Mills Quarterly, Winter 2023

Shelley Moench-Kelly

Volume CXII, Number 2 (USPS 349-900)

Winter 2023

Associate Vice President for Institutional Advancement

Nikole Hilgeman Adams

Managing Editor

Allison Rost

Design and Art Direction

Nancy Siller Wilson

Editorial Assistant

Danielle Collins ’24

Contributors

Tri-an Cao ’21, MFA ’22

Lila Goehring ’21

Amanda Loudin

Shelley Moench-Kelly

The Mills Quarterly (USPS 349-900) is published quarterly by Mills College at Northeastern University, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, CA 94613. Periodicals postage paid at Oakland, California, and at additional mailing office(s). Postmaster : Send address changes to the Office of Institutional Advancement, Mills College at Northeastern University, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, CA 94613.

Copyright © 2023, Mills College at Northeastern University

Address correspondence to: Mills Quarterly 5000 MacArthur Blvd. Oakland, CA 94613

Email: quarterly@mills.edu Phone: 510.430.3312

Share your thoughts

Submit your letter to the editor via email to quarterly@mills.edu, online at quarterly.mills.edu, or by mail at:

Mills Quarterly

5000 MacArthur Blvd. Oakland, CA 94613

The Quarterly reserves the right to edit letters for length and clarity.

Letters to the Editor

Thank you for keeping the Mills legacy alive through the Mills Quarterly. I enjoyed the summer issue—each article inspired me. So many talented, trailblazing, dynamic Mills alumnae. Such a rich herstory, and a multitude of stories to share. I am proud to be a Mills alum.

–Arabella Grayson, MA ’96, Elverta, California

I want to thank Elizabeth Hillman for her service to Mills. I particularly wish to commend her efforts and graceful guidance through the turbulent waters of the merger with Northeastern. Her farewell piece in the Quarterly was eloquent and fitting given her dedication to the College.

I pray the outcome of the merger will be positive for all students and faculty of both institutions, continuing and future.

I sincerely hope that her emphasis on justice and sustainability and community impact is a mantra for the future of Mills College at Northeastern University. –Susan Bell ’69, Santa Fe

Editor’s note: The letter below refers to a document published by the AAMC in October 2022 regarding options for the organization’s future relationship with Mills College at Northeastern University. Turn to page 16 for more information, and visit www.aamc-mills .org to view the original.

I appreciate the comprehensiveness of the document describing options for the AAMC’s future but am left with questions.

In the field for Membership, Options 1 and 2 describe members as “anyone who attended one semester of Mills College prior to May 2022.” Are we including those who meet this criterion in this discussion? Students who are currently finishing their Mills programs, transferred when it became clear their academic pathways came to an end at Mills, or took time off during the pandemic but have been unable to return: Each of these students has met the criterion of membership in the AAMC. As these alums will be part of the AAMC for generations beyond us and as their input is vital in shaping its future, can they inform this transition?

In the Home field, three different descriptions amount to the same ambiguity: the home is not determined. In Option 1:

“May need to find a new location (potentially Benicia or Oakland)”; in Option 2: “Reinhardt Alumnae House (RAH) subject to agreement with NU, which may include paying rent”; in Option 3: “Determined by NU.” Our home was confirmed in the 2017 Memorandum of Collaboration and Agreement, which reaffirms the 1948 agreement between Mills College and the AAMC granting “exclusive use, rent free, of Reinhardt House for all reasonable purposes….” Why does the AAMC’s home need to be negotiated when it has already been established?

The field Potential Activities, under Options 1 and 2, lists the same activities. Other Potential Activities differ between Options 1 and 2 with Reunion (alternative in Option 1 and coordinated with Northeastern with alternatives in Option 2); programs for women/queer/BIPOCcentered education, with programs to advocate for these groups in settings beyond the Mills campus in Option 1 and programs for Northeastern students to learn in Option 2. Options 1 and 2 both include all of the activities described in Option 3, including career resources, Reunions for the foreseeable future, publications, branches, Alumnae Engagement Committee (AEC), discounts, campus amenities and access, and alumnae email. Indeed, alums have already been assured access to these activities by the Office of Alumnae Relations. Where these options differ is under Option 2, which states “Advocate for NU to preserve historical Mills curriculum (music, dance, education, etc.).” Even though Northeastern University indicated a commitment to continue these programs when negotiating in fall 2021, these programs are currently inactive. Does this advocacy lead anywhere when Northeastern has demonstrated a different mission for the campus?

There are concerns I have with negotiating the future of the AAMC with Northeastern. Given these factors, I feel that Option 1: “Independent/No formal NU relationship” maintains the mission, heart, legacy, and autonomy of the AAMC, allowing the AAMC to steward its ideals, assets, and resources, while positioning it to maintain accountability.

–Christa Lewis ’86, San Francisco

A Letter from the Associate Vice President for Institutional Advancement

Istarted working at Mills as the associate director of reunion planning and giving just a few short weeks before Reunion 2010. I was amazed and inspired by the love and dedication demonstrated by alums not only to their beloved campus, but also to each other. Twelve years later, I am still inspired by the connections alums have to one another and the support they have shown the campus community during the last two years. I enjoy my work at Mills because of these connections and because of that support.

Each year’s Reunion brings its own unique flavor and feel, and that was no different last fall when about 230 Mills alums from across the generations (and around the world) gathered on campus for Reunion 2022. Yes, it was a smaller number than usual, which of course made sense to me and my team as it was the first major Mills alum event post-Northeastern merger. But even with that undercurrent of slight sadness, it was still a remarkable event. As you can see from our cover images, there was so much joy on campus. There was still a packed program of activities, including a reworking of the Mills student tradition of processing with lanterns and singing. (See page 18 for more.) I’m immensely proud of the work my team put into Reunion, and we look forward to hosting additional events on campus and in the regions, including Reunion in October 2023 and beyond.

There’s a lot of discussion right now about the role that my office, the Office of Alumnae Relations, will have with Mills alums and the AAMC in the future. Our colleagues with the AAMC are working on options to guide how their organization will interact with the Mills campus and programs, including me and my team, now that we’re part of Northeastern University. All Mills alums are de facto members of the AAMC and deserve to have their voices heard; I encourage you to carefully read the information supplied by the AAMC in

this issue and look for more communications in the months ahead.

Along those lines, I wanted to use this space to provide some background about who we are and what we do. I oversee the larger Office of Institutional Advancement, which handles fundraising on the Mills campus, as well as our Office of Alumnae Relations, which is located in Reinhardt Alumnae House. Alumnae Relations is a small but mighty team of five that organizes Reunion and other alum events, provides assistance and funding to regional clubs and branches and affinity groups, coordinates volunteers, maintains the alum directory and website, works with the AAMC, and publishes newsletters and this magazine. We are the same five people as were in place before the Northeastern merger, and we have no plans to stop doing any of these activities you know and love.

Just as Mills is not a monolith, neither is Northeastern, and we have been delighted to discover that our counterparts in University Advancement in Boston are extremely supportive of our alum programs and fundraising. We are receiving encouragement and support to keep doing what we’ve always been doing: raising funds exclusively for use on the Mills campus and bringing Mills graduates together. We just have new teammates in Boston who are cheering us on from across the country—and occasionally in Oakland, as we welcomed two colleagues from Northeastern’s alumni relations to Reunion. They drove golf carts, answered numerous questions, presented about the Northeastern alumni resources now available to Mills alums, and bolstered our efforts immeasurably.

Our relationship with the AAMC has of course been complicated by the events of the past two years, but I believe that we’re back on track. AAMC President Debby Dittman ’68, Board of Governors leadership, and AAMC staff—previously

Pam Herman, and now Lila Goehring ’21, who worked in the Office of Alumnae Relations as a student for two and a half years—meet with me regularly to discuss our collaborative efforts. My team and I look forward to partnering on the events and activities we host together to benefit students and alums.

Which brings me back to Reunion, and our relatively low attendance numbers— many alums approached me to lament how few people from their classes were there. I told them what I’m telling you now: Let your friends know that Reunion is still here, still happening, and make plans to come next year! We may be part of Northeastern now, but it is still and will forever be our job and mission to serve you, our Mills alums. We hope to see you there.

Nikole Hilgeman Adams

MERGER UPDATES

Additional perks now accessible for Mills alums

Representatives from Northeastern’s alumni relations office outlined new benefits available to Mills graduates at two separate sessions last fall.

Northeastern’s Associate Vice President of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving Lori Jacques was joined by Senior Director for Engagement Initiatives Adrianne Denenberg for an in-person info session at Reunion 2022, then reviewed much of the same info in an online forum on November 16. “Everything that we’re doing is available for Mills alumnae,” Jacques said. “We are very excited to partner with Nikole (Adams) and her team. We are here to collaborate!”

In addition to benefits available through the AAMC and the Office of Alumnae Relations—which includes pool/library access, receipt of the Quarterly and (e)ucalyptus, Reunion, and much more—Mills alums can now access the following:

• The Lifelong Learning program, which includes on-demand learning modules presented by Northeastern faculty members and a video library with conversations among faculty members, alumni, and university leaders. The Northeastern alumni YouTube channel also features video content on a wide variety of topics.

• Eligibility for the Double Husky Scholarship, which provides a 25% discount off tuition for graduate programs—of which there are more than 120.

• Strategic career-focused opportunities, including dedicated coaching for alums, on-demand webinars, and NUSource, a mentoring platform that brings together students and graduates. (NUSource uses the same software that powered MillsConnect.)

• A broad alumni network organized by affinity and region, with established presences in regions that have historically not hosted Mills events due to small alum populations.

• Discounts for retailers and services such as Dell computers.

• Newsletter subscriptions that provide info on the various Northeastern campuses; sign up for those at news.northeastern.edu.

To access these resources or learn more about them, visit alumni .northeastern.edu. An email with a link to the recording of the full November 16 online session was sent to Mills alums on November 21, 2022; if you did not receive it but would like to view the video, visit tinyurl.com/northeastern-benefits.

This past fall, more than 500 first-year students made their way to the Mills campus—the largest incoming class ever. They underwent an extensive orientation week with sessions on Mills history, outings to nearby stores for residence-hall needs, and a large fair on Holmgren Meadow for new arrivals to learn about the various organizations and clubs available for students. When returning Mills students joined the following week, the populations began to mix through gatherings of food trucks and a large outdoor party at the Art Museum to celebrate the start of the new year.

RUBY WALLAU

First academic programs in place

Familiar fare is among the first four undergraduate programs that will commence on the Mills campus next year.

Northeastern programs in Computer Science, Business Administration, Health Sciences, and Biology will grant degrees in those four subject areas as well as a total of 10 combined majors. Several of those will incorporate the humanities, such as computer science & design and business administration & communication studies. Recruitment is underway now for students to enroll starting in fall 2023.

“These are Boston-based programs that we’re bringing onto our campus, but we’re going to add our own flair,” says Interim Dean Beth Kochly. “There will likely be some new courses that our faculty have historically taught and want to bring in as electives.”

Graduate offerings are also starting to come into focus. Eight of them are existing Northeastern master’s degrees that will find another home on the Mills campus, such as information systems, analytics, and game design. The Mills School of Education also plans to re-implement its graduate-level coursework for single-subject and multi-subject credentials, contingent upon approval from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, and for early childhood education and educational leadership.

Kochly emphasizes that these moves are happening while work is underway for developing the full curriculum for Mills at Northeastern—and that she understands the intense interest behind what those programs will be. But because of the nature of how courses and majors need to be approved (by Northeastern’s Faculty Senate) and re-accredited (by the New England Commission of Higher Education), that information won’t be publicly available until the processes are complete.

“Our faculty are really driving this, and they’re the ones coming up with these ideas. For instance, how do we train computer scientists to have a lens of antiracism and gender equity?” she says. “We’re really trying hard to bring our legacy forward, but we won’t be able to make a formal announcement on what that will look like for a while.”

Mills Institute names director

Nicole M. Guidotti-Hernández has been appointed executive director of the Mills Institute. Her tenure started on December 1, 2022.

She grew up in the Salinas Valley and attended UC Santa Cruz for her undergraduate degree, later earning a master’s degree and doctorate in English at Cornell University. After stints as associate professor of gender studies at the University of Arizona and the inaugural chair of the Department of Mexican American and Latina/o Studies at the University of Texas, Guidotti-Hernández most recently taught English, history, Hispanic studies, and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies at Emory University. Her 2011 book Unspeakable Violence: Remapping U.S. and Mexican National Imaginaries received a prize from the Modern Language Association, and her

writing has appeared in Ms. Magazine. Guidotti-Hernández returns to Northern California as a well-known feminist thought leader, and she told News@Northeastern that the role is a perfect fit. “My vision is to have a tremendous impact both locally and globally,” she said. “We will find our place in the community. It has always been a dream to work in a setting like this one, where the mission is ripe for opportunity. I feel really lucky—really lucky.” She was selected after a nationwide search conducted by a committee of faculty representatives from both Mills and Northeastern.

With Guidotti-Hernández in place and $30 million in seed money, planning for specific offerings at the Mills Institute will now begin in earnest. The organization’s founding purpose is to propagate the longtime Mills legacy of serving women, gender nonbinary individuals, and other

A partial list of courses offered on the Mills campus in the fall 2022 semester:

Ancient Philosophy & Political Thought

Current Issues in Cities & Suburbs Ecology

Fundamental Architectural Design

Global Literature International Business & Social Responsibility

Making a Musical Modern Art & Design History

Native American Resistance

Nonprofit Organizations & Social Change Principles of Microeconomics

Race, Class, & Gender

Sex, Gender, & Pop Culture

Social Change & Human Services

Sustainable Development Technology & Human Values Topics in Genre

Typography

Understanding Today’s News

marginalized and underserved communities that have historically faced barriers to higher education. More detailed programs for the Institute will now begin to come into focus over the next few months.

ALYSSA STONE

Mills Matters

Administrative adjustments abound

In this year of change and adjustment, a number of personnel changes are taking place in various departments across the Mills campus.

• Former Dean of Students and Vice President of Student Life Chicora Martin has been appointed to the same position at Agnes Scott College, a women’s college in Decatur, Georgia. Taking their place is the team of Lilian Gonzalez ’09, associate dean of students and a licensed therapist, and Allie Littlefox, MBA ’20, EdD ’22, assistant vice president of student life, innovation, and planning, who started at Mills in the athletic department in 2013. The two are overseeing an expanded menu of offerings and activities for the student body.

• Former Dean of the School of Education Wendi Williams has taken the position of senior vice president and provost at Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara, which offers master’s degrees and doctorates in psychology and leadership studies. SOE department heads are leading the school this academic year.

• Interim Provost & Vice President of Academic Affairs Patricia L. Hardaway completed her one-year term in the position and has since been appointed to the role of acting associate vice chancellor for staff human resources and chief human resource officer at UC Santa Cruz. In becoming the 10th college at Northeastern University, Mills has moved away from the provost model and will instead be led by a dean, and taking the position of interim dean this year is Beth Kochly, professor of chemistry and former associate provost for curriculum and academic resources. She has been teaching chemistry at Mills since 2008.

Joining Kochly in navigating the formation of academic programs for Mills at Northeastern is a new Dean’s Advisory Group, which includes the following professors specializing in the listed areas:

• Adjunct Professor of Public Policy Ashley Adams, Student Academic Concerns & Conflict Resolution

• Associate Professor of Art History Meryl Bailey, Faculty Development

• Associate Professor of Business Kate Karniouchina, Lokey School

• Professor of Practice Darcelle Lahr, DEI Initiatives

• Professor of Ethnic Studies and English Ajuan Mance, Digital Learning, Teaching & Learning

• Professor of Literature and Languages and Graduate School Dean Juliana Spahr, Faculty Advancement, Tenure & Promotion

• Associate Professor of Business Carol Theokary, Curriculum Development

• Associate Professor of Biology Helen Walter, Academic Experience Curricular Initiatives

• Professor of Practice Carolyn Sherwood-Call, Student Academic Progress Professor of Psychology Christie Chung will continue to serve as associate dean of research, scholarship, and partnerships, and she is the special advisor on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Lilian Gonzalez, Allie Littlefox, Beth Kochly

Mills alums join Northeastern board

Two Mills alums and former board members have been voted in as new additions to Northeastern’s Board of Trustees.

The positions for Irene Panagopoulos ’85 and Katie Sanborn ’83 were announced to the Northeastern community via news release on November 10, 2022.

Panagopoulos first served on the Mills board immediately after she graduated from the College, taking on the then-new role of recent graduate trustee. She rejoined the board in 2011, and her daughter Eleni graduated from Northeastern in 2015. “I had an amazing experience at Mills and

my daughter had an amazing experience at Northeastern,” Panagopoulos said in the release. “Now our schools have come together.”

Based in Athens, Greece, she oversees the shipping company Magna Marine Inc., which was started by her late father in 1991.

Sanborn was chair of the recently dissolved Mills Board of Trustees, which she initially joined in 2013 and oversaw throughout the transition and merger.

“I’m excited to be able to continue this work on the Northeastern board,” she said. “Mills and Northeastern are two very

different institutions, but we are driven by the same objectives and goals.”

After Mills, she earned a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University. Sanborn is director of editorial services for the research firm OTR Global LLC, and she lives in San Mateo County.

Northeastern’s Board of Trustees is comprised of 35 alums and business leaders across the United States and around the world. The board held its first meeting of the 2022–23 academic year on the Mills campus in October 2022.

 Heather Stockton ’13, MFA ’18, performs “Viral Viragos,” a comedic interpretive dance of an infamous video of outrage over Bath & Body Works candles, in Lisser Hall on November 19, 2022. She was just one of a full slate of alum dancers and choreographers that participated in Return: Fall Dance Concert, a two-night event staged with the Mills Dance Department. The list of artists, some of whom presented their work in video form and some of whom performed live, included Brittany Mathis, MFA ’22; Kim Ip ’14; Jazmine Freeman, MFA ’21; and Arielle Cole, MFA ’21, who also works as the Dance Department’s administrative assistant. In addition, four Northeastern first-years presented a work choreographed by Stockton and Garth Grimball, MFA ’13, which came about as part of a pop-up class called Creation to Performance.

Mills bridge programs receive regional recognition

Students involved in bridge programs on the Mills campus have been recruited for a new project that will provide coursework in financial literacy as well as college scholarships to the institutions of their choice.

The Economic Equity and Financial Education Pilot Program aims to address the racial wealth gap by enrolling 25 Black high-school students from Oakland and the larger Bay Area region in a two-semester class at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. The rigorous course will address

subjects like personal finance, creating wealth, and making investments. Everyone who completes the class will receive $7,000 scholarships for college.

The youth chosen for the program were identified through their participation in two Mills TRIO programs, which are federal projects that support students who face obstacles on the paths to higher education. The two are Upward Bound, which was established at Mills in 1965, and the Mills Educational Talent Search (METS), created

in 1998. Together, they provide support for applications, financial aid, career advice, and more to aspirational first-generation college students.

The Economic Equity and Financial Education Pilot Program is a joint effort between The PG&E Corporation Foundation, UC Berkeley, and Mills College at Northeastern University. Jason Miles, a Black businessman who founded Amenti Capital Group, is also providing support.

Calendar

Mills College Art Museum

The museum is open 11:00 am–4:00 pm Tuesday through Sunday and until 7:30 pm Wednesday. Admission is free. Visit mcam.mills.edu for more information.

2023 Senior Thesis Exhibition ■ March 14–April 2

This yearly show provides graduating studio art majors with the opportunity to experience their first professional show.

Artist Lectures

All events are free.

February 1 ■ Sita Bhaumik

Sita Kuratomi Bhaumik is an artist, writer, and educator who uses art as a strategy to connect memory and history with the urgent social issues of our time. Her work focuses on decolonization, the hierarchy of the senses, and the impact of migration. Raised in Los Angeles (Tongva land) and based in Oakland (Ohlone land), she is Indian and Japanese Colombian American. Bhaukmik is a founding member of the People’s Kitchen Collective in Oakland, along with Jocelyn Jackson and Saqib Keval. She holds a BA in studio art from Scripps College, an MFA in interdisciplinary art, and an MA in visual and critical studies from California College of the Arts. 7:00 pm, Danforth Lecture Hall at Jane B. Aron Art Center.

Mills Music Now Concert Series

Visit performingarts.mills.edu for more information on times and tickets.

February 4 ■ Laetitia Sonami, MFA ’81

March 18 ■ Jean Macduff Vaux Composer-in-Residence Raven Chacon

March 31-April 1 ■ Signal Flow Festival

April 16 ■ Music of Barbara Strozzi, Venetian Virtuosa

Tech Intersections: Womxn of Color in Computing

January 28

The annual event for marginalized groups working in tech returns, featuring talks on developing career skills, untangling systems within the tech industry, and more. Speakers include Erin Pangilinan, co-founder and chief creative technology officer of Salamat, and Bria Sullivan, chief technology officer and founder of Honey B Games. Attendance is limited to 250; visit techintersections.org to register. 9:00 am-5:00 pm, Littlefield Concert Hall and Lorry I. Lokey Graduate School of Business.

Commencement 2023

Grants available to Women Who Empower

Mills alumnae are invited to apply for Northeastern’s Women Who Empower (WWE) Innovation Award.

WWE is in its third year of recognizing and funding women in the Northeastern community with entrepreneurial spirits. Previous awardees include Emily Man and Valeria Martinuzzi, who cofounded Venova Technologies to develop a new contraceptive device; Binja Basimike, who launched Kivu Venture Capital in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to boost food-industry businesses in Africa; and Natasha Shazana, who started the bra company Soko to authentically serve customers in her home country of Malaysia.

In 2021, one-time awards were granted to 19 Northeastern students and alumnae (with 17 ventures), with an increase in 2022 to 22 individual honorees. A committee of seasoned women in business evaluate the entries, with prizes doled out in the amounts of $10,000 (first place), $5,000 (runners-up), or $2,500 (honorable mentions).

The deadline to enter is March 1, though applications will be capped at 100 in total, so organizers encourage interested parties to send in their submissions ASAP.

Visit tinyurl.com/wwe-innovation-award for more information and to apply.

Campus kudos

A selection of recent achievements by faculty, staff, and students

Professor of English Elmaz Abinader wrote a pandemic-inspired piece for the online food publication The Counter, titled “My Lebanese grandmother smuggled a dab of yogurt culture out of her country during the 1918 pandemic. I’m making laban in tribute.”

Associate Adjunct Professor of Ethnic Studies Natalee Kēhaulani Bauer’s new book, Tender Violence in US Schools: Benevolent Whiteness and the Dangers of Heroic White Womanhood, was released in November 2022. The Routledge release is part of the publisher’s Decolonizing Studies in Education series.

Professor Emerita of Dance Molissa Fenley performed in Merce Cunningham’s “Loops for Three” as part of Unavailable Memory: In Conversation with Cunningham & Cage, a three-night series of performances held at New York’s Jerome Robbins Theater from October 27–29, 2022.

A story co-written by Adjunct Professor of English Kim Magowan and Michelle Ross, “Deluxe Scrabble,” was nominated for Cutleaf Journal’s Best of the Net awards. Magowan also had two other stories published: “Favor” in Cleaner Magazine; and “Noelle Strodemeyer Sucks” in Literary Mama. Professor of Practice and Director of the Center for Transformative Action Carrie Maultsby-Lute was a featured speaker at the San Francisco Human Rights Commission conference in November 2022, and she also made an appearance with the GreenBiz Group’s Verge event, which focused on the climate crisis, in San Jose on October 27.

Professor of Ethnic Studies and English Ajuan Mance has published a new book, Living While Black: Portraits of Everyday Resistance, which features her unique illustrations that delve into the everyday lives of Black Americans. She told News@ Northeastern that Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 inspired the project.

Director of Theater Studies Victor Talmadge took the role of playwright Sholem Asch in the San Francisco Playhouse production of Paula Vogel’s Indecent, which ran from September 22–

November 5, 2022. The Tony-nominated play covers the scandal surrounding the real-life Broadway debut of Asch’s The God of Vengeance

The Yerba Buena/Moscone MUNI station on the newly opened Central Subway line in San Francisco includes an etching from the 1978–84 series “Moscone Center” by Professor of Art Catherine Wagner.

Clockwise: Catherine Wagner’s etching at the Yerba Buena/Moscone MUNI station, Elmaz Abinader, Molissa Fenley, Ajuan Mance.

PAULA COURT

RUBY WALLAU

“It’s Always Been the Heart of Us”

Celebrating couples who found each other at Mills

By Shelley Moench-Kelly

Cross + Katja Geldhof

When Michael Cross, MFA ’02, first saw Katja Geldhof ’03 at F.W. Olin Library in late 2001, he experienced what he now describes as a shock of recognition.

“It was like a flash of lightning that blinds you. I had this real feeling that we had met before,” he says. “I was a little shy, so it took a while to kind of warm up. But I think the time that I decided to talk to Katja was when I started to notice that she was sort of waiting [at the fountain] for me!”

She corrects her husband of 19 years: “Lingering,” Geldhof says with a smile.

“I remember feeling like, ‘Oh my gosh, something is happening,’” she adds. “In that moment, the stakes just felt a lot higher because I just felt this sense of potential. I just felt like Michael was really different than anyone else I had met.”

Now nearing their 20th wedding anniversary, Geldhof and Cross have survived many challenges but remain positive. He notes, “[Longevity] is about navigating those obstacles. It’s what makes the relationship so much stronger.”

“Be prepared to grow,” she adds. “Love is not static and it’s not something that you encapsulate on the day of your marriage. We have evolved so much individually and as a couple. And we’re committed to that.”

The couple agrees that it’s a healthy thing to pursue couples’ therapy, even during times of peace and happiness “just to check in,” as Cross adds, “to see where we are in our relationship and just be open to communication!” Geldhof encourages others to “work on your relationship so that it’s fulfilling, and be open to change!”

Despite graduating years ago—he earned his MFA in poetry composition, and she holds a degree in history and journalism— the couple still lives near Mills and visits the campus frequently with their 10-year-old son and the family dogs. “Mills has a really special place in my heart,” says Geldhof, who also worked for the College as an alumnae outreach coordinator from 2012 to 2015.

“We’ve always lived in the vicinity,” Cross adds. “It’s always been kind of like the heart of us.”

Michael

Mills College is not just a campus for intellectual pursuits. It’s an amazing setting for people to meet and develop significant relationships—some of which turn romantic in nature. Here are five such couples—together anywhere from one to three-plus decades— who happily share their own love stories.

Joy Dixit Fowler + Tom Fowler

Joy Dixit Fowler ’87 graduated from Mills with a degree in administration and legal processes, and she has been married to her husband, Tom, for 34 years. They also share one grown daughter, Olivia. Tom graduated with a chemistry degree from UC Berkeley, but when he met his future wife, he was living in Ege Hall on the Mills campus due to overcrowding at Cal.

“The [Ege Hall men] would have dinner in Founders Commons, and that’s where I met Tom,” Fowler says. “We had friends in common, and his family lives in the area. We were able to go off campus and do things with his family, and that was great. It helped me get to know him.”

Though Fowler’s family is Nepalese, they emigrated to the United States from the Philippines. She was initially focused on her studies and eventual career and had no idea she’d meet her life partner during her time at Mills. But fate—and hunger pangs—had other plans.

“The universe just brought him and set him down with a dinner plate right next

to me. Now, we are growing old together!” Fowler says. “We communicate very well and we kind of think the same way. He’s more analytical and methodical than I am, but I think we complement each other very well.”

As for the secrets to the couple’s longevity? She notes: “These circumstances brought us together and here we are, and it’s just been wonderful. He picked me among all the women at Mills, and I’m lucky because he was at Mills!” She also advises couples—whether they’re in new or long-term relationships—about the

importance of love, support, and taking care of each other.

“You can’t ‘think’ it, you just have to ‘live’ it. That’s what I’ve done, and it’s been wonderful!” she says.

Mills Campus Mixers

We know from many of you that numerous Mills women met their future husbands at mixers and dances with students from Cal, Stanford, St. Mary’s, etc., and that some of those events were even held on the Mills campus—but there isn’t much solid info on those get-togethers in the archives! Vintage issues of the Mills Weekly hold some clues, including an article in the edition published September 20, 1939 with the headline “Hall Dances to Fete Entering Students.” The piece begins with the following line: “Mighty oaks from little acorns grow, and from many a Mills no-date dance, romances spring.” If you met your spouse at one of these events on the Mills campus, reach out to us at quarterly@mills.edu. We’d love to tell your story.

Colleen Kimseylove ’13 and Iz Kimseylove ’14’s wedding went viral for all the right reasons— when they got married in 2018, they opted for a “kitten hour” (rather than a cocktail hour) where guests were invited to pet six kittens from the Seattle Animal Shelter—all of which were adopted after the wedding. Buzzfeed picked up on the story, and Internet celebrity followed.

But cats are just one part of their story. “I’ll tell you how we met if you’d like,” Colleen says with a mischievous smile. “You’re so funny,” Iz interjects.

Colleen replies: “I am very funny. I was an incredibly sophisticated, worldly 19-year-old, and I signed up to host prospective students. I remember just looking at [Iz] and being like, ‘that is a darling baby

butch… what an infant!’ I think I literally put my hands on my knees and said ‘You are so cute!’ And I nicknamed Iz ‘Charlotte’ because that was the girliest name I could think of.”

That nickname, however, almost cost Iz a spot on the Mills crew team because the coach saw her name as “Isabel” on his roster: “I almost failed crew because the coach thought my name was ‘Charlotte’!”

“Now, we are 30 and 31. We’ve really grown up together. The process of figuring

out how to be adults in the world together brought out how to love one another and be with one another,” Colleen says. “It has been the most wonderful adventure I’ve ever been on.”

“It’s good to keep things spicy,” Iz says. “And Colleen is very, very funny. Please get that!”

Colleen Kimseylove + Isabel “Iz” Kimseylove

Such a sparkling relationship must have a solid foundation, and the College is it for these two. “Mills has always been a huge part of our love story. Mills is so magical, that the ability to be somewhere that was physically so safe, and to feel like we could escape the world and not worry and have a little refuge to get to know one another and let our relationship begin,” Colleen says. “It’s really pretty special.”

As for advice for those in new or existing relationships, Iz says, “Nothing is as urgent as you think it is. It’s okay to take your time to figure things out.”

“I encourage people to have clarity about what they really, really want in a relationship,” Colleen adds. “The right one will say yes.”

“

We’ve really grown up together. The process of figuring out how to be adults in the world together brought out how to love one another and be with one another. It has been the most wonderful adventure I’ve ever been on.” –Colleen Kimseylove

Kristine Vejar + Adrienne Rodriguez

Kristine Vejar and Adrienne Rodriguez graduated from Mills in 2001 with majors in art history. They co-own natural dyeing studio A Verb for Keeping Warm (“in many respects, it’s like our child,” Vejar notes) in Oakland, where they are also moms to a playful pup named Calliope.

Even though they shared a major, the couple met at a house party. Vejar remembers: “I really loved cooking… that was my creative outlet. I would cook a large meal and invite people. I really didn’t even socialize at these gatherings. I really was there to cook and feed people. Adrienne would frequently come in to say hello and chat.”

For her part, Rodriguez recalls that Vejar was “intriguing because she had just returned from a study abroad in India to learn about its art and architecture, seemed really smart and really engaged. I was just like, ‘Wow, like who’s this girl?’ She knew her stuff and she was very curious. She was always cooking, and I always found that, like, super… just very sweet and inviting and comforting.”

Vejar attributes the couple’s longevity to, among other things, their compatible— if not slightly opposite—personalities: “Adrienne can be very agreeable and lighthearted, and I can be very serious. That kind of lighthearted playful energy is one of the reasons I was and I still am drawn to Adrienne.”

Their love for Mills College runs deep, and the recent transition has been jarring. “If you’re going take it away from me completely, I’m going to have my hackles up,” Vejar says. “Mills is such a special place. I feel like—especially where the current conversation is societally, whether it’s about human rights, racial diversity, or social justice—Mills has been so far ahead of the game and such a leader, but never recognized as such.”

“I think culturally for me, Mills was extremely safe feeling. You could really cultivate relationships much more easily because people have already been through

a filter of some sort,” Rodriguez adds. “They didn’t choose a big PAC-12 school; they chose Mills. So, you’re already getting this beautiful group of people that hold the same values as you, like diversity, and hearing about women’s contributions to history, and its intersections with race and class.”

As for their longevity and advising others regarding relationships, Vejar asserts that knowing yourself is crucial, as well as understanding your expectations and those of your partner.

Rodriguez concurs, noting also that “listening, validating, and compromise are really key things that I try to keep in mind all the time; and communication.”

The pair’s creative pursuits, she says, are an important “form of self-care, which I think is vital to having a very balanced life, too.”

What’s next for this artistic couple? They held a Zoom wedding in 2020 due to the pandemic and are now planning an in-person celebration for the 20th anniversary of when they became a couple, after Vejar returned from her Fulbright trip to India. “We’ve just been waiting and watching the pandemic to see where it goes,” she says. “But it seems like we could have an outdoor gathering.”

And true to her lighthearted, fun-loving nature, Rodriguez adds, “Yeah. I really want mariachis!”

 A Verb for Keeping Warm, the studio that Rodriguez and Vejar co-own. “In many respects, it’s like our child.”

Laila Ibrahim + Rinda Bartley

It’s a rare couple that met when both were students at Mills, but even rarer is one with a child who attended as well.

Laila Ibrahim graduated in 1988 and studied psychology with an emphasis on child development. She is a published author of six books. Rinda Bartley attended Mills for her teaching credential and graduated in 1986.

The couple met in the mid-1980s at the First Unitarian Church of Oakland, not long after Ibrahim had enrolled for her first year and Bartley for her credential.

At least, that’s Ibrahim’s memory, but Bartley chimes in. “I’ll tell you when you’re wrong!” she says with a laugh.

Ibrahim also recalls that they were part of a circle of young women at Mills, but also kept bumping into each other at church. “Mills and what it stands for and what it offered to each of us [were] important parts of our lives,” Bartley says.

The couple began spending more time together. “We’d take Friday nights just to spend time together, you know, to cry into our teacups and stuff,” Bartley says. “And gradually, our relationship just kind of developed.”

“We were just good friends. And then we realized we were becoming more than friends,” Ibrahim adds. “I was still at Mills, so I was 21. Rinda was a little older—she’s six years older than me.”

“I robbed the cradle!” Bartley says wryly.

A mutual friend asked Ibrahim when the pair was going connect: “Rinda’s the kind of person you marry. And I’m too young to be with the kind of person you marry. But then I realized, well, you don’t want to throw something this great away,” she notes with a loving side-hug to Bartley.

The couple have two grown daughters— including Maya Ibrahim-Bartley ’18—and a toy Australian shepherd called Hazel. They offer profound commentary on their longevity, which doubles as advice for those in new and ongoing relationships.

Bartley notes that it’s important for each partner to develop the “self” within and find the balance to keep the relationship going.

“Also, put an emphasis on whatever’s going fulfill you and be encouraging and supporting of that,” she adds. “Take every opportunity you can to be each other’s cheerleaders and keep talking through the hard times.”

Ibrahim adds her take: “You cannot change the other person, so work on your own personal growth. If you are having really big feelings about something, that’s something that you need to look at. In every long-term relationship, there are times when you don’t feel that connected to each other. Don’t freak out about that. Just let it be, have respect for each other, and trust that the deep connection will come back.”

AAMC NEWS & NOTES

A Message from the AAMC President and Board of Governors

Hello alumnae,

I hope your holidays were eventful and memorable, with smiles, hugs, and laughter abounding. The busy fall departed as snow made an early debut in the Sierras, as midyear Mills graduates celebrated their achievements in December, and as continuing Mills students completed their fall semester. Hopefully all students were enriched by the beauties and the amenities that our campus extends to all.

And now we are in a new year, with a momentous decision ahead of us: The AAMC Board of Governors is in the process of formulating a new direction for the AAMC, taking into account all of the feedback given by alumnae. In all of their decision making, the Board of Governors has listened to the wants of our membership: transparency, a true voice in the process, and more concrete information.

Accordingly, the Board of Governors has concluded that it would be unwise to hold a vote on the proposed options in this issue of the Quarterly without first exploring these avenues with Mills College at Northeastern University and its Office of Alumnae Relations administrators and, in doing so, answer many of the unknowns that have surfaced. Vice President Kathy Roskos, Vice President Pam Roper, and I are scheduling meetings with the administrators to work to facilitate the unifying outcomes that you generally requested. With your support, and time, we believe we can offer you a clear vision of the future of the AAMC on which you can vote.

After processing the opinions shared from the more than 505 alums who participated in the AAMC outreach activities to date, the desire for more information was the commanding thread. On a positive note, what was learned was that regardless of the proposed adoptions, these desired outcomes had widespread support:

• To continue to connect with Mills alumnae

• To emotionally and financially support legacy Mills students who began their studies pre-merger

• To promote women’s education and to nurture populations traditionally served by Mills: first generation students, LGBTQ+ students, women of color, students of nontraditional age

• To maintain a presence on the Mills campus

• To continue the long-standing agreement to use Reinhardt Alumnae House

Our comment period, at right, was vital to understanding the values and goals of our membership. An important goal that surfaced over and over throughout our comment period was a desire to retain Reinhardt Alumnae House, and therefore a campus presence. However, many alumnae believed they lacked the information needed to make an informed decision. Some of the most common questions included:

• Will the AAMC be permitted to stay in RAH under Option 1?

• What financial support will Mills College at Northeastern provide under Option 2?

• Under Option 1, what charitable activities will allow the AAMC to remain a 501(c)(3) organization?

• How can the Mills legacy be promoted at Mills College at Northeastern University?

Our love for the heart of Mills College is what unites us. No matter which option we prefer, all alumnae can agree that the legacy and spirit of Mills College is worth preserving, whether through our independent organization, through Mills College at Northeastern University or the Mills Institute, or anywhere else. We do not quite know which avenue will best allow us to do this, and certainly do not want to close any doors by taking a vote too early—but we do know that we will need a strong alumnae base to help lead us there. You have already done so much to help, and we thank you for your continued support of the AAMC. Please comment and ask questions anytime regarding this new path and timeline proposed by Board of Governors by sending an email to info@aamc-mills.org. And if you haven’t already done so, please share your contact information with the AAMC at aamc-mills.org/ update-contact-info.

All the best to you and yours in the new year, and keep your Mills memories, your Mills friends, and the AAMC in your thoughts.

Sincerely, Debby Dittman, AAMC President president@aamc-mills.org

Timeline of membership outreach for AAMC’s future

October 8: During Reunion, the AAMC presented the options chart at an information session and later held an interactive discussion in small groups led by BOG members.

About 70 alumnae attended each session.

October 14: An email publicizing the options chart & linking to the online feedback form was sent to 12,000 alumnae. Recipients were also given a link to register for upcoming open Zoom forums.

October 17: Alumnae without email addresses on file were sent letters with the same information, with a call to send the AAMC their email addresses.

October 27–29: Two open forums were held via Zoom by BOG members. Times were scheduled to accommodate those in other time zones. In these sessions, the hosts presented information and alumnae were allowed to speak for three minutes each. About 45 alumnae attended each session, which were recorded and put on the AAMC website.

October 17–November 4: Alumnae were reminded approximately eight times on social media and through our own email list of ~5,000 contacts about the end of the comment period and the open forums.

November 4: The comment period ended, and the AAMC began compiling the results published in this Quarterly, on the inside back cover.

November 4–December 4: The Communications Committee worked to digest information gathered from the comment period in order to present a report to the Board of Governors.

December 5: The Board of Governors met to discuss the results of the comment period and agreed to wait on a vote for the three options until more information is gathered through conversations with Mills College at Northeastern University. As of press time, these conversations have begun. The AAMC will keep alumnae informed via email and on its website.

2022 Alumnae Awards

YVONNE PAYNE DANIEL, MA ’75, DISTINGUISHED ACHIEVEMENT

Yvonne Payne Daniel is a world-renowned scholar in the fields of dance studies and Caribbean and African diaspora studies, with myriad achievements too extensive to capture. After receiving her MA in dance from Mills, Daniel went on to receive another MA and a PhD from UC Berkeley in anthropology. She became a professor of dance and Afro-American studies at Smith College for 15 years, taught in the dance department at Mills for nearly a decade, and has been a visiting scholar at Mills and the Smithsonian Institution.

Daniel is a Ford and a Rockefeller Fellow, and she has received notable awards for her work, including the Katherine Dunham Legacy Award, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Black Dance Association, and the Phenomenal Woman Award from Mills’s own Alumnae of Color Committee (AOCC) in 2021. She has published six books, many of which have won awards, and more than 50 articles, chapters, and encyclopedia entries, and she has edited four video documentaries on dance and African diaspora religions. She has been invited to speak around the world, from Peru to the West Indies and from Brazil to Amherst College. Most recently, she gave the keynote addresses for the Collegium for African Diaspora Dance and the Tourism Research Conference at the University of California, Berkeley, both in 2022.

She was nominated and introduced at the awards ceremony by Myila Granberry ’05, and noted herself that her nomination for the award showcased realignment among the AAMC. Daniel has long been committed to Mills College, from her time on the Board of Trustees to her current membership in Mills College Founders’ Society and the AOCC.

BONNIE REUTER LEAVER ’58, OUTSTANDING VOLUNTEER

After attending Mills, Bonnie completed a BA in theater arts from UC Berkeley, but in her heart, she has always considered Mills to be her true alma mater. Since then, she has been a major donor to Mills College and the AAMC, as well as a board member of the Los Angeles Mills College Alumnae and Orange County Alumnae chapters for more than half a century—the latter of which she joined in 1964. She maintains the history of the Los Angeles branch, and is a living piece of Mills history.

Bonnie has been a mentor to many, including L.A. branch members Julia Almanzan ‘92 and Sonja Piper Dosti ’92, who nominated Bonnie and introduced her at the Saturday luncheon at Reunion. When Sonja graduated in 1992 and moved to L.A., Bonnie invited her and another Mills alumna to a concert at the Hollywood Bowl. “That night was the beginning of my 30-year friendship with Bonnie,” Sonja said in her introduction. Upon connecting with Julia shortly thereafter, the three become close friends whose bond transcended their Mills connection.

Bonnie has hosted nearly every president of Mills College at her home since Mary Metz (the list is only missing Beth Hillman, thanks to a move and the pandemic). She has given her time and resources to alumnae wherever she goes in whatever manner she can.

SHANTÁ “SHAY” FRANCO-CLAUSEN ’22, RECENT GRADUATE

A resuming student, Shay just graduated from Mills with a degree in politics, econ, policy and law (PEPL) while working fulltime and raising five children. As a student at Mills, she was an expert speaker in many of her classes, and still works with public policy deans and professors as a researcher. She is also collaborating with Professors Ashley Adams, Darcelle Lahr, and Erika Weissinger for this coming Black History Month, as a co-host at Mills.

A fierce advocate for justice and democracy, and a community leader, Shay was elected in 2018 as vice chair of Santa Clara County Open Space Authority, a position she held until 2021. She has served on the boards of nearly a dozen organizations, including the Santa Clara County Commission on the Status of Women and the National Black Justice Coalition’s Good Trouble Network.

Shay has dedicated herself to building a safer, more equitable world for women—particularly women of color and the LGBTQIA+ community. She created legislation that changed the statute of limitation on felony domestic violence and was featured at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival for that leadership. She has worked toward creating racial justice in the California Constitution, through a state constitutional amendment that eliminates “involuntary servitude for punishment of a crime.” Additionally, Shay ran the statewide campaign for Proposition 17 in 2020, which restored the voting rights of people on parole, and she has been featured in Time and Ms. Magazine for her work towards gender equity.

AAMC President Debby Campbell Dittman ’68 stands behind 2022 Alumnae Awards recipients (left to right) Shay Franco-Clausen ’22; Yvonne Payne Daniel, MA ’75; and Bonnie Reuter Leaver ’58.

REUNION 2022

1957 Patricia Taylor Lee, Mary Parker Laurence, Gerry Wong Ching, Ann Winsor Doskow

1962 Susan Wheeler McLaren, Cathy Henley-Erickson, Diann Giunta Scaravilli, Karen Van Hoesen Olson, Diana Seldeen Deene, Chris Ibach Holly, Joni Clute Settlemier, Peachy Williams Smalling

1967

Katherine Letteer Haimson, Dianne Sanders Howlett

PHOTOS BY DANA DAVIS & ZAC BORJA

50th REUNION

1972

Top

Third

Second

Front

Row: Martha Irvine, Amanda Green Wheeler, Rosemary Cameron, Eleanor Johnson Keesee-Pratcher, Portia M. Morgan, Michelle Dong Hill, Electa Sam, Heidi Aberg Long

Row: Deborah V. Harrison, Carolyn Devol, Bobbe Agostinho Stehr, Deborah Kimbrell, Martha deWeese, Kim Washburn Henry, Kristin Otwell, Terri Pallares, Joy E. Johnson

Row: Lyndi Cain Widener; Sally Sugden Jesse, MA ’78; Diane Mei Lin Mark; Melody Matthews Lowman; Cathy Keyes; Suzanne Arnhart, MA ’74; Anita Unikel; Lynette Williams Williamson, MA ’74

Row: Ann Boyce, MA ’74; Betty Colvin Santistevan; Melinda Wojtasiak Fambrough; Cynthia Truant; Micheline Beam; Paula Matthews; Linda Sun Crowder

1977 Lina Au 1982

Top Row: Linda S. Goodrich, MFA ’82; Linda Heckendorn Hann; Viji Nakka-Cammauf, MA ’82; Melody Fuller

Front Row: Jennifer Scott Hannah, Penny Peak, Masayo Honjo, Kelli Stokes 1987

Top Row: Marla Mundis, Tricia Kerr, Carrie Jones Lukasick, Cheryl Reid-Simons, Tanya Peacock

Front Row: Linda Au, Karina Weekes Bolger, Rita Morin, Thérèse Poncy, Cynthia D’Armand Wilken, Charlene Boddie Spencer 1992

Top Row: Cherlene Sprague Wright, Becky Steckler, Sara Atwell, Shari Mundel Weiner, Ceci Mangus Ferer, Julia Almanzan, Sheila Briones Soo, Laura Custard Hurt

Third Row: Sonja Piper Dosti, Terry Sue George Harms, Ami Atkinson Combs, Libby Fike Coppo, Mary Lane Gallagher, Amy Wiens Windrope, Sarah Nash

Second Row: Lori Bass, Kim Alexander Yarbor ’90, Alexa Pagonas, Linda Jaquez-Fissori, Colleen Almeida Smith, Katherine Mahood ’93 (with Meighen Katz on phone), Annick Ma ’90

Front Row: Pamela Roper, Roni Blas Dahir, Anita Yang, Karlin Sorenson, Maricar Ramos, Kiyomi Cohn Ameriks, Kristy W. Louie, Kellidee Little ’90

Reunion 2022

It was an emotional and joyful affair as alumnae ranging from the classes of 1952 to 2022 gathered on the Mills campus from October 6–9 for Reunion 2022. In addition to annual activities such as professor lectures, campus tours, and class dinners, several new programs were introduced this year—including the reinvention of a Mills tradition in which alums carried lanterns to the Mills Hall fountain and joined together for “Fires of Wisdom” and other songs together as a group. Historically, students have kicked off a new school year with this procession; alums have now added their own unique spin to it.

Reunion will return in future years; mark your calendars now for October 5–8, 2023, as we do it all over again!

Photos by Alli Novak

Quarterly.

Alumnae are invited to share their news with classmates in the Mills College alumnae community. To submit notes for publication in the next available Quarterly, send your update to classnotes@mills. edu.

Notices of deaths received before October 7, 2022

To submit listings, please contact alumnae-relations@mills.edu or 510.430.2123

Helen Julius Ernst ’41, May 31, 2019, in Menlo Park, California. She was a member of the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service during World War II, which is when she met her late husband, Charles. The family lived in New York and Washington, DC for his naval career before settling in Menlo Park in 1960. She is survived by two children, three grandchildren, and a number of great-grandchildren.

Roberta Rice Treseder ’43, March 20, 2022, in Los Gatos, California. After Mills, she earned a master’s degree in art from San Jose State, later working as a writer for art books by Pomegranate Press and opening her own pottery studio. Roberta also served on the AAMC’s Board of Governors. She is survived by four children.

Joan Gumbrecht Andrews ’49, June 6, 2022, in Orinda, California. After graduation, she headed to New York City to embark upon a long career in publications and PR; first, as advice columnist for Living for Young Homemakers magazine. Joan later represented authors such as Hunter S. Thompson and Helen Gurley Brown. Back in the Bay, she loved all manner of outdoor activities, including patrolling East Bay Regional Parks on horseback, and volunteering for the Oakland Museum of California and the Orinda Garden Club. Joan is survived by her husband, John; two children; and a nephew.

Mary Lou Hale Smitheram de Pravia ’50, August 6, 2022, in Santa Barbara. After Mills, she earned a master’s from Bryn Mawr and a doctorate in Spanish literature from UC Santa Barbara, which she completed while a full-time working mother. Mary Lou worked at educational institutions throughout the Santa Barbara area, including Laguna Blanca and Westmont. In addition to her talent for languages, she was a gifted singer and tap dancer, and she loved to read. She is survived by her second husband, Augusto; three children; eight grandchildren; and niece Kaitilin Moore Riley ’86.

Gifts in Memory of

Harvey

Barbara

Barbara

Robert

Carol

Kathleen Van Wyck Tanham ’51, September 2, 2022, in Chestertown, Maryland. She later graduated from Bennington College and went overseas as a member of the United States Foreign Service in Israel and Saudi Arabia. After returning to the US, Kathleen earned a certificate in library science from the University of Virginia and became a school librarian and teacher, then pursued a career in magazines. A job editing and designing a program at the Smithsonian in 1978 later led to the position of production manager at the Smithsonian Institute Scholarly Press. She is survived by three children and many extended family members.

Bonna “Kay” Vyn Nelson ’51, August 25, 2022, in Madison, Wisconsin. Upon graduation, she served three years in the Women’s Medical Specialist Corps as a first lieutenant and earned a degree in occupational therapy. Her late husband, Roger, was her childhood sweetheart. Kay’s family asks everyone to celebrate her life by reading or donating a book, supporting a local performance or visual arts group, or taking a walk in the woods. Kay is survived by two siblings, five children, 15 grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.

Carol Nielson Nelson ’52 , June 20, 2022, in Hillsborough, California. She later graduated from Stanford, where she met her late husband, Peter. Carol spoke French fluently and used it well as a docent and lecturer for the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco as well as president of Vieilles Maisons Françaises. She was well-known for her love of nature (through cycling and skiing), of travel (she visited every continent except Antarctica), and for finishing the Sunday crossword puzzle in record time. She is survived by three children and five grandchildren.

Patricia “Ruth” Rymer ’53, September 15, 2022, in San Rafael. She was exposed to the field of law at a young age and determined she wanted to be an attorney, and she finally did it after birthing her children, graduating from the Golden Gate University School of Law in the mid ’60s. As one of the scant women attorneys, Ruth focused on family law in California, later serving as president of several law associations and writing four books, including a novel and an autobiography. She is survived by two siblings, two children, two grandchildren, and one great-granddaughter.

Sheila Grieve Barton ’54, August 23, 2022, in Monterey. She studied occupational therapy at Mills. She is survived by two children.

Joanne Schantin Anderson ’55, August 8, 2022, in Sandy, Oregon. While teaching with the degree she earned at Mills, Joanne used her summers off to travel around the country and the world. After she met her late husband, Ron, when he moved into her apartment complex, they built their own home overlooking the Sandy River Valley and continued expanding it along with their family. Joanne loved to sew, and she was a longtime member of the local bowling league. She is survived by four children, six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

Eleanor “Ellie” Dinaburg Elbaum ’56, August 19, 2022, in Providence, Rhode Island. Ellie was born to Russian parents in China, later spending World War II in a remote Japanese village. After Mills, she studied nursing at the University of Toronto, and she worked as a pediatric nurse at hospitals in Providence starting in the early 1960s, later retiring as director of pediatric patient services at Hasbro Children’s Hospital—which she helped establish—in 1994. Ellie was also a champion of women’s rights issues. She is survived by three sons and eight grandchildren.

Received June 1, 2022 – August 31, 2022

Lynda Campfield ’00, SES ’01, MA ’02 by Michelle Balovich ’03, MBA ’18; Joyce Fung Yee ’90

Theodora “Thea” Faust Anderson ’14 by Rhoda Faust

Joy Waltke Fisher ’55 by Diane Smith Janusch ’55, NDO ’56

Jones, MFA ’69 by Elizabeth Elston ’57

Newman Kines ’55 by Diane Smith Janusch ’55, NDO ’56

Forster Mitchell ’63 by Roberta “Bobbi” Meyer Bear ’63

“Bob” Sliter, husband of Stuart Johnson Sliter ’61, by Ann Gordon Bigler ’61, Elizabeth “Betsy” Frederick ’61, Mary Doerfler Luhring ’61

Noble Smiley ’47 by Patricia Denney Peggy Woodruff ’58 by Gwendolyn “Gwen” Jackson Foster ’67

Lorry I. Lokey

In a 2004 interview with former Mills director of philanthropic planning April Ninomiya Hopkins, MFA ’03, Lorry I. Lokey admitted that, in college, he was voted least likely to succeed. And yet, with his communications degree from Stanford and passion for journalism, he founded and nurtured the news service Business Wire, which is still a thriving global media company today.

Four decades later, he began racking up placements on The Chronicle of Philanthropy ’s list of most generous donors in the United States. In 2006 alone, he gave away $163 million. “What am I going to do with the money?” he said in that 2004 interview. “Buy a plane? Buy a yacht? That’s not my style.”

As the name on the Lorry I. Lokey School of Business and Public Policy might indicate, some of that largesse made its way to Mills, the alma mater of his daughter, Ann Lokey ’85. Her post-grad career at Business Wire and, later, in public relations, inspired him to give back. “Seeing her success propels me to say Mills is every bit as good as I thought it was,” he said in 2004.

Though the business school benefited the most from his generosity— more than $20 million in total—it was not his only focus. The Charles E. Larsen Classroom in Vera Long and the School of Education also received a $3-million gift to fund renovations and building projects. Former President Janet Holmgren honored Lokey’s giving by granting him an honorary doctorate of humane letters at Commencement 2004, and he served on the Board of Trustees from 2004 to 2013.

Most of the fortune he donated went to educational institutions, including Santa Clara University and the University of Oregon— among many others. Why? He told Hopkins that it was the only realistic alternative to opening his own college: “If I couldn’t build one, I wanted to do something that would change the complexion of a school and make it a more valuable institution.” Lokey credited the success of his own business to the education that he and his colleagues attained, and he was the largest donor in the history of the College.

He died on October 1, 2022, in Portland, Oregon. He is survived by Ann and her two sisters, his grandchildren, and scores of colleagues and admirers.

Sally Collins Young ’57, September 2, 2022, in Stanford, California. She moved west for Mills, relocating to San Francisco after graduation to work in the travel industry and meeting her late husband in the same choir group. They raised their children in Menlo Park, where Sally taught piano, entertained with scrumptious homecooked meals, and served as a deacon at Menlo Church. Her family recalls how she made others feel “seen,” as well as how much she loved flowers and other forms of natural beauty. She is survived by a sister, two children, and five grandchildren.

Sara Larson Bennett Hills ’60, August 23, 2022, in San Francisco. She used her Mills degree in French to teach the language in San Francisco schools until 1973, when her family moved to London. There, Sara worked as an interior decorator and photojournalist for publications such as Vogue and National Geographic. After returning to the United States, she married her second husband, Austin, and the two spent their time appreciating the arts and traveling the world together. She is survived by Austin, three siblings, three children, and nine grandchildren.

Kennetha “Posy” Love Krehbiel ’60, July 23, 2022, in Lake Forest, Illinois. So called because an aunt said she was a “pretty as a posy” newborn, she lived up to her nickname when she became an avid gardener, using her plantings to connect with others and with nature. Posy graduated from Lake Forest College with an art history degree, yet it was her passion for accessible healthcare led her to found the Women’s Health and Advisory Council of Lake Forest and The Posy Krehbiel Breast Care Center at Lake Forest Hospital. She is survived by a sister, her former husband, two children, and five grandchildren.

Helen Gordon Whitesides ’61, September 26, 2022, in Albuquerque. After Mills, she graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in sociology/psychology. Her career took her to a variety of medical practices around New Mexico, but her true passion was politics. Helen was the manager for two campaigns for state office, and among many similar roles and groups, she was also treasurer of the Democratic Party of Bernalillo County. She is survived by two sisters, Margaret Gordon Augustine ’64 and Ann Gordon ’64; a daughter; and two grandsons.

“What am I going to do with the money? Buy a plane? Buy a yacht? That’s not my style.”

–Lorry I. Lokey

ERIN LUBIN

Jennifer Losch Bartlett ’63

The creator of dynamic paintings that defied easy categorization, Jennifer Losch Bartlett ’63 died on July 25, 2022, in Amagansett, New York. She is survived by a daughter and two sisters.

After graduating from Mills with a bachelor’s degree in studio art, Bartlett went on to Yale, where she earned bachelor’s and master’s of fine arts degrees. Early in her artistic career, she shuttled between the SoHo loft where she settled with late husband Ed, Yale, and the University of Connecticut, where she was teaching. Her time on mass transit prompted the creation of one of the most characteristic materials of her career: steel plates topped with silk screened enamel surfaces, similar to subway signs. A piece incorporating that medium, “Rhapsody,” later became part of the atrium at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Bartlett’s work has been exhibited across the globe, from Documenta in Kassel, Germany, and the Venice Biennale to the Walker Art Museum in Minneapolis, and numerous museums—including SFMOMA—hold pieces of hers in their collections. In a remembrance in The New York Times, Roberta Smith wrote, “Ms. Bartlett was an unrepentant maverick who started out as a fringe member of the post-Minimalist generation, Conceptual Art Division, devising mathematical or geometric systems that she need only execute, without further aesthetic decisions. She characterized this as a ‘What if?’ approach.”

Her experimental methods, which she used in everything from printmaking to jewelry and costume design, were lauded by a wide range of art publications, including Artforum. In 2013, she characterized her process to Julian Elias Bronner from that magazine: “Sometimes the rules change, but I prefer to follow through with them until the end,” she said. “My work is finished when it’s finished, when I finish solving the problem.”

In addition to her visual work, Bartlett also co-wrote A History of the Universe, an autobiographical novel published in 2013.

Judith “Judy” Hadley Depew ’61, August 16, 2022, in Camino, California. She later graduated from Oregon State University but returned to California to start her longtime career in teaching, focusing on the elementary grades. After retiring and moving to the Sierra Foothills, Judy joined with several friends to open Window Box Antiques in Placerville. She also took up painting in her later years, often focusing her artistic talents on renderings of cats. She is survived by her husband, a daughter, and four nieces and nephews.

Rosemary Tourney Brahana ’64 , October 1, 2022, in Fayetteville, Arkansas. She later graduated from the University of Illinois with a biology degree. Rosemary was a stay-at-home mother to her two sons, then went back into science to train and work as a medical technologist. She was well-known for her empathetic nature toward all living creatures, and she loved to travel and enjoy classical music. She is survived by her husband, Van; a sister; two sons; and five grandchildren.

Margot Lind ’66, July 12, 2022, in El Cerrito, California. She left Kansas City to attend Mills and lived the rest of her life on the West Coast. After Mills, Margot was initially a magazine writer and editor, co-authoring the book The California Catalogue with former husband Roger Rapoport, then evolved into positions in tech. Berkeley was her well-loved second hometown; she volunteered with many local organizations, especially those involved with historic preservation, and she explored every inch of Northern California. She is survived by four siblings, two children, and seven grandchildren. 

“Swimmers” by Jennifer Bartlett, displayed at the Russell Federal Building and US Courthouse in Atlanta, Georgia

Carole Romberg ’69, September 2, 2022, in Fairbanks, Alaska. At Mills, she was on crew, and a research trip to Alaska her sophomore year inspired her to make her home there. In Fairbanks, she was a teamster, a reporter, and the supply manager at a local logistics company. Carole’s love of baking earned her the nickname “The Brownie Grandma” throughout Fairbanks, and she was a devoted cyclist, swimmer, and cross-country skier. She is survived by a brother, two nieces, a nephew, and four grandnephews and –nieces.

Pauline Carver Duxbury ’70, July 11, 2022, in Kailua, Hawaii. Her mother and grandmother were both Mills alums. Pauline lived around the world, even moving her family to Paris for a year in the 1980s. Her family notes that she was the ultimate entertainer, cooking up gourmet meals and providing a place at her table and conversation to even the barest of acquaintances. She is survived by two sisters, including Philae Carver Dominick ’69; four daughters; and seven grandchildren.

Angela Coutinho Gracias ’72 , December 25, 2021, in Castro Valley, California. After Mills, she earned a master’s degree in education from what is now Cal State East Bay. She is survived by three daughters.

Kay-Daphne Airola ’74, February 21, 2022, in San Andreas, California. She was a Bent Twig, attending Mills 31 years after mother Helen Drake Airola ’41 graduated. Kay-Daphne later earned a master’s in forensic psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York and worked in an assortment of careers—from behind the scenes on the TV show Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and owning a card shop to mediating for the Calaveras County court system. She is survived by an aunt, two brothers, and many cousins.

Anthony De Bone, MFA ’74, February 6, 2021, in Oakland. He earned his MFA in studio art and later worked for the University of California. He is survived by his wife, Mary.

Gwendolyn Valois ’81, September 5, 2022, in Sebastopol, California. She came to Mills as a resumer after studying opera at the Chicago Conservatory College and coming to Berkeley at the height of the 1960s protest era. After turning her love of poetry and short stories into a Mills degree in English literature, and nearly earning a master’s, she went to Paris to study art and painting. Gwendolyn was still creating art until just a few days before her death. She is survived by her daughter, Jeanne-Cybele Bantowsky Peregrine ’89.

Carolyn Waggoner ’87, August 28, 2022, in Davis, California. She initially came to Davis to earn a PhD in English after graduating from Mills as a resumer. Storytelling was in Carolyn’s blood; she published short stories and a novel, Rhino Dreams, that she wrote with Kathryn Williams. She also loved music, even singing in local opera productions, and her volunteerism for rescue animals led her to her veterinarian husband. She is survived by her husband, Rolf Fecht; mother; sister; niece; nephew; stepson; and stepdaughter.

Ann Henderson, MA ’02 , September 29, 2022, in San Francisco. She came to Mills about 15 years after graduating from Cal, earning her master’s in education and putting it to work as the lead teacher and director at Berkeley’s Child Education Center and a kindergarten teacher at various Oakland schools. Ann also co-wrote the book Pretend Soup and Other Real Recipes: A Cookbook for Preschoolers and Up, which The New York Times called the “gold standard for children’s cookbooks” upon its publication in 1994. She is survived by a sister.

Professor Emerita of Education Jane Bowyer

One of the biggest champions of the Mills School of Education, Jane Bowyer died on August 2, 2022. She is survived by a daughter, Elizabeth Bowyer ’02.

Bowyer, who taught at Mills from 1975 to 2012, played an integral role in the creation of the Mills School of Education— and also took on the role of dean. During her time with the school, she particularly focused on the early childhood education program, elevating it to a place of global renown.

In particular, she built strong relationships with educators in Japan, traveling there often. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Miami University in Ohio and her master’s and PhD at UC Berkeley.

This past spring, Bowyer made a visit to the School of Education with members of her family, and according to former School of Education Dean Wendi Williams, she “looked on proudly seeing colleagues who were ‘still here,’ many of whom she mentored and supported early in their career years.”

After retiring about 10 years ago, Bowyer continued coming to the Mills campus to audit courses in the art department with Professor Yulia Pinkusevich. In the announcement to the campus community about Bowyer’s passing, Pinkusevich reflected on her former student’s creativity:

Faculty & Staff

Gregory Young , former artist-in-residence, July 27, 2022, in San Francisco.

Spouses and Family

James Connick , parent of Debra Connick ’85, September 12, 2022, in Galt, California.

Gordon Johnson, spouse of the late Linda Seebass Johnson ’66, August 29, 2021, in Land O’ Lakes, Wisconsin.

Friends

Margaret “Peggy” Fuerstenau , former Associate Council member, May 30, 2020, in Santa Rosa.

Kari Marboe , June 14, 2022, in Lucas Valley-Marinwood, California.

“ She was never afraid of pushing herself in her art or going beyond her comfort and limitations, and she dedicated herself to her creative practice in painting and drawing throughout her later years, having several exhibitions of her work locally and beyond.”

YOU’D PROBABLY RECOGNIZE HER VOICE

BY AMANDA LOUDIN

WHILE JESSICA WEBNER HANSEN ’96 has a long, accomplished background in acting, it’s her voice that landed her in the recent film Tár, starring Cate Blanchett. And she owes that opportunity to the fact that every week, some 26 million people hear Hansen’s smooth, resonant voice via her job as NPR’s funding credits announcer.

If you regularly tune into your local public radio station, you’ve undoubtedly heard Hansen list the sponsors of familiar shows such as Fresh Air and All Things Considered. Her long, winding road— from professional voice actor, coach (including to NPR’s team), and actress to co-founder of DC’s Lean & Hungry Theater—wasn’t the career trajectory she initially expected, but one that was perhaps tailor-made for her. After graduating from Mills, she moved to Washington, DC to live near her father. “He took me to an acting conservatory, which led to some acting classes,” she says. “A few years later, I moved to Minneapolis and a series of jobs, acting in community theater [productions] at night.”

A friend suggested Hansen consider a master’s degree in acting, which she then pursued at Brandeis University near Boston, graduating in 2005. It’s the combination of her experience at both schools that prepared her for her career, Hansen says. “Grad school was rigorous and demanding, but it was my time at Mills that prepared me to transition to adulthood,” she says. “I felt nurtured and challenged by professors, who were interested in me becoming my best version of myself.”

With this solid foundation, Hansen had the confidence needed to perform on stages across the country, as well as on television. Her credits include guest-starring roles on NBC’s Parks & Recreation and HBO’s Veep, as well as parts in independent films and commercials.

It was Hansen’s voice, however, that led her to NPR. “Through Lean & Hungry Theater, we created audio versions of Shakespeare and other classics on school reading lists,” she explains. “I worked with WAMU, the local NPR station, to air a show, and one thing led to another.”

Hansen began a six-month contract voicing funding credits for NPR’s podcasts and online presence some eight years ago, and after that, her role kept expanding. “I never considered this as a career, but when the opportunity came up, I discovered that I loved working with the people of NPR,” she says.

Like many fields, Hansen’s changed with the onset of the pandemic. “All my work was suddenly online,” she says, “and that led me to be creative about how to coach people to use their voices.”

With that evolution, Hansen decided to move to part-time with NPR, allowing her to focus more on voice coaching and voiceovers. She works with entrepreneurs, executives, students, and more, helping them expand their voices for podcasts, live events, interviews, or any professional speaking. Underneath it all, she credits her time at Mills. “My time there was magical,” she says.

Jessica Webner Hansen ’96 may not be a household name, but millions of people hear her on NPR every week.

AAMC Mission/Purpose Preference Survey Results

As of November 4, 505 alumnae had responded to the AAMC’s outreach efforts. This informal poll showcased a near tie between Options 1 and 2. Feedback was thoughtful and extensive, and this pie chart shows only high-level results. More detailed results are available online. No matter which preference they voted for, these commonalities surfaced as desired goals for the AAMC:

• Scholarships: The top activity alumnae want the AAMC to focus on is providing scholarships, with an array of suggestions: to continuing legacy Mills students fitting the traditional

Option 1: Independent/no relationship with Mills at Northeastern (43.8%)

Option 2: Formal relationship with Mills at Northeastern (45.5%)

Total Respondents: 505

FAQ

Q: Does the AAMC own RAH?

221

Mills demographic (women, trans people, non-binary/firstgeneration students, non-traditional aged students).

• Keeping Reinhardt Alumnae House (RAH) is very important: Many alumnae voted for Option 2 because it included keeping RAH and a presence on campus. Some Option 1 voters said they would still want to keep RAH, if possible.

• Preserve Mills history/name/campus: Alumnae stated that they want the AAMC to be instrumental in preserving Mills’ history and the campus along with keeping the Mills name alive.

Option 3: Merge with Mills at Northeastern Office of Alumnae Relations (9.5%) 48 230

No preference but submitted comments (1.2%)

A: No. RAH was built as a gift to Mills College in 1948. Currently, RAH is occupied by the AAMC and Mills College at Northeastern University’s Office of Alumnae Relations. The building itself is now owned by Northeastern University. The 2017 Memorandum of collaboration (MOC) with Mills College guarantees the AAMC’s continued use of the building. Discussions are scheduled with Alumnae Relations to determine the status of the MOC post-merger.

Q: What is the status of the database?

A: Mills College at Northeastern University owns the database of Mills alumnae. While the AAMC originally gathered all the names and contact information (on index cards!) after the AAMC’s incorporation in the 1920s, over the years Mills College worked with the AAMC on a comprehensive database of contact and donor information. With the 2017 Memorandum of Collaboration (MOC), the AAMC and Mills College agreed that “Records of individual alumnae—including paper files, computer files, and archived materials containing contact, biographic, giving, and other information—are assets of the College and the College will provide the necessary resources to preserve them.” Also in the 2017 MOC, Mills College agreed to allow the AAMC continued access to sending emails to alumnae through the College’s system. For the foreseeable future, the AAMC is able to send emails and mailings to these lists, and currently still does (one email per month, postal mailings paid for by the AAMC).

Starting in 2021, the AAMC created its own database to communicate more regularly, independently of the College. This database currently has about 5,300 contacts. The database is called

Giveffect; it is a CRM with strong fundraising and communications tools. Approximately 12,000 alumnae were contacted by Mills College at Northeastern University asking the alumnae to opt in to the AAMC database. Approximately 2,600 alumnae responded and 96.9% agreed to release their information. We were due to receive that data by the end of 2022. Alumnae can add themselves to the AAMC’s independent database at any time by visiting aamc-mills .org/update-contact-info.

Q: What does a “living presence” on campus mean?

A: Generally, a living presence means that AAMC’s activities would take place on campus rather than elsewhere and that our activities promote and preserve the legacy of Mills College and what a Mills College education stands for. This means the continued use of RAH by the AAMC. The AAMC could also continue some activities in relation to students who attend Mills College at Northeastern University.

Q: What would happen to the AAMC’s assets under a new direction?

In order to remain a 501(c)(3) and in control of our assets, the AAMC must remain a charitable organization, no matter what direction is taken. The AAMC’s Articles of Incorporation state that the AAMC “promotes the interests of Mills College, maintain among the graduates a spirit of fellowship and service, for scholarships in Mills College and for the benefit of Mills College.” We recognize that Mills College as we knew it no longer exists; however, we remain required to use our assets for a charitable purpose closely aligned to our mission and purpose.

For a full FAQ, visit aamc-mills.org.

Mills Quarterly

Mills College at Northeastern University 5000 MacArthur Blvd. Oakland, CA 94613-1301

510.430.3312 quarterly@mills.edu www.mills.edu

AAMC Travel

2023

Mexico

Discover the vibrant culture and impressive history of Mexico’s Yucatán on this first-class small-group adventure! Spend seven nights in colorful Mérida, a colonial-era beauty, and explore the magnificent Mayan cities of Chichén Itzá and Uxmal, the golden city of Izamal, and the Celestún Estuary, home to flocks of bright pink flamingos! Savor delectable cuisine, traditional music and dancing, and a fun excursion of your choice in Mérida. Includes expert guides and lecturers. No single supplement!

Morocco and Canary Islands

Explore the stunning natural beauty of the Canary Islands and treasures of the rose-pink cities of Morocco on this one-of-a-kind journey, featuring scenic coastlines and idyllic ports rarely visited by larger vessels. Visit La Palma’s Mirador de la Concepción for spectacular views of Caldera de Taburiente. Discover iconic Casablanca and enjoy full-day excursions to the island of Tenerife and Teide National Park, the 1,000-year-old city of Marrakesh and the ancient city of Fez. Enhance your journey with the Las Palmas Pre-Program Option and/or the Casablanca Post-Program Option.

For more information, including a full itinerary for this and other planned trips for 2023, please visit the AAMC travel program web page at alumnae.mills.edu/travel.