JANET BENVENUTI JANET BENVENUTI

By: Kennedy Salts (Epsilon Omicron 2014/Southern Indiana)

As members of Alpha Sigma Tau, we believe in the fulfillment of self and strive to contribute our fair share to the progress of humankind. For Janet Simpson Benvenuti (Beta Tau 1975/UMass Lowell), this meant more than just trying to be a better person; for her, this meant pushing forward and actively trying to change how the elderly population is seen and cared for in our society.

“I was living in Princeton, New Jersey, working in Manhattan, when my father was diagnosed with throat cancer. I moved 300 miles to live near my parents so they could enjoy their youngest grandchildren, who were three years and three months old,” recalled Janet. “Over ten years, I witnessed first-hand the struggles of elders like them trying to navigate the medical system, find affordable support…the system is a mess, and I knew I could do something about it.” Armed with the will, determination, and unwavering motivation to push her forward, Janet did just that.

By 2013, she had published her book, Don’t Give Up on Me! Supporting Aging Parents Successfully. To help other adult children navigate the demanding and overwhelming reality of what happens when parents get older, Janet grabs readers by the hand and dives into this world, covering medical, legal, familial, and financial challenges and providing advice and support through the pages. The path into leadership and coming into the power to make a positive change in the world doesn’t just unfold overnight. Janet’s collegiate experiences within AΣΤ proved monumental in forming an action plan for the rest of her life. “I found a Sisterhood in AΣΤ,” she said, “and I discovered women's power to lead and impact others’ lives, especially when they actively support each other. We’re not born leaders; we become them through action and engagement with others.”

To advise the newer generations of Sisters and young women, Janet had several pieces of wisdom to share. She said, “Invest in your education, travel, and read about people whose lives are different from your own. Stay curious. I am the first generation in my family to attend college, [and] today I hold two graduate degrees, one in nuclear chemistry and an MBA from Harvard. Anything is possible. Just follow your heart and your interests and ignore the naysayers.”

By: Lindsay McDowall Davis (Gamma Mu 2010/WVU Tech)

Each of us is familiar with the storied Smithsonian –either through a personal visit to Washington D.C., from watching Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, or through the many documentaries produced within its hallowed halls. Serving as the world’s largest museum complex, the Smithsonian comprises 21 individual museums that tell the story of our collected history. Their employees are charged with respectfully displaying and showcasing the histories of individuals across many cultures. One such woman telling these stories is Kendall Tallmadge Tryhane (Delta Nu 2006/Beloit), a 2009 graduate of Beloit College’s Anthropology program.

Kendall works at the National Museum of the American Indian, where she designs and implements grant-funded fellowshiptype programs. Since she has only recently started in the position, Kendall is still learning the ropes, but she enjoys supporting the museum's mission to promote Indigenous knowledge and honor Indigenous beliefs.

Her work focuses on programs that will facilitate access to the museum’s collections by artists, academics, and others who want to learn from the collections and share the knowledge within their own communities.

This recent career move follows almost ten years in Colorado at the First Nations Development Institute, where Kendall worked to provide resources and connections to Native American communities to support overall investment in the growth of those communities.