Distinguished Alumni Recipients
Girls School
Christina (Kline) Orthwein Christina attended the New Church schools in Bryn Athyn from Kindergarten through two years at Bryn Athyn College. During her time at ANC, Christina served as Freshman Social Rep, Sophomore Class President, AKM Pledge Head (back when pledging was still a thing!), Factores President and was the valedictorian for her graduating class in 1995.
Since those times Christina earned a bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Ceramics at Tyler School of Art and has been professionally playing with clay for more than 25 years. Christina has also been teaching studio art at Bryn Athyn College for 26 years, has a tile and porcelain jewelry business, and with some recent success as a figure sculptor she has been traveling the country speaking at conferences and teaching workshops.
Christina and her husband George have three really great children; Felix, Linus and Oliver.
Erika Heilman Erika Heilman attended the Pittsburgh New Church School and then graduated from ANC in 1985. Afterward she completed a B.S. in biology/pre-medical studies at Bucknell University with the intention of pursuing a career in healthcare. Straight out of college, however, Erika landed a job in book publishing in New York City and never turned back. She has spent the last few decades working in the industry, first on the Editorial side and then later taking on Commercial roles. In 2011, she co-founded her own imprint, Bibliomotion, which was acquired by Taylor & Francis/Informa in 2016. She loves helping authors bring their ideas to life. For the past eight years, Erika has held positions at the Harvard Business Review Group, most recently as Vice President, Deputy Publisher for the magazine and Publisher of HBR Press. She serves on the Board of The Swedenborg Society (in London) as well as New Church Live. She has spent the last three decades in the beautiful state of New Hampshire where she raised her family of three kids (Owen, Lydia, and Nora). They love to travel and spend as much time together as life allows.
Boys School
Sam Sweeney Sam graduated from ANC in 2005; he was a dorm boy and senior class president. After graduation he went to Arizona State University and then served in the Peace Corps in El Salvador for nearly two years.
Sam is a broadcast journalist and has worked at NBC and ABC stations for the last 13 years. He currently works at ABC News in Washington DC where he focuses most of his time on aviation news. Sam also covers major international conflicts and was in Ukraine the night the war started and returned on three additional trips during the war. Sam was among the first international journalists on the ground in Israel following the October 7th attack and spent nearly a month reporting from the Gaza border in the days following the attack.
Though not originally from Bryn Athyn, Sam credits this community and ANC for helping to shape the person he has become.
Reed Asplundh (Class of 1975) My journey started at Bryn Athyn Elementary, then the ANC Boys’ School, and a couple of years at the College. As a senior like you, I captained two sports teams. The school awarded me a Sons of the Academy silver medal, and I served as president of the Sigma Delta Pi fraternity for two years.
After studying history at Lehigh University, I returned home. For 25 years, I taught in the elementary school, hopefully inspiring young minds. I launched the first ANC Summer Camp. I also coached ANC lacrosse for a time.
My wife, Elaine, was named a Distinguished Alumna ten years ago. She started nearly every girls’ interscholastic sports program at the Girls’ School. The Girls’ School honors her with the Elaine S. Asplundh award, counterpart to the Boys’ School's Stanley F. Ebert award. She aimed to better the school and world; you can choose that path too.
Together, we raised 10 children. Two sons, Brandon and Ivan, now work at the Boys’ School…yes, there are actually two of them. Six joined us through adoption. We also provided foster care for many children on a formal basis, with Elaine leading that effort. Informally, our home became a haven for others in need.
Over time, perhaps 150 kids have lived at our house. Interestingly, this morning’s other Distinguished Alumnus, Sam Sweeney, stayed with us one summer, after one of our kids had requested that he be welcomed to do so.
We hold the record for the longest consecutive streak of having a child in Bryn Athyn Elementary—33 years straight.
For the past 30 years, I've worked tirelessly behind the scenes to support Bryn Athyn's schools. The last 20 years focused on financial sustainability—from elementary to high school—so our descendants, yours, and future generations can thrive here, embracing this New Church-centered legacy if they choose.