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By Darryl Gangloff

The Hotchkiss community gathered in Elfers Hall on Nov. 4 to honor Scott Busby ’77 with the Community Service Award. He has dedicated his career to advancing human rights and supporting refugees worldwide. His service, which has spanned roles with the U.S. government, the United Nations, and other organizations, reflects his deep commitment to protecting vulnerable populations and strengthening global communities.

Head of School Craig W. Bradley opened the ceremony by noting that “service is integral to who we are and whom we aim to become.” He reminded students that the award reflects the School’s mission to prepare young people for lives that improve society.

Cameron Hough ’09, vice president of the Board of Governors and co-chair of the nominating committee for awards, emphasized that “service to others is a common bond that unites generations of Hotchkiss students.” She described Busby’s “extraordinary dedication and work in public service around the world,” sharing her hope that his example will inspire current students “to set your sights high.”

A Life Devoted to Human Rights

Busby worked for more than 30 years on human rights, refugee, and migration issues with the U.S. government and the United Nations before his retirement from the Department of State in September 2023. In his last position, he served for 10 years as deputy assistant secretary of state in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, where he oversaw, at different times, the bureau’s work on East Asia and the Pacific, Africa, the Western Hemisphere, multilateral issues, business and human rights, labor rights, and human rights-based sanctions.

In other positions within the U.S. government, Busby served as a director on human rights and refugee issues at the National Security Council (1997-2000 and 2009-11), directed the Office of Policy and Resource Planning at the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration in the Department of State (2000-05), and worked as an asylum officer and lawyer with the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service.

He has also served with two international organizations. He was a lawyer at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Washington, D.C. from 1992-95, and he was coordinator of the Intergovernmental Consultations on Migration, Asylum and Refugees from 2005-09.

He received the F. Allen “Tex” Harris Diplomacy Human Rights Award from the United Nations Association of the National Capital Area in 2020 and was a finalist for the Career Achievement Award of the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals in 2022.

He holds advanced degrees in sociology and law from the University of California at Berkeley and received his B.A. from Amherst College.

Busby is currently a part-time senior advisor at Human Rights First, a nongovernmental organization whose mission is to ensure that the United States is a global leader on human rights. He is also a senior associate (non-resident) at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a Distinguished Fellow (non-resident) with the Human Rights Institute of Georgetown University Law Center.

A Conversation Between Lifelong Friends

Katie Allen Berlandi ’88, P’19,’21, a former Trustee and former Board of Governors member, joined Busby on stage for a fireside chat. “I want to congratulate you on this remarkable award. I sit here so grateful for our lifelong friendship and to have this opportunity to chat with you in this wonderful community of people,” she said.

When asked how his interest in service began, Busby turned to his family. He explained that meeting the needs of others was simply part of his upbringing. “That was a deeply ingrained principle in my family,” he said. He placed this in the context of his era at Hotchkiss, including “the end of the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights Movement, and a lot of ferment in U.S. society,” which fed his early desire to make the world better. “Hotchkiss actually helped me explore that,” he said.

He recalled one Hotchkiss memory in particular: an art history teacher writing noblesse oblige (a French phrase meaning “obliged nobility”) on the board, then telling the class that their privilege came with an obligation to give back. That idea “stuck with me,” he said, and it continues to motivate him.

Working on behalf of the public good allowed him to focus on people, and some of his most lasting memories came from helping asylum seekers find safety. He said that a highlight of his career was assisting a 16-year-old Guatemalan boy fleeing military abuse. “It still sticks with me because he was crying during the proceedings. Others were crying. It was a monumental change in his life. Moments like that are really rare, and I think you can experience those in community service,” he said.

Busby offered advice to students who want to pursue community service. “If you want to do international work, learn a language and live overseas. Go to a country you’re interested in and explore the issues there. Consider the Peace Corps.” He also suggested joining Hotchkiss clubs, such as St. Luke’s Society, and working with local communities. “There are all sorts of needs wherever you go.”

“Your ability to listen and synthesize and have empathy and intelligence is just amazing,” Berlandi told Busby. “Empathy is key to doing community service,” he responded. “You need to put yourself in the shoes of the people you're trying to help. Listen to them about what their needs are and how they want them to be addressed. That is absolutely critical to being successful in community service.”

Presented annually, the Community Service Award honors the service contributions that Hotchkiss graduates have made to their respective communities, whether local, national, or international. The award seeks to recognize individuals who—in the estimation of the Nominating Committee of the Board of Governors of the Alumni Association—demonstrate through their volunteer and/or vocational endeavors an exemplary sense of caring, initiative, and ingenuity. Nominate an alumnus or alumna for the Community Service Award.