. John R. Jacob '84
Mr. Neil Johnson '73MA
Dr. Robert F. Knouss ’62P
Mr. Santo Loquasto ’62P
Ms. Regina Low ’60P
Martha Olga Luckenbach 1918P
Dr. Virginia Maulfair '56S
Mrs. Ann Sloyer Mindler ’70P
Mrs. Carol Meilicke Modjadidi ’66P
Dr. Russell Morgan ’60P
Mrs. Charlene Donchez Mowers ’64P
Mrs. Christine Herster Murphy ’70S
Mrs. Barbara Herster Newton ’61S
Mrs. Carol Burkhart Normington ’61P
Rahul Rohatgi '99
Ms. Winifred Romeril ’85
The Honorable Paula A. Roscioli ’83
Mr. Jeffrey Risberg ’75
Mr. Theodore A. Rosenberger ’84
Mrs. Candace Johnson Williams ’61S
Mr. D. Brooks Zug ’63P
