Dunham News | The Dunham School, Baton Rouge, LA

2025 Distinguished Award Recipients recognized at founders Dinner

The Dunham School honored 2025 distinguished award recipients Bill Peters, Leigh Ann Evans, and Elizabeth Adams ’04 at the Founders Dinner on April 27. The evening also paid tribute to the school’s founders, volunteers, milestone donors, and current and former board members. The Founders Dinner is an annual event designed to celebrate God’s faithfulness and express gratitude to members of the Dunham community for their service, generosity, and dedication to the school’s mission.

2025 Katharine O. Dunham Philanthropy Award
Bill Peters

Bill Peters and the Peters family have been a part of The Dunham School since its founding. With his three children, Rebecca Peters ’89, Paul Peters ’91, and Patti Peters Albin ’92, enrolled and his late wife, Liz, serving as one of the first teachers, Bill stepped forward early on as a trusted advisor and champion for the school.

Bill served on the board of trustees from 1985 to 1989 and again from 2010 to 2014. During his first term, he was instrumental in securing the much-needed funding to keep the young school running and became known for his remarkable ability to connect other families to the school and its mission.

As one of the first members of the school’s board of trustees, he stressed the importance of sound financial management and used his business acumen to sustain and grow the general endowment fund, and, later, the Liz Peters Master Teacher Endowment. Following his second term on the board, Bill, by then the grandparent of Dunham students JP ’21, Liam ’25, and Ellie Dowling ’26, helped launch The Grandparents Association and actively recruited others to serve on its steering committee. Today, Bill and his wife, Cherie, continue to support the mission of The Dunham School.

For the past four decades, Bill Peters has planted seeds of generosity and created a legacy that will continue to have an impact on future generations of students. For his unwavering commitment to The Dunham School and his encouragement of others to join him in sharing time, talent, and treasure, it is our honor to recognize Bill Peters as the 2025 recipient of the Katharine O. Dunham Philanthropy Award. 

The Katharine O. Dunham Philanthropy Award was established to recognize donors who have demonstrated, through direct financial support, outstanding charitable responsibility and whose generosity encourages others to take philanthropic leadership roles at The Dunham School. Motivated and dedicated to seeing The Dunham School succeed, they have championed fundraising for the school. Recipients exemplify the same heart of giving demonstrated by Mrs. Dunham, a heart of thoughtfulness and sacrifice grounded in a desire to see The Dunham School’s mission endure.

2025 Tabb Family Distinguished Service Award
Leigh Ann Evans

For more than 30 years, Leigh Ann Evans has been connected to The Dunham School, first as a Lower School teacher and later as a volunteer and board member after her children, Taylor ’17 and Kate ’19, became Dunham students.

Leigh Ann served on multiple volunteer committees, including the Dunham Parents Association, Pray Dunham, and Pawbackers, where she helped established programs that continue to benefit the school. Whether she was organizing events, serving meals to athletes, or faithfully praying for students and teachers, Leigh Ann is remembered for her enthusiasm, joyful spirit, and servant’s heart.

One of her first initiatives was helping to launch Paw Perks, a corporate rewards program supported by brands such as Coca-Cola® and Community Coffee® that allowed families to give back to Dunham simply by shopping. Later, as president of the Gridiron Club, she was instrumental in creating an early sports marketing program that laid groundwork for what has grown into today’s robust corporate sponsorship program.

Leigh Ann served on the board of trustees from 2008 to 2013. As a former teacher, current parent, and active volunteer, she brought a unique perspective to her role as trustee and was a staunch advocate for developing programs that would support and engage the entire community—faculty, staff, students, and families.

Through her dedication to Christian education, service to the school, and love for others, Leigh Ann Evans has left an indelible mark on the Dunham community. It is a great honor to present her with the 2025 Tabb Family Distinguished Service Award.

The Tabb Family Distinguished Service Award recognizes and celebrates an outstanding volunteer who has gone above and beyond by using his or her time and talents to better The Dunham School. So many volunteers have made such an amazing impact on our community but perhaps none more so than Mary and Donald Tabb. Without their influence, prayers, sacrifice, and determination, The Dunham School would not be here today.

2025 Distinguished Alumna Award
Elizabeth Adams ’04

Seeking an academic challenge, Elizabeth Adams enrolled at Dunham for her junior and senior years. While her time at the school was shorter than that of most of her 2004 classmates, the impact on her life would prove to be great.

Elizabeth became the first Dunham student to enroll at Notre Dame. She credits her Dunham teachers for much of her success in college, especially Ellen Frazier and Mitch McIlwain ’94 who challenged her with their thoughtful lessons, pushed her out of her comfort zone through the Harkness Method, and shared their personal testimonies.

Following her undergraduate studies, Elizabeth earned her Juris Doctor from Notre Dame Law School in 2011. She also holds a Master of Laws degree from the University of Texas at Austin School of Law and has completed MIT’s Nuclear Reactor Technology course.

After spending the early years of her career in public utility law, Elizabeth joined Entergy in 2015. Now, as senior vice president and chief customer officer, she is responsible for leading strategic efforts in customer experiences and innovative solutions.

Elizabeth is passionate about her work and recognizes God’s hand in guiding her path and providing opportunities for her to share her knowledge with others. Outside of her work at Entergy, she serves as a university guest lecturer and has authored numerous articles. Elizabeth is a 2020 Presidential Leadership Scholar and most recently led the sustainability efforts for the Super Bowl 59 Host Committee.

Despite her busy career, Elizabeth still finds time to give back to Dunham by participating in the Institute of Leadership’s Lunch and Learn series as well as Alumni Giving Day where the Class of 2004 always ranks at the top of the leaderboard for participation. For her significant career accomplishments and her impact on The Dunham School, it is an honor to recognize Elizabeth Adams as our 2025 Distinguished Alumna

The Distinguished Alumna Award recognizes a graduate who has made significant contributions to society and whose accomplishments, affiliations, and careers have honored the mission and legacy of The Dunham School.