The Stratford Alumni Association awards two recognitions at commencement honoring alumni of the school. The Distinguished Alumnus Award for Outstanding Career Achievement and the Alumni Service Award both were inaugurated in 1986, and all graduates of Stratford Academy are eligible for these awards.  

The Distinguished Alumnus Award goes to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution through his/her vocation or who otherwise deserves to be recognized for outstanding achievement in some field or endeavor. Alumni in the fields of law, medicine, education, business, ministry, and the arts have been recognized for their career achievements and excelling in their chosen fields by making a difference in the world around them. 

The 2025 recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award is Michael Chanin ’02, founder and CEO of Cherry Street Energy. Michael is one of Georgia’s leading experts in commercial solar energy, and Cherry Street Energy is the state’s largest non-utility provider of renewable power. He founded the company in 2015 after the Georgia General Assembly passed legislation allowing third-party providers to sell electricity. 

Cherry Street Energy supplies renewable power to cities such as Macon and Atlanta; universities including Georgia Tech and Emory University; and companies like Porsche Cars North America and Delta Air Lines. Guided by its mission to "Do Good and Do Well," the company is committed to ensuring the benefits of the renewable energy economy reach everyone. As CEO, Michael leads the company’s Shine On program, which creates training and career opportunities for underserved workers. 

Michael began his career at Goldman Sachs, later leading finance and operations for a San Francisco-based technology firm. He has actively invested in renewable energy markets since 2013. He earned a Master of Philosophy in Development Studies from the University of Cambridge and holds a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies and History from Northwestern University. 

Michael and his wife, Amanda, have two children, Maya (7) and Colin (4). He is a member of Leadership Atlanta’s Class of 2025, serves on the Advisory Board of the Shepherd Center, is a board member of the Atlanta Botanical Garden, and sits on the Board of Directors for the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. 

This year’s Alumni Service Award is presented to Mollye Lamb Treadway, Stratford Class of 1988. As the daughter of Josephine Barker Lamb ’64, who served as Stratford’s development and alumni director in the 1980s and early 1990s, Mollye and her brother, Stephens ’92, were raised on our school’s campus. As a student, she was involved in cheerleading, tennis, and many clubs and activities. After graduation, she attended Mercer University, where she played on the Mercer tennis team and was involved in numerous campus organizations, before earning her degree in accounting. In her early accounting career, she was employed by Lamb and Braswell Accountants and was assigned as the auditor for Stratford. She joined Stratford’s business office in 2001 and assumed the role of the school’s chief financial officer in 2003. During the last 25 years, Mollye’s expertise in accounting has supported our school’s financial stability and growth. She has committed long hours and years of experience to supporting families through the financial aid process and leadership through numerous building campaigns, annual budgets, and long-range planning. Regularly, outside vendors would comment how impressed they were with her expertise and knowledge in school finance and operations. She also served as a tennis coach, SIP treasurer, Booster Club treasurer, and on numerous school committees.  

In addition, Mollye’s daughters, Alexis Adams Sullivan '15 and Grace Adams Herndon '17, attended Stratford as third generation Eagles, and like their mother were raised on the Stratford campus. Her husband, Jeff, was also a Stratford coach for 22 years before retiring in 2023. The Lamb family has supported Stratford legacy families with the Josephine Barker Lamb Memorial Scholarship which is awarded annually to a rising senior who is the child of a Stratford alumnus(a).  

Both recipients will be recognized during Stratford’s graduation ceremony on May 17, 2025.