2025 Wall Award recipients address youth book censorship, African financial security
December 18, 2025 — Two projects developed by Grinnell College graduates spurring social change have been selected for the 2025 Joseph F. Wall ’41 Alumni Service Awards.
Emily Harris ’98 and Yvonne Palm ’06 are this year’s award recipients. They will use the $40,000 prizes to address meaningful projects regarding youth literary censorship in Iowa and actuarial shortages in Africia.
The award is named in honor of Joseph F. Wall ’41, professor of history and dean of the College, who inspired the ideal of social responsibility in his students. It was established as part of the College’s sesquicentennial celebration in 1996 as a tribute to Grinnell’s tradition of social commitment among its alums.
Joseph F. Wall ’41
Each year, a committee composed of alumni (including previous Wall Award recipients), a student, and faculty members reviews applications and awards the $40,000 grants to either jump-start or complete projects that show creativity and commitment to impacting positive social change.
During the past 29 years, the Wall Service Award has been presented to 73 individuals who have contributed their time and talents to 66 diverse projects throughout the U.S. and 23 other countries. The College has given out more than $1.5 million to alumni through this award program.
The following is a closer look at the projects of this year’s recipients.
Emily Harris ’98
Emily Harris ’98
Harris’ project focuses on protecting the right for young people in Iowa to read books that have been banned or challenged.
In 2021, when her daughter’s 10th grade English class became the target for book censorship, Harris and a handful of other parents created Annie’s Foundation. It has grown into a nonprofit organization that has distributed more than 20,000 banned or challenged books in communities across Iowa.
“The books most often challenged represent students who are already marginalized – students of color, LGBTQ+ youth, and children from immigrant backgrounds – and erasing their stories reinforces that exclusion,” Harris says. “That’s a message I refuse to accept.”
Annie’s Foundation was created in the memory of Ann Lohry-Smith, a mom from Ankeny, Iowa, who inspired other parents and community members with her fierce defense of public education. Using individual donations, the foundation purchases banned or challenged books at reduced cost and gives them away at community events, such as Pride festivals, Juneteenth celebrations, and the World Food Festival in Des Moines.
Harris will use the Wall funding in several ways, including office space rental and expanding the Bennett Grant Program, which provides $500 in-kind book grants to schools, libraries, and organizations working to build inclusive collections.
After the Iowa legislature removed gender identity protections from the Civil Rights Act earlier this year, Annie’s Foundation began developing a comprehensive program to provide affirming books, resources, and visibility for trans and nonbinary youth. The Wall Award will help with initiatives like “Read Me, See Me” Book Kits, in which a parent, teacher, or youth can request a kit and receive 2–4 banned or challenged books, along with stickers, postcards, and bookmarks.
Emily Harris ’98 and her daughter, Abby Harris ’28, are pictured at the State Law Library in Des Moines.
“Our trans-youth initiative is designed to meet them where they are, offering age-appropriate, literacy support,” Harris says.
Harris, who is the worldwide chief intellectual property counsel at TSI Group Co., Ltd./Metabolic Technologies, carves out time every day to push the Foundation’s mission forward.
“The fight against book bans isn’t a side project; it’s a calling I live and breathe,” she says. “Book bans have been happening in this country for generations, but I didn’t fully grasp the stakes until it was Abby’s own English class under attack.”
Abby Harris ’28, Emily’s daughter, is now a second-year student at Grinnell College. Abby serves on the Annie’s Foundation board, helping lead the work that began in her own classroom.
Yvonne Palm ’06
Yvonne Palm ’06
Palm’s project is to address the critical shortage of qualified actuaries in Africa. She is the co-founder of the African Actuarial Development Academy.
“The Academy is dedicated to affecting positive social change by developing actuarial expertise that directly contributes to the financial security of African communities,” Palm says. “Actuaries are crucial in designing insurance products that provide financial safety nets and disaster resilience – especially in regions vulnerable to climate change and where traditional support systems are inadequate.”
Outside of South Africa, most African countries have fewer than ten actuaries. Palm, the chief risk officer for the African Reinsurance Corp. in Lagos, Nigeria, connected with Academy co-founders Mukami Njeru and Yeside Kazeem over a shared bond to improve the quality of actuarial work in Africa and create opportunities for women in the profession. Together, they established the African Actuarial Development Academy in 2024 and have been ramping up for a full rollout in 2026.
To date, the Academy’s work has been entirely volunteer driven. However, to scale the impact and ensure consistent delivery across multiple countries, Palm will use the majority of the $40,000 to hire an administrative staff member. The remainder of the funding will go toward tools, visibility, and recognition that will make the programs more sustainable, professional, and impactful.
The project holds personal significance for Palm, who grew up in Botswana, where there were two actuaries for the entire country. At that time, Palm knew that accessing the depth of training needed to become a highly skilled actuary meant studying abroad.
“I was fortunate to receive the African Special Scholarship from Grinnell College, which enabled me to pursue this path and embark on my journey to becoming an actuary,” she said. “My time at Grinnell not only equipped me with the technical skills I needed but also instilled in me a deep sense of responsibility to give back to my community.”
Yvonne Palm ’06 gives a presentation at a Casualty Actuarial Society event.
By fostering a network of actuarial professionals who mentor and support each other, the Academy is laying the foundation for the long-term success of the profession in Africa.
“This project is not just a professional endeavor for me; it is the culmination of my life’s work and dedication to using my skills to empower others,” Palm says. “Having witnessed the transformative power of a strong actuarial profession in developed countries, I am driven by a commitment to bring that same level of impact to Africa.”
—by Jeremy Shapiro