Mercersburg Academy is proud to announce that Denise Dupré ’76, Board of Regents president emerita, has been selected to receive the school’s highest honor—the Class of ’32 Distinguished Alumni Award. Presented annually, this award recognizes alumni who have demonstrated exemplary character, service, and achievement. Notable past recipients include Jimmy Stewart ’28, Gerry Lenfest ’49, Dick Thornburgh ’50, Walter Burgin Jr. ’53, John Jones III ’73, Deborah Simon ’74, and Stacie Rice Lissette ’85. 

When asked what Mercersburg instilled in her, Dupré shared, “At Mercersburg, I learned the value of friendship, of place, and of teamwork, all of which have been profound gifts…and I learned how to be grateful for a post-study Wise pizza!”

Dupré has distinguished herself through her career in hospitality, holding various consulting and operating roles, as a professor of hotel management at Boston University and Harvard and as the founder and managing partner of Champagne Hospitality, a hotel design and development company. Her team at two properties, The Royal Champagne and Le Barthélemy, have won numerous awards, and are consistently named among Condé Nast’s Best Resorts in the World. 

Her service to Mercersburg spans over three decades. In 2016, she received Mercersburg’s Alumni Council Medal for Distinguished Service, which recognizes alumni who have made outstanding contributions toward Mercersburg’s mission and continued excellence at the school, as reflected in its faculty, student body, facilities, and financial strength. 

Her dedication to Mercersburg can be seen through her service to the Mercersburg Academy Board of Regents where she diligently served from 1995-2012. Dupré reached a remarkable milestone in the last seven years of her board service, where she served as the first female board president.  She has also served on the last two Head of School Search Committees in 1996 and 2015, and as a member of the steering committee for Mercersburg’s most recent fundraising campaigns, Daring to Lead and Mightily Onward. Other service roles include annual fund volunteer, class agent, and reunion committee member. Dupré currently serves as a co-chair for Mercersburg’s Women in Focus initiative. 

In addition to her service and steadfast commitment to Mercersburg, she is a 47-year torchbearer. Dupré and her husband, Mark Nunnelly, are members of the McDowell Society. 

Outside of Mercersburg, Dupré is a former trustee of Dartmouth College, Teach for All, Noble and Greenough School, Charles River School, and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. She is former chair of the board of Fessenden School and serves on the board of dean’s advisers for Harvard Business School and Boston University School of Hospitality. 

“Denise’s leadership and unwavering devotion to Mercersburg have left an indelible mark on our community,” says Head of School Quentin McDowell P ’25, ’27. “She has guided with vision, served with humility, and inspired generations of students, faculty, and alumni to do the same. Recognizing her with this award is both fitting and deeply meaningful—we are so proud to honor her and to celebrate all that she continues to mean to the Mercersburg family.”

As a student at Mercersburg, Dupré was a class marshal, chapel usher, dorm prefect, and a member of the Blue Key Society, Karux, Mercersburg News, Student Council, and the Fifteen. She participated in Stony Batter and played field hockey, basketball, and tennis. 

After Mercersburg, Dupré graduated from Dartmouth College with a bachelor’s degree in economics and earned a master’s degree in hospitality management from Cornell University. 

Dupré and her husband reside in Dover, MA, and love to travel and spend time with their four children and extended family, many of whom have also attended Mercersburg. 

Dupré will be honored during Reunion Weekend in June 2026, coinciding with her 50th class reunion.