Summer 2020 Dear Alumnae,
Last week, Head of School, Dr. Judith A. Dwyer, and Chair of the Board of Trustees, Anne Vazquez '99 shared a message with the community. You may read the full message here.
Details for the upcoming Alumnae Virtual Book Club are below. We hope to see you via zoom on July 15!
We continue to keep our Notre Dame Alumnae and extended community in our prayers and wish you a happy, healthy and safe July. Please enjoy the summer newsletter.
Warmest regards,
Lauren Thomer Power Director of Alumnae Relations 560 Sproul Road Villanova, PA 19085 lthomer@ndapa.org Direct Line: 610-687-6561
Campus News! Liz Willis, Ph.D. Begins Tenure as Associate Head of School at the Academy Dr. Liz Willis joins the Notre Dame Community as the new Associate Head of School. Liz most recently served as the Secondary School Academic Dean at Oakwood School in Los Angeles, California with oversight of grades 7-12 as primary instructional leader. She also served as High School Dean of Students and as a Social Studies Instructor at Oakwood.
Liz holds Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Arts degrees in American History from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and History from Loyola Marymount University in California.
In her role as Associate Head of School at Notre Dame, Liz oversees all matters related to the Academy's academic area, including College Counseling, Athletics, Campus Ministry, Counseling Center, Center for Global Leadership and School Nurse. The Director of Upper School and the Director of Middle School will also report directly to the Associate Head of School.
The Academy Announces Tina Williams as New Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion The Academy welcomes Mrs. Tina Williams as the new Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Since 1994, Tina has been a Business Education teacher in the Lower Merion School District (LMSD) and has demonstrated a strong commitment to multicultural education throughout her career. As one of the original members of LMSD's Committee to Address Race in Education (CARE), she created and implemented a curricular program that addressed the multifaceted needs of diverse learners with the goal of raising the consciousness of every community member around issues of race, a critical factor in student achievement for all students.
Tina earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Pittsburgh and holds a Master of Arts degree in Secondary Business Education with a concentration in Accounting from Gwynedd Mercy College and a Master of Arts degree in Education with a concentration in Curriculum and Instruction Design from the University of Phoenix.
Tina and her husband James are entering their sixth year at Notre Dame, as the proud parents of Jordyn Alisa (Class of 2022).
Scholastic achievement combined with a firm commitment to unifying the interests and views of all stakeholders will always remain one of the fundamental goals of any academic institution. "I embrace this goal with excitement and welcome a new opportunity to engage the entire Notre Dame community in progressive dialogue, a vital element in sustaining our humanity.
I am ecstatic that Dr. Dwyer finds these to be topics of great importance as we work together to educate the world's future leaders," says Williams.
Please join us in welcoming Mrs. Williams to this new leadership role at Notre Dame. She can be reached at twilliams@ndapa.org.
Heroes in Healthcare Kristin Toland Spengler '92, Making her Mark as Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Kristin Toland Spengler '92 (picture above with her family) received her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Georgetown University and her Master's degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Kristin is a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner and spends much of her time in the NICU, taking care of her young patients and their parents.
Kristin's husband, Matt, reached out to share their story. "Kristin was also a NICU parent herself when our third child, Pierce, was born with complications and ended up passing away in her unit after 30 days. Despite this very difficult experience, she never for one minute stopped her passion or love for helping others and went right back to work in the same unit.
When our first child James (now 15) was two years old, Kristin discovered a lump in his groin that ended up being a very rare sarcoma. After a year of chemotherapy and various surgeries at Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, James was on the path to recovery. I credit her knowledge and ability in finding the tumor and knowing how to navigate a health system with saving his life. Coming out of that experience, Kristin founded the 9th Floor Foundation (the ninth floor is the Pediatric floor at Sloan Kettering) and has helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to support families battling the financial realities of the illness.
Kristin is currently taking on another 70-hour work week, as she cares for mothers with COVID-19 and helps them as they welcome new children into the world. Kristin has dedicated her life to helping others in their most challenging times. I know Notre Dame played a role in who she is," said Matt.
The Buzz off Campus Aria Kovalovich '14, Researching Advances in Science, Space and Technology Aria Kovalovich '14 is a Magna Cum Laude graduate from the University of Pennsylvania with a double major in Sustainability and Environmental Management and Cognitive Neuroscience. Aria's senior thesis was on Nationalism and Climate Change Attitudes. She also wrote an article for Penn Sustainability Review titled, "The Future of Waste-to-Energy in Urban India." That article may be found here.
Aria pursued her passions in environmental decision-making and climate justice and embarked on a successful career in these critical areas. She is currently a Research Assistant at the U.S. House of Representatives. She serves on the Subcommittee on Environment at the U.S. House of Representatives on Science, Space and Technology. Aria writes bills, prepares documents for Congressional hearings, and helps conduct oversight regarding science issues at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the U.S. Global Research Program (USGCRP).
Arianna Scavetti '07, a Successful Attorney, Recognized for Her Work in Maryland Case Arianna Scavetti '07 received her Doctor of Law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 2014. She is an attorney for Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, LLP and was named by The American Lawyer as runner up for Litigator of the Week on May 1, 2020.
Arianna and a team of attorneys from the law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, LLP, working with the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project, persuaded Maryland's highest court to reverse the murder conviction of David Faulkner, who was convicted in 2001 of a 1987 burglary-turned-murder despite a lack of any physical evidence. Arianna's team successfully argued that newly-discovered evidence of innocence implicated an alternative suspect and cast doubt on the credibility of a key state's witness, requiring the conviction to be overturned. You may read more here.
Class of '95 Reunites Virtually Via Zoom! Some of the members of the Class of '95 were able to reunite virtually via zoom recently! Colleen Bailey Duffy, Alicia Freind Ade, Christine Henwood Costa, Sharon Rufus Dion, Lisa Kranyak Evans, Laura Lytton McPartlin and Karen Leinheiser DiMascola had a mini-reunion in honor of their 25th reunion from Notre Dame.
There were many great laughs and stories shared, along with the opportunity to introduce some of their children who made appearances on the zoom call. We look forward to celebrating your special class and all of the Classes ending in 0 and 5 this coming year.
PHL17 On-Air Personality Jenna Meissner '12 is Engaged! Congratulations are in order for Jenna Meissner '12 and her new fiance, Tate Jozokos. The couple got engaged on June 13, 2020.
Jenna's television career has taken off in recent years as a morning traffic anchor for PHL17. To learn more about Jenna's role, visit here and tune into PHL17, as she appears every morning from 5am - 9am.
Stay Connected! Join us for the First Alumnae Virtual Book Club Meeting - July 15! The first book in the ND Alumnae Virtual Book Club has been chosen - Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens.
We will connect virtually via zoom on Wednesday, July 15 at 7:30pm to discuss the book! To join us on that date, please RSVP below and visit this zoom connection here. We hope you will join our new Book Club!
Join our Alumnae Networking Page on Linkedin & Follow us on Instagram! Join our Linkedin Networking page here and help us to not only grow in numbers, but to share the strength of our ND sisterhood!
Follow us on Instagram here!
If you know of job opportunities, internships, professional development, mentoring opportunities and more, please consider posting them on our Linkedin page. If you would like to professionally connect with an Alumna in your field, this page is also a great way to do so! We look forward to growing this professional resource for our Alumnae community!
Do you know of an Alumna making a difference on the frontlines of COVID-19? Do you have a Story to Share with us for Alumnae Class Notes? Visit our Alumnae Class Notes page here to send us announcements of personal accomplishments or family and life events. Please include a professional photo or a photo that we may use for publications. We look forward to highlighting these special times in our Monthly Digital Newsletter and Visions Magazine.
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