2025 Newcomb Institute Magazine

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A Message from Newcomb Institute’s

Dear Friends,

As we mark the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, this special edition of Newcomb magazine offers a blend of personal stories, research insights, and forwardlooking analysis to reflect on Katrina’s legacy and the ongoing work that continues in its wake.

While preparing this issue, we acknowledged the wide range of emotions and memories Katrina evokes. For those who

lived through the disaster, it stirs painful and traumatic recollections. For others, it’s a time to reflect on how far we’ve come since August 29, 2005. It’s one of those events where you remember exactly where you were when it struck — or still find yourself wondering how you got through it. At Newcomb Institute, we are deeply proud of the collective recovery efforts made by so many, and how they achieved it together, in the best way they knew how.

In this issue, we highlight the efforts of the “Dirty Dozen,” a group of alumnae who bonded over a shared mission to volunteer and rebuild houses in New Orleans. Their initiative not only helped restore homes but also fostered deep, lifelong friendships. We also feature alumna, Allison Shapiro Dandry (NC ’03, G *06, B *16), who, inspired by the devastation, shifted her career path to create a foundation dedicated to providing community support through hot meals for those in crisis.

We reflect on the resilience demonstrated by our students, many of whom were in college at the time. They share how experiencing Katrina firsthand shaped their lives and careers, and how the disaster solidified their commitment to making meaningful contributions to their communities.

Through data-driven research, we explore the link between climate disasters and the increased risk of domestic violence in our city and state. These studies underscore the need for targeted response efforts and initiatives to address the most pressing challenges faced by our most vulnerable populations.

We are especially grateful to Beth Willinger, former executive director of what was once known as the Newcomb College Center for Research on Women, for sharing a personal account of how the Newcomb Archives survived the floodwaters. The Newcomb Archives, which have grown in significance since Katrina, now

serve as a vital resource, with enhanced protective measures in place to preserve the history of Newcomb College and the legacy of women in the Gulf South.

What we know for certain is that women were — and remain — at the heart of New Orleans’ resilience after Hurricane Katrina. But rebuilding and continuing to thrive takes the efforts of all of us, working together, to ensure the success of our community for years to come.

Sincerely, Anita Raj,

Tulane

Professor, Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health, Tulane University

Nancy Reeves Dreux Chair of Women and Public Health

Executive Director

Anita Raj, PhD

Managing Editor

Toria Smith

Editor

Beena Thannickal

Graphic Designer

Tara Brown (SOPA ’20)

Contributors

Julie Henriquez Aldana, PhD

Charles Buchanan

Bernadette Floresca

Lillian Foster (SLA ’27)

Rebecca O’Malley Gipson (SOPA ’21)

Elyse Harrison

Maggie Herman (PHTM ’15)

Emily Kreller (SLA ’26)

Mary-Elizabeth Lough

Anita Raj, PhD

Jessica Scully

Mary Sparacello

Susan Tucker, PhD

Beth Willinger, PhD

Photography

Carrie Chrisco

Allison Shapiro Dandry (NC ’03, G *06, B *16)

Cheryl Gerber

Kenny Martinez

Rebecca O’Malley Gipson (SOPA ’21)

Rick Olivier

Tamara Reynolds

Julie Qiu (SLA ’o7)

Newcomb Archives and Nadine Robbert Vorhoff (NC ’41) Collection

Tulane University

NEWCOMB is published by Newcomb Institute of Tulane University.

Address all inquiries to Newcomb Magazine

Newcomb Institute | Tulane University

Malkin Sacks Commons, Suite 301 43 Newcomb Place, New Orleans, LA 70118

Phone: 1-800-504-5565

NEWCOMB is an annual production of the Newcomb Institute and the Newcomb Alumnae Association. To print a PDF version, visit newcomb.tulane.edu

NEWCOMB is supported by income from interest-bearing endowed funds at the Newcomb Institute, including the Newcomb Alumnae Periodical Fund, established through the kindness of Ann Hodge Macomber (NC ’47).

The H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College Institute (Newcomb Institute) continues the legacy of the first coordinate women’s college in the United States. Newcomb Institute at Tulane University is a preeminent academic leader in the Gulf South focused on cutting-edge gender equity research, training the next generation and creating change with action.

special issue of NEWCOMB reflects on two decades of resilience, featuring stories of how Newcomb Institute and its community preserved feminist history, supported recovery efforts and reimagined their mission in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. From archival activism to community leadership, we honor the past while looking ahead.

Cover features a sunset view of downtown New Orleans, photographed from the uptown campus of Tulane University on July 24, 2025. Photography and design by Rebecca Gipson (SOPA ’21).

To make a gift, visit giving.tulane.edu/nci

A Message from Newcomb Alumnae Association President

Dear Fellow Alums,

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina — an anniversary that calls us to remember, to reflect and to honor the strength and resilience of our Newcomb community.

Over the past several months, I’ve spent time listening to alums who lived through those harrowing days in August 2005.

Many have shared stories of evacuation and uncertainty, of loss and rebuilding, of returning to a changed New Orleans. What I’ve heard most often is not just sorrow, but strength. Again and again, Newcomb alums rose to the moment — caring for loved ones, organizing mutual aid, rebuilding homes and institutions and speaking up for a better, more equitable city.

Katrina was a defining moment. It marked the end of Newcomb College as a coordinate college of Tulane, a loss that still stirs deep feelings for many. And yet, it also marked the beginning of something new: the founding of Newcomb Institute. Created to honor and carry forward the values at the heart of the Newcomb experience — leadership, service, feminist learning, and community — Newcomb Institute has, over the past 19 years, supported thousands of students in their personal and academic growth. It is not a replacement for what was lost but a legacy in motion.

I am one of those students. Newcomb Institute invested in

me, challenged me and helped me find my voice as a leader. It gave me the confidence to step into public service and pursue a career in policy. Through Newcomb Institute, I found community, mentorship and purpose — and I feel deeply connected to the spirit of Newcomb and the generations of women who came before me.

At the same time, we recognize that legacy and loss can coexist. For many alums, Newcomb College was not just a school but an identity. While the Newcomb Institute continues its important work, we know there is still yearning for deeper connection to the history, rituals and sense of belonging that Newcomb College once provided. Your memories, your stories and your continued involvement help us honor that past while shaping the future.

Today, we continue to grow and evolve as a community. Whether through book clubs, Newcomb Networking Night, city-based meetups, our beloved Under the Oaks ceremony or other initiatives, we are finding ways to

Newcomb Alumnae Association Board of Directors

gather, to reflect and to support one another.

As we reflect on the 20 years since the storm, I invite you to share your stories — of hardship, of healing and of how Newcomb shaped the way you moved through that time. We want to honor your experience, learn from it and carry it forward. It’s through this intergenerational community — one rooted in compassion, strength, and shared purpose — that I’ve come to better understand what it means to be a Newcomb alum.

Whatever your path since graduation, the Newcomb Alumnae Association is your home. A space of memory and momentum. A space where your story matters.

Warmly, Maggie Herman (PHTM ’15) President Newcomb Alumnae Association

Maggie K. Herman (PHTM ’15)

President

Andi Schippert Richardson (NC’99)

Immediate Past President

Tammy Thaggert, MD (NC ’91)

Vice President of Alumnae

Julia Ann Broussard (SLA ’10)

Vice President of Students

Chelsea Balch Cipriano (SLA ’10, PHTM *11)

Secretary

Heather Yanak (NC ’97)

Treasurer

Amie E. Hurst Adams (NC ’92)

Tara M. Auclair (NC ’96)

V. Claire Breedlove (NC ’05, SW *21)

Allison Hillman Buchalter (NC ’92 )

Kelsey R. Casano (SLA ’15 )

Kim Frusciante (NC ’05 )

Sam Burns Goldstein (NC ’04 )

Lauren E. Gaines (SLA ’20, SoPA *23)

Isabella F. Johnson (SSE ’19, SSE *20)

Rachael Kennedy Kuntz (NC ’98)

Sharan Lieberman (NC ’99, L *02)

Alyssa Dausman Lovelace, PhD (NC ’97)

Clare E. Owensby (SLA ’11 )

Jasmine M. Robinson (SSE ’09, SCS *12 )

Lauren M. Wethers (SLA ’15, SLA *16)

Senior

Lindsey Purcell Director of Development, Individual Giving

Elyse Harrison
Program Manager for Newcomb Alumnae Relations

Rebuilding New Orleans after Katrina The Dirty Dozen:

WhenHurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, a dozen Newcomb College alumnae felt called to help. It all began when Cheryl Josephs Zaccaro (NC ’69), a retired occupational therapist, signed up with Habitat for Humanity in February 2006. Moved by the scale of the need in New Orleans, she returned that December — and brought along some of her Sigma Delta Tau sorority sisters.

What began as a single week of service became a yearly tradition.

Rachelle Galanti Parker (NC ’69) remembers how unusually chilly that first December, 2006, in New Orleans felt. Many of the women hadn’t reunited in years, but they joined forces and rolled up their sleeves to rebuild together. “We came together, and honestly, it became a team effort,” said Parker, now a retired elementary school principal from New York City.

The group included mostly alumnae from the class of 1969 (with a few from 1971), representing different schools and majors. They came from across the United States and worked in various careers, including teaching, social work, law, communications,

–Rachelle Galanti Parker (NC ’69) “
I have never been a person who’s done physical work around houses. But that was, for me, so exciting. I learned to paint. I learned to get up on roofs and climb ladders.

finance and marketing. Some still held full-time jobs, while others had retired. They were on different paths with distinct personalities, but they came together for the greater good.

Their efforts not only supported the city’s recovery but also rekindled lifelong friendships. “This reawakened our love for the city,” said Janis Dropkin Smythe (NC ’69), now a retired commercial music producer living in Florida. “Some of the women I hadn’t seen between graduation and Katrina — now I see them all the time.”

The New Orleans that the women arrived at that first December when they volunteered — more than a year after Hurricane Katrina — was in full recovery mode, with many New Orleanians still displaced, living in other cities or in FEMA trailers. Entire neighborhoods were still deserted and showed visible standing floodwater marks.

Under Habitat for Humanity’s training, the Newcomb alumnae pitched in fully: hammering nails, sawing wood, spackling walls, building chain-link fences, installing siding and cabinets and more.

Before 2006, Parker said she had little experience with house construction, which made the physical labor deeply meaningful. “I have never been a person who’s done physical work around houses. But that was, for me, so exciting. I learned to paint. I learned to get up on roofs and climb ladders.”

They became known as the “Dirty Dozen,” a nickname coined by a journalist in a 2011 Reader’s Digest article that chronicled their work. Their dedication and spirit caught national attention, earning them a spot on “The Queen Latifah Show” in 2013.

The first Habitat home they worked on belonged to Kewanda Baxter, a single mother of three whose house in New Orleans East had been destroyed by Katrina. Now living in Musicians’ Village in the Upper Ninth Ward, Baxter became a friend. The alumnae have stayed connected with her for 19 years, gathering for dinners when they’re in town, and Carolyn “Puddin” Brown Cox (NC ’71) has kept the bond strong: if Baxter needs support — repairs to her kitchen, tutoring for the children — Baxter reaches out to Brown, who rallies the alumnae network to help.

Shala Carlson (NC ’93), a member of the Newcomb Institute Director’s Advisory Council and Habitat for Humanity International’s senior director of brand and content strategy, is inspired by the group’s long-time dedication, which she says is essential to the survival of cities that experience disaster.

“It’s easy in the immediate aftermath [of a disaster] because you see it everywhere, and you want to stand up and do something. But these are people who have committed over the long term to keep coming back. I love that they love New Orleans enough to want to come back and do this, and that Habitat could provide the forum for them to do that in a really meaningful way.”

The recovery of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina would not have been possible without the help of volunteers, like the Dirty Dozen, who came from across the country and around the world. From gutting homes to rebuilding entire neighborhoods, volunteers played a vital role in helping the city rebound. Most of the alumnae are now in their late 70s, and while they may spend less time wielding hammers, they continue to return to New Orleans regularly — supporting local businesses, catching up over long meals, and deepening friendships that began more than 50 years ago. Their commitment to the city — and to each other — remains as strong as ever.

The Dirty Dozen was featured in Reader's Digest in 2011.

Their shared history, forged in Newcomb’s all-women dorms and sorority life, grew even stronger through the experience of giving back. “It definitely deepened and enriched my friendships,” Parker said. “We love each other, and I have to say that it was Newcomb College that created that bond.”

Smythe said that giving back sparked something lasting: many of the women now visit New Orleans more often, not just for the volunteer trip. She herself comes several times a year. “It’s almost like a second home. It’s become more a part of my life than it was before Katrina.”

For Parker, too, her connection to New Orleans and Newcomb has grown stronger. She became a member of Newcomb Institute’s Director’s Advisory Council four years ago, and she hosts Newcomb students and alumnae in her New York City home. “I love New Orleans more.” She now has another personal tie to Tulane — her grandson is a rising sophomore.

Plans are already underway for another return in 2026 — a testament to the friendships they’ve rebuilt and the lasting foundation of love they’ve laid for the city.

Caption for image on page 4: Amy Goldberger, Sandy Daum Berman, Janis Dropkin Smythe, Linda Lewis-Moors, Carol Nathan McKegney, Sydney Fleischer Camp, Sharon Graber Purcel, Cheryl Josephs Zaccaro, Marilyn Zwick Storch, Carolyn "Puddin" Brown Cox, Debbie Brown Britt, and Rachelle Galanti Parker take a break from the construction of a Habitat for Humanity house on Ferry Place in December 2008. It was the group's third rebuilding trip to the city.

Understanding and Preventing Domestic Violence in Climate Disasters

WhenHurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans neighborhoods 20 years ago, newspaper pages and television screens were full of scenes of the immediate damage. But the hurricane’s harms went far beyond the short term.

Within a few years, researchers realized Katrina had contributed to a less visible but very serious and sometimes deadly issue: domestic violence. It continues to be a major problem in Louisiana, and tragically the state has among the country’s highest rates of death from domestic violence.

“Hurricane Katrina illuminated the magnitude of the impact natural disasters and extreme weather events have on our communities, both socially and economically,” said Anita Raj, PhD, executive director of Newcomb Institute at Tulane University.

Research since Katrina both locally and globally has found a link between adverse climate events and domestic violence. In 2010, Tulane University’s Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine professors found higher rates of domestic violence among survivors shortly after the hurricane.

Raj, a professor in the Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, examined domestic violence from a state and local perspective through the 2023 Louisiana Violence Experiences Survey (LaVEX). The study examined the extent and nature of violence in Louisiana, including domestic violence, and how it affects individuals and communities, addressing the gap in data on violence.

The LaVEX study revealed how common domestic violence is in Louisiana and the cost associated with it, with more than one in five Louisiana adults who saw their mother physically abused by a partner when they were a child. It has furnished essential information that’s helped advocates secure better resources for survivors, and it has also provided useful information which can assist further research on violence and serious climate events.

The findings from LaVEX prompted Raj to delve into the connections between adverse climate events and domestic violence. One contributing factor may be higher-than-normal temperatures. “Heat is agitating, and we all get irritated when it’s hot,” she said. “Higher temperatures can make domestic violence incidents more likely and exacerbate them. What starts as pushing can lead to a woman feeling more threatened, or a child is threatened, and she calls the police,” she said. Raj notes that research indicates that pushing or shoving can escalate to more violent attacks.

Extreme weather events can be major disruptions, and certain experiences can be associated with added stressors, including economic stress. For example, Raj noted that heavy rains are

common in the state. If heavy rains cause flooding, getting to work, school, or other destinations can be stressful. And if the rains lead to power outages, then that can cause financial stress.

“When the power goes out, there goes all your food. It may have cost hundreds of dollars, and people don’t have the funds to replace it,” she said.

Adverse climate events can create other sources of stress, Raj said. People may be isolated in their homes without enough food or water to weather an emergency. In extreme events like Katrina, they may be displaced for months or years from their neighborhoods and support systems and in unfamiliar surroundings.

“By themselves, heat and stress shouldn’t make someone lash out at a partner. But when taking out anger on someone else has been normalized, heat and stress make that more likely, and that seems to be the case for many families in Louisiana,” she said.

In a 2023 article co-authored by Raj, she analyzed domestic violence 911 calls in New Orleans from January 1, 2011, to July 1, 2023. Her findings showed a steady increase in calls every year from April to August, coinciding with hotter months that brought more rain and frequent power outages. These periods also experienced temperatures and rainfall above historical averages.

In a new article published in JAMA Network Open this August, Raj’s study reveals that these domestic violence calls surged during extreme heat events, with the most significant rise, 7 percent, occurring during heatwaves lasting five days or more.

“We continue to see adverse climate events correlated with increases in domestic violence for our city, and it’s something we have to recognize, think about, and address,” Raj said.

In 2026, Raj and other researchers at the Institute will study calls in southeastern Louisiana to a social services resources line and a suicide and crisis line during extreme heat and rain.

“With all of our research, our goal is to democratize data. Once we collect it, we make it freely available to everyone,” she said. “We want to provide information that’s useful to Louisiana. Ultimately, we hope this work helps support preparedness and response efforts and identify areas of greater need.”

Louisiana’s safety net for domestic violence survivors has historically been poorly funded and resourced, said Mariah Wineski, executive director of the Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence, which is a community partner of the Institute.

The Coalition has tracked requests the state received for shelter but couldn’t meet, Wineski said. It found over 2,500 unmet requests each year.

“That’s terrifying when you think of the situation that somebody is in and the amount of bravery it takes to even make a phone call, just to find that no help is available,” she said.

Wineski had long worked with another advocate for survivors, Charmaine Caccioppi, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the United Way of Southeast Louisiana, and another one of Newcomb Institute’s community partners, on getting state funding for survivor services.

To support their case, Caccioppi asked Raj if she could calculate how much domestic violence costs the state annually. Raj and her research team determined it was a staggering amount: $10.1 billion in medical expenses, lost productivity and criminal justice costs.

“That calculation validated our point that if the state didn’t make these investments, the increased need would just fall on the shoulders of local governments and the federal government,” Caccioppi said.

The state government recently renewed $7 million in annual funding for domestic violence services for a third year. That has meant major improvements for survivors, according to Wineski. Existing shelters have been renovated with family rooms and more beds, five new shelters have been built and 11 outreach offices offering a range of services for survivors have opened around the state.

For Raj, providing the information that helped make those improvements possible was “truly one of the things I’m most proud of in my career,” she said. “It’s my sweet spot when we can produce the data people need to fight for resources for these issues.”

Charting a New Course after Katrina

Allie Shapiro Dandry (NC ’03, G *06, B *16) is proud of her philanthropic work with the Krispy Krunchy Foundation.

Carewas always on the menu for Allison Shapiro Dandry (NC ’03, G *06, B *16).

She came to Newcomb College with a history of volunteering under her belt and a plan to head to medical or veterinary school after graduation. At Newcomb, she swiftly found herself in a community of like-minded peers.

Shapiro Dandry completed her BS in neuroscience in 2003, continuing on for her MS in the field. When Hurricane Katrina made landfall in 2005, she was able to evacuate to California but the devastation of the storm changed everything.

“Katrina changed a lot for me. I didn’t end up going to medical school. I totally changed what I wanted to do. You want to get out and see the world and [after Katrina] I really just wanted to come back and make New Orleans better,” recalled Shapiro Dandry. She described her path as having been a winding one. While she didn’t end up becoming a doctor, her journey led her to a career that was profoundly impactful — both personally and professionally. Today, she remains dedicated to making New Orleans a better place.

The storm impacted her family’s business as well. Her father, Dan Shapiro, was an owner and executive vice president of Krispy Krunchy Chicken. When the storm hit, most of the stores were lost. The family was ultimately able to keep Krispy Krunchy operational through the kindness of vendors and even strangers. It was an impactful moment — one that helped set the brand, and later her, on a new course.

“It inspired us,” said Shapiro Dandry. The kindness and generosity they experienced transformed into a powerful source of motivation for her and her family, prompting Krispy Krunchy Chicken to develop a food truck program that could swiftly mobilize to bring hot meals to communities affected by natural disasters including hurricanes, tornadoes and fires.

Krispy Krunchy now had the capacity to mobilize their food truck and provide thousands of hot meals a day to families in the wake of a disaster, staying up to two weeks if needed and going directly to where support is needed most. In addition to natural disasters, the organization delivered more than 20,000 free meals to communities affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We could get into what Katrina taught us about what not to do, but we just looked at it and thought, ‘You know what — what can we do to be better?’”

Shapiro Dandry joined Krispy Krunchy in 2011 as director of communications and technology and in 2023 became executive

“ This foundation isn’t just an extension of our family’s values — it’s personal for me. I grew up understanding the importance of community investment, and this foundation is an opportunity to directly influence meaningful change in the city we love.”

director and board president of the Krispy Krunchy Foundation, leading its transition to an independent, New Orleans-centric nonprofit.

This July, Shapiro Dandry and her family took their commitment to the community to the next level. After raising nearly a million dollars collectively through their private and business efforts, the family officially launched the Shapiro Family Foundation. Their new foundation aims to create lasting positive change throughout New Orleans by addressing disparities in hunger relief and education access and equity. The foundation builds partnerships with local nonprofits that have deep connections to the community, helping to expand their reach, strengthen their programs and ultimately create lasting positive change throughout New Orleans.

Shapiro Dandry will also serve as the foundation’s executive director. “This foundation isn’t just an extension of our family’s values — it’s personal for me. I grew up understanding the importance of community investment, and this foundation is an opportunity to directly influence meaningful change in the city we love.”

Though Shapiro Dandry’s career is altogether different than what she first envisioned, she credits Newcomb as an essential part of her journey. Today she remains deeply connected through her ongoing work as a member of the Newcomb Alumnae Association Board of Directors.

“The education was wonderful but also learning from my cohort and those around me, Newcomb grads and Newcomb students, was wonderful. The people that you meet through [Newcomb] are some of the most understanding and caring. I know that I graduated with a better understanding of togetherness and giving back from a lot of the service learning projects, the forward thinking of professors, and some of the discussion topics.”

“[At Newcomb] you learn more about who you want to be — not even a career — what kind of person you want to be. Newcomb really helped shape that in me.” It’s a quality that Shapiro Dandry sees thriving at Newcomb Institute.

“Obviously, we’re in a new world, but there is still that sense of understanding, of wanting to learn and grow and figure out how we can be of best assistance. What I saw and what I see now are still the same vein of togetherness and giving back.”

The Newcomb Archives Pre-and Post-Katrina: SAVING NEWCOMB ARCHIVES

Beth Willinger, PhD, executive director of Newcomb College Center for Research on Women from 1982-2007, shares her first-person account of saving the Newcomb Archives in the days after Hurricane Katrina, with reflections from Susan Tucker (NC ’72), archivist from 1989 to 2015.

OnSeptember 8, 2005, with the help of a neighbor, I made my way to Caroline Richardson Hall across a flooded, eerily quiet campus in a pirogue. Time was short because the pass into the city allowed for a stay of only five hours. I quickly grabbed my computer from my office, observed that the second floor showed no visible damage and then reluctantly unlocked the door to the first floor Seltzer-Gerard Reading Room and Newcomb Archives. Before evacuating, we had hung plastic sheeting over bookcases and removed materials from bottom shelves. It was immediately evident that no amount of planning could have foreseen the damage caused by the rush of water following Hurricane Katrina.

Susan made her way to campus on September 11, also a trip limited by city pass regulations. By then, the water was no longer deep but little fish swam in the remaining flood water on Newcomb Place. Going into the Reading Room,

Susan found what I had seen: shelves toppled, water-soaked books and boxes and mold beginning its run up the walls. The Katrina stench was pervasive. We began then to ask for help, writing to the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) for a Disaster Recovery Grant.

The Newcomb Archives were established in 1989 with a grant from the National Historical and Preservation Society to preserve the history of Newcomb College as the first coordinate college for women in the United States. Then Congresswoman Lindy Boggs, (NC ’35), was instrumental in our securing the grant. In the 15 years leading up to Katrina, Susan and other archivists had written our collection development policy to emphasize materials on the history of women at Newcomb College and Tulane University, the

The Newcomb Archives were housed in a warm and cozy space.

education of women in the American South and women activists in the state.

Some of the collections about these subjects were the ones we had to lift from the wet floors. By October 6, when Uptown was opened to residents, Susan was allowed to work alongside the University-contracted property restoration company, Belfor, in removing everything from the Reading Room. At least three huge yellow pipes poured air into the building, but all was dark and still mold grew everywhere. Susan and some 30 men removed and wiped down every book and box showing any damage or wetness. Some materials were sent to storage in New Orleans, others to be freeze dried and pressed in Texas. I spent a day at Belfor’s Technical Service Center in Fort Worth

identifying materials that were valuable enough to warrant the next stage of intensive treatment. The majority of those documents and materials were recovered and came back to us in February 2006.

While the storm brought a new realization of the fragility of paper, it also highlighted the need for and importance of feminist research and activism. We received overwhelming support from so many individuals and groups including the Zale Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the Southern Archivists Association, Southeastern Library Association and student volunteers from the University of Michigan. Donations to the archives increased.

Our Katrina Research Group published “Katrina and the Women of New Orleans,” a collection of reports relating to the status of women, domestic violence, LGBTQ+

After August 29, 2005, water damage was visible on many archival materials and all furniture in the space.

considerations, housing, health and power. City-wide efforts such as Women of the Storm and Levee.org showcased the leadership of women in disaster recovery. Their papers, now in the archives, have allowed others to study a different approach to disaster recovery and leadership.

There followed more building renovations and disaster planning that could serve as models for others. For example, Susan’s grant to the NEH provided for a new HVAC system to better control the temperature of the holdings, while the University invested in a new roof. Then with the closing of Newcomb College in 2006, interest focused on the history of Newcomb College and its alumnae, making these collections even more valued.

In many ways, we’ve thought of the creation of Newcomb Institute as representative of the acorns that both disappeared and emerged from Katrina. My time at Tulane ended in 2010 and Susan’s in 2015. We have watched

with admiration how Newcomb Institute has expanded definitions of equity from some of those issues made more apparent in the aftermath of Katrina: intimate partner violence, childcare, women’s economic insecurity, leadership and reproductive health. Like the flood water that came suddenly and receded slowly, the concerns and barriers women face today will lessen only from a commitment to justice such as that demonstrated by Newcomb Institute.

Beth Willinger and Susan Tucker, 2025.
Archival materials housed in Newcomb's Archives Katrina Collection.

NEWCOMB ARCHIVES TODAY

Bernadette Floresca (SOPA *21), who is the head of archives management and strategies today, outlines the archives’ purpose and provides an overview of its collections.

Newcomb Archives, established in 1989, serves as a repository for diverse materials, including papers, records, photographs, scrapbooks, oral histories and digital files, and also a small, non-circulating special collections library focused on women’s education, sexuality, feminist zines, culinary history and more. All collections are acquired with the goal of documenting the work of past and future gender equity leaders and fostering community engagement. Our focus is always evolving and growing to align with the mission and needs of Newcomb Institute as it travels into the future while maintaining a connection to women’s history in the Gulf South. Many collections found in the Newcomb Archives focus on the historical efforts of local second-wave feminists’ work to protect and advocate for reproductive rights and justice, prevent gender-based violence, and strengthen feminist civic and community engagement through development of leaders and community members as change agents.

The Newcomb Archives Reading Room is located on the third floor of the Malkin Sacks Commons in a beautiful room filled with natural light and space for researchers using archival collections and students seeking a space for concentration and quiet study. The Reading Room

creates access and supports the research and activities of Newcomb Institute. The collection offers primary source materials to students, faculty, staff and administrators, and encourages scholarly and community-based research. Newcomb Archives, in partnership with other special collections and libraries, continues to provide educational support such as research instruction and archival training for students interested in memory-keeping and a more behind-the-scenes approach to research.

What sets Newcomb Archives apart from other archives and special collections is its origin as a feminist-led initiative in the 1980s, aimed at building a community resource to support Newcomb College’s Women’s Studies and Research Center. Its approach to collection development was ahead of its time, utilizing inclusive and ethical practices before they became widespread in the field. Newcomb Archives continues this feminist approach, and in 2024, in partnership with Tulane University Special Collections, produced Tulane University’s first "Inclusive and Reparative Archival Descriptions Guide."

While Newcomb Archives continues to house Newcomb College’s foundational records, it is also dedicated to preserving, expanding access to and broadening the narrative of gender equity in the Gulf South through ongoing community engagement and ethical collection development.

Archivists Ellie Goecken (left) and Bernadette Floresca (SOPA *21) (center) share information with past NAA president, Helene Sheena, MD (NC'87, M*91).
Today, the Newcomb Archives preserves original spirit gear from Newcomb College, including this hat, pennant and patch.

Hurricane Katrina Collections

Along with its vast collection of second-wave feminists’ works that focus on social and reproductive justice, the Newcomb Archives also contain several collections that document the history of Hurricane Katrina.

These include:

1. Hurricane Katrina Collection (NA-098)

2. Levees.org records (NA-027)

3. Diana Pinckley papers (NA-135)

4. Women of the Storm records (NA-020)

5. Patricia “Patsy” Freeland papers (NA-401)

6. Parr, Leslie (Sugar Cane) papers (NA-421)

7. Dora Bonquois Ellis Papers (NA-104)

8. Newcomb Women’s Stories from the Storms: Hurricanes Research Project 2006 (NA424)

9. Phyllis Parun papers (NA-202)

10. Citizens for 1 Greater New Orleans (NA-045)

11. Beth Willinger papers (NA-067)

12. Montine McDaniel Freeman Collection (NA-412)

13. Gulf Coast Womyn’s Festival booklet (NA-334)

14. Newcomb College Office of the Dean Records (NA-008)

15. Box 2: Charity Hospital, 1947-2011 (NA-490)

For more information about Newcomb Archives collections, scheduling an appointment or hours of operation please contact newcombarchives@tulane.edu.

Newcomb College cardigan
Rachael Kuntz (NC ’98) and Emily Greenfield (NC ’98, L *03) examine a yearbook housed in the Newcomb Archives.
Buttons in support of Newcomb College, post-Katrina.

Finding Inspiration in the Aftermath: Four Alumnae Share How Hurricane Katrina Shaped Their Lives and Careers

Acouple of months after Katrina, Julie Qiu (SLA ’07, *08) and her roommates were given 24 hours to pack a minivan with belongings before the landlord evicted everyone from the apartment building. Some people would take that as a sign to leave for good, but Qiu never considered it.

“Rebuilding my community felt akin to rebuilding myself,” Qiu said. She recalled feeling isolated in the fall of 2005 while attending a university in her hometown of Memphis, Tennessee. But in New Orleans, “I didn’t need to create context for difficult emotions [because] we were all going through it together.”

After graduating with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English literature, Qiu taught in China and worked in New York City and Delaware. In 2019 she returned to New Orleans, where she said she feels whole. Experiencing Katrina “opened a level of compassion and empathy I wanted to pursue in all parts of my life,” she explained. “I wanted to surround myself with people who cared.” As Newcomb Institute’s program manager for community engagement, Qiu takes inspiration from the ways local neighborhoods looked after residents and led rebuilding efforts after the storm. Trusting community leaders leads to social transformation, she said. “Community engagement empowers . . . people to address their community needs as they know best.”

“Katrina is 100 percent responsible for my career choice,” said Meredith Beers, PhD (PHTM ’11, *16), Tulane University’s associate director for emergency preparedness and response, who initially had planned on becoming a trial attorney. She was an orientation team leader setting up for move-in day when the campus evacuated, and she spent that fall volunteering with Tulane’s administration, which had relocated to Houston near Beers’ family home. She answered phones, made copies and “learned so much that semester about leadership, decision making and how to recover from an unprecedented disaster,” she recalled.

Inspired by that experience, Beers graduated with degrees in English and environmental science and ultimately earned a doctorate focusing on disaster management. In 2018 she joined Tulane’s crisis response team, leading efforts targeting hurricanes and the COVID-19 pandemic. Her current role spans emergency management and crisis communications, and involves building relationships with campus and government partners. “My experiences as a student . . . are foremost in my mind when I develop preparedness plans for the university,” Beers said. “[They] also give me the lens of what my parents experienced, which helps me as I develop materials for parents and when I talk to them before, during and after storms.”

Julie Qiu (SLA ’07, *08)
Meredith Beers (PHTM ’11, *16)

Betsy Lopez (SLA ’10, SW *18) was a high school senior in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, when Katrina hit, but the experience of weathering the storm with her family — their evacuation was cut short, and for a week they shared a loaf of bread and leftover cookie cake — shaped her years at Tulane. In 2006, accepted into one of the university’s smallest incoming classes, she joined the service-learning program in its first year to rebuild her home region. “I needed to be part of the community, not just take from it,” said Lopez, who was an environmental sciences major.

Following graduation Lopez worked with nonprofits to rebuild local public schools, train advocates to support children and protect vital records. Discovering that all her jobs pointed back to lessening the hardships that accompany disasters, Lopez returned to Tulane for a master’s degree in disaster resilience leadership. Currently she is manager for crisis and grants management with Deloitte & Touche in New Orleans. Her work focuses on hazard mitigation in communities nationwide.

Lopez also shares her expertise and experiences as an adjunct professor in Tulane’s Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy. One key lesson for students: “True disaster resilience requires community engagement, humility and a commitment to listening and learning from those directly affected.” Otherwise, programs may not reach individuals who need support the most, she said.

Lauren Lee Pettiette Schewel (NC ’09) had just set up her firstyear dorm room when suddenly she found herself back home in Shreveport, Louisiana, and then in Virginia for a semester. But amid that upheaval, she understood how fortunate she was. “[My friends and I] were trying to figure out our education while other people were without food, missing family members . . . and drowning and dying. I realized that educational opportunity and stability was a privilege” — and one dependent upon basic needs being met, she said.

That lesson guided Schewel, an English-creative writing major, to law school and a career blending education, advocacy and justice. As director of alumni engagement for HeartShare St. Vincent’s Services, a New York nonprofit supporting children and families, she leads a network for people who have aged out of foster care. The first-of-its-kind initiative cultivates “lifelong belonging, value, well-being, stability and purpose” to help alumni face lingering trauma that may limit their opportunities, she explained. Schewel, who lives in Durham, North Carolina, also is board chair for the LIFE Skills Foundation, a nonprofit assisting youth transitioning into adulthood without family or social support, and is an advocate for people with disabilities.

Now a former member of the Newcomb Alumnae Association Board of Directors, Schewel recalled feeling heavy pressure as a student to help restore New Orleans. However, the experience “encouraged me to find my passion for equity, my joie de vivre and kindness in myself and in others,” she said. “There were so many wrongs that happened in Hurricane Katrina,” Schewel said. “[It] made me realize that I need to speak up.”

Betsy Lopez (SLA ’10, SW *18)
Lauren Lee Pettiette Schewel (NC ’09)
Popular student hangout spot, Ted's Frostop Diner on Calhoun Street in New Orleans after the winds died down and before the floodwaters rose.
August 29, 2005, Flickr, Katrina Damage, Kingprince.
Ted's Frostop Diner today, New Orleans, August 10, 2025, Rebecca Gipson.

Newcomb Institute Honored as STAR’s 2024 Champion of Change

Newcomb Institute received Sexual Trauma Awareness and Response’s (STAR) 2024 Champions of Change award.

STAR is a leading nonprofit that is dedicated to supporting survivors of sexual trauma, improving systems response and creating social change to end sexual violence.

STAR’s annual Champions of Change awards honor individuals and groups who have shown steadfast dedication, empathy and support for survivors of sexual assault and trafficking, making a significant impact on their lives. All of the recipients have gone the extra mile in their efforts to continuously promote a culture of healing and empowerment, fight sexual assault, raise awareness, provide essential resources and advocate for a society free from the stigma and trauma linked to this widespread issue.

“We are honored to be recognized among so many amazing individuals and organizations who are truly agents of change, and this is so much more meaningful to us in that we were nominated by one of our valuable community partners, the Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault,” said Dr. Anita Raj, executive director of the Newcomb Institute. “This award validates that Newcomb Institute’s research is making an impact, but more importantly that we are able to work

collectively with advocates and providers to make a true difference within our communities.

“Our research gives us critical insights — not only to better support sexual assault survivors but to advocate for muchneeded funding for public health programs focused on violence prevention with a particular emphasis on youth. Adolescence and young adulthood are stages where we see an alarming rise in violence, and early intervention can make a significant difference,” said Dr. Raj.

“Sexual violence, including harassment as well as assault, is ubiquitous, and increases women’s risk for social, economic and mental health concerns, yet we continue to see these abuses ignored or excused,” Dr Raj said. “Those affected by sexual trauma need to be supported, protected and respected. With improved public awareness of these issues and an increase in resources to support survivors, we can accelerate progress and create change.”

Newcomb Institute, along with the other award recipients, was honored at the Champions of Change Gala on November 6, 2024, in Metairie, Louisiana.

Newcomb Institute received the STAR 2024 Champions of Change Award. From left to right are Morgan Lamandre, STAR president and CEO, Dr. Julie Henriquez Aldana, Dr. Anita Raj, Beena Thannickal and Tulane University Title IX staff, Austen Williams and Kristen Fyanson.

Newcomb Institute’s 2024-2025 Publication Highlights

This list of peer-reviewed publications includes some of our most impactful research from the 2024-2025 academic year.

Are Traditional Honour Ideologies Associated with Fertility Goals and Contraceptive Use? Findings from a CrossSectional Study with a National Sample of Women and Men In Uganda

African Journal of Reproductive Health, July 2025

Arnab K. Dey, Kalysha Closson, Jarrod E. Bock, Ryan P. Brown, Pamela Kakande Nabukhonzo, Wilson Nyegenye, Anita Raj

Feminist Pedagogy for Teaching Online

Athabasca University Press, June 2025

Jacquelyne Thoni Howard, Enilda RomeroHall, Clare Daniel, Niya Bond, Liv Newman

Moving Past a Legacy of Controlling Women: Key Frameworks to Center Women and Girls’ Choice and Agency in Sexual and Reproductive Health Measurement

Studies in Family Planning, July 2025

Christen Dehlendorf, Karen Hardee, Evelyn Opondo, Anita Raj

“I’m No Longer Afraid”: A Qualitative Investigation into the Impact of an Academic Course on Undergraduates’ Perspectives About Sexual Violence

American Journal of Sexuality Education, June 2025

Sydney Mei Sheffield, Jessica L. Liddell, Katherine M. Johnson, Alyssa M. Lederer

The Real Fertility Crisis: The Pursuit of Reproductive Agency in a Changing World

Published by UNFPA, June 2025

Amanda Chatata, Nyovani Madise, Monika Mynarska, Anita Raj, Agnese Vitali, Rebecca Zerzan

In Unity There Is Strength: Songs of Kinship: The Northwest Indian Women's Circle Statement of Purpose, 1981. Journal of Women and Social Movement

June 2025

Amanda Johnson

Medical Providers Require Support and Training for Legislative Testimony about Abortion and High-Risk Pregnancy Care

American Journal of Public Health, May 2025

Clare Daniel, Grace Riley, Anita Raj, Cecilia Gambala

To Curb the Proliferation of Crisis

Pregnancy Centers, End State Grant

Funding

American Journal of Public Health, May 2025

Clare Daniel

Contested Narratives: A Qualitative Analysis of Abortion Testimonies in Louisiana Legislature Frontiers in Global Women’s Health,

April 2025

Martha Silva, Jeni Stolow, Micki Burdick, Amy Mercieca

Recommendations for Measuring

Intimate Partner Violence and Relationship Equity Among Queer and Trans Young Women and Non-Binary

Youth in British Columbia Canada

Journal of Homosexuality, May 2025

Kalysha Closson, Tadiwa Nemutambwe, Zoë

Osborne, Gem Y. Lee, Colby Hangle, Stevie

Thompson, Anita Raj, Angela Kaida

College Students Explain Unsafe Sex: Methodological and Theoretical Contributions to Kaptein and van Helvoort’s Model of Neutralization Techniques

Deviant Behavior, February 2025

Lisa Wade

Psychometric Evaluation of the Desire to Avoid Pregnancy Scale in India

Contraception, May 2025

Sarah Averbach, Nicole E. Johns, Shweta

Tomar, Marielle E. Meurice, Namratha

Rao, Mohan Ghule, Anita Raj

Four-Year Follow-Up of CHARM2, an Effective Family Planning Intervention, on Number and Sex of Births: Findings from an RCT in Rural India

Dialogues in Health, April 2025

Anita Raj, Nicole Johns, Florin Vaida, Ghule, Mohan, Namratha Rao, Jay G. Silverman

Gender Equity within Fertility Change: Is India an Exception? International Journal of Population Issues, February 2025

Kuriath Sebastian James, Ava Attia

Contraceptive Decision-making and Its Association with Contraceptive Use among Married Adolescent Girls in Niger

Reproductive Health, 2/21/2025

Jay G. Silverman, Shweta Tomar, Mohamad I. Brooks, Sani Aliou, Nicole E. Johns, Sneha Challa, Holly Baker Shakya, Sabrina C. Boyce, Anita Raj

A Feminist Scholars Collective Supporting the Growth and Dissemination of a Digital Guide: A Collaborative Autoethnography

The Journal of Electronic Publishing, January 2025

Enilda Romero-Hall, Clare Daniel, Jacquelyne Thoni Howard, Niya Bond, Liv Newman

Validation of a Family Planning SelfEfficacy Measure with Married Women in Bihar, India: Findings from the Bihar Integrated Family Planning Survey

Contraception: X, November 2024

Nandita Bhan, Edwin Elizabeth Thomas, Lotus McDougal, Priya Nanda, Tanmay Mahapatra, Aritra Das, Sweta Kumari, Kalysha Closson, Abhishek Singh, Anita Raj

Patriarchy, Fertility and Excess Female

Child Mortality in India

Spatial Demography, January 2025

Abhishek Singh, Kaushalendra Kumar, Lotus McDougal, Praveen Kumar Chokhandre, Ajeet Kumar Singh, Ashish Kumar Upadhyay, Kuriath Sebastian James & Anita Raj

Hedging: University Responses to the Overturning of Roe in Abortion-Ban States

American Studies with American Studies

International, December 2024

Clare Daniel, Kimala Price

DID YOU KNOW?

Women’s Empowerment, Population Dynamics, and Socioeconomic Development

National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, November 2024

Anita Raj, Susan C. Scrimshaw, et al.

Rapid Surveys on Violence against Women in Crisis Contexts: DecisionMaking Guidance Based on the UN Women Rapid Gender Assessment

Surveys on Violence against Women During COVID-19

The Lancet Global Health, November 2024

Raphaëlle Rafin, Nabamallika Dehingia, Juncal Plazaola-Castaño; Anita Raj

A grand total of $345,818 in direct funding was awarded to faculty to support their research, work with undergraduate and graduate students and special initiatives in the 2024-25 academic year.

❧ Fall 2024: 25 grants awarded, totaling $103,745

❧ Spring 2025: 20 grants totaling $92,073 awarded, including $25,625 in grants from the Skau Fund for Art and Music

❧ Spring 2025: 5 grants totaling $150,000 awarded to support graduate students who had lost federal funding support

Funding an Equitable Future: Newcomb Institute Awards Student Research Grants

Every semester, Tulane University students have the opportunity to apply for Newcomb Institute student research grants. To support its mission of pioneering groundbreaking academic research, the Newcomb Institute funds gender-equity-based undergraduate student research, conference travel and community engagement.

Faye Tobin (SLA ’5, B ’25) , a senior at Tulane majoring in digital media production and business management, utilized Newcomb Institute funding to support her capstone film. Tobin used her experiences as a woman in comedy to curate her capstone film, which took place at an open mic night.

“The world of my film is comedy [...] but the themes are

feminist and encourage women to do something in a maledominated field even though it can be scary. If you do it, it’s not even guaranteed that you’ll get an applause or any sort of validation, but when I’ve done things that put me out of my comfort zone, it is an empowering experience,” said Tobin. Tobin used the grant to compensate the cast and crew and to cover filming location costs. “I was very grateful for everyone who helped, and I wanted to pay them for their time because they were creating my vision,” said Tobin.

Tobin’s film premiered at Prytania Theatre on May 14, 2025.

“I hoped, first and foremost, that [the audience] would laugh because it’s a comedy, but second of all, I hope they take away that uncomfortable experiences are normal and natural,

(LA ’27)
Faye Tobin (SLA ’25, B ’25) used Newcomb funding to support her capstone film.
Nicole Smith-Vaniz (PHTM ’25) attended the 2024 Social AI: Policy Futures workshop at the University of Cambridge to explore the public health and social impact of AI.

and there’s so much value that you can take from putting yourself out there,” said Tobin.

Nicole Smith-Vaniz (PHTM ’25), a senior at Tulane majoring in public health, found value in placing equity at the forefront of the narrative surrounding social Artificial Intelligence (AI) policy. Using Newcomb Institute funding, Smith-Vaniz attended the August 2024 Social AI: Policy Futures workshop at the University of Cambridge.

“It made clear [to me] that the development of AI is a very interdisciplinary field that everyone can contribute to in their own way. It was a worry of mine that because I didn’t have a computer science background, I wasn’t going to be able to make an impact. To know that I was still able to contribute in my own way was really relieving,” said Smith-Vaniz.

Using her knowledge of the public health industry, SmithVaniz highlighted disparities that occur in the implementation of medical AI systems.

“AI is built by taking in data and training itself to answer questions, depending on the model. If the information it’s taking in is riddled with prejudice, it’s going to spit out something with prejudice,” said Smith-Vaniz. “A big problem that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working on is that, historically, straight white males have taken the focus of health studies. A lot of our health data is only fit to be applied to that demographic and shouldn’t be extended to everyone because everybody is different.”

In August 2023, Cristian Toro Meza (SLA ’25) used Newcomb Institute grant funding to conduct four weeks of research in Portugal. The Latin American studies senior engaged with secondary sources not previously available to him to deep dive into Queen Marie Ana of Austria’s transformation of Portuguese culture.

Using his background in music and his knowledge of Latin American studies, Toro Meza investigated Queen Marie Ana’s distinctive impact on music and Portugal’s global connectivity.

“[Queen Marie Ana] modernized the country and introduced opera. There are some operatic works produced in Portugal and important composers who have not been given the opportunity to have a platform,” Toro Meza said.

After being awarded a second grant from the Newcomb Institute in Fall 2024, Toro Meza utilized Rio de Janeiro’s library to study how European-dominated psychiatry in early twentieth-century Brazil generated damaging stereotypes and harmful misinformation about women’s health.

“This idea of women being hysterical has roots in this historical discourse, attributed nowadays to men not understanding the symptoms of women because they are not experiencing them,” said Toro Meza.

Toro Meza hopes to earn a master’s degree and a PhD in Latin American studies while expanding on his research, including his undergraduate honors thesis about the U.S. military intervention of Cuba in 1898.

Cristian Toro Meza (SLA ’25) used Newcomb funding to research how early psychiatry beliefs generated false information about women’s health.

Student Events & the Arts at Newcomb

In August 2024, the Newcomb Peer Mentoring pairs participated in the

pinning ceremony.
Aaliyah Randall (SSE ’23) and Preston Bukaske (SSE ’29) enjoy snowballs at the Newcomb Town Mom social.
Ada Limon, the 2024 Florie Gale Arons Visiting Poet, signs a student’s book after her poetry reading and discussion.
Tulane University Board Chair Carol Lavin Bernick (NC ’74) shared her lessons learned in business, leadership, community building and life at the Rare Connections & Real Conversations event.
Author Casey McQuiston signs a student’s book during their participation in the New Orleans Book Festival.
Newcomb Scholar Lila Duarte (SLA ’27), third from left, poses with her Earth Day Festival team. Duarte received the Class of 2005 Jennie C. Nixon Award and is a founding member of Tulane’s first Earth Day Festival.
Newcomb Scholars and Current Residential Learning Community students attended a reception at Barnard College's Athena Film Festival in New York City.
Students used Newcomb PLEN grants to attend the PLEN Public Policy Seminar in Washington, D.C.
Taryari Jones, the 2025 Zale-Kimmerling Writer-in-Residence, listens to a reader at her book signing.
Laura Osteen, PhD, Assistant Vice President for Campus Life, received the Josephine Louise award at Under the Oaks from Autumn Kranz (SSE ’25), graduating senior, and Newcomb Senate President.
Dr. Aidan Smith recognizes the graduating Newcomb Scholars during the Under the Oaks ceremony.
Newcomb Scholar Ainsley Anderson (SLA ’25) presents her research on gender bias in crossword puzzles at the annual Scholars Symposium.
Newcomb student leaders and interns are honored at the Under the Oaks ceremony.

Conceiving Equity: Roe v. Wade Lecture Featuring Renowned New York Times Journalists Elizabeth Dias and Lisa Lerer

The New York Times journalists Elizabeth Dias and Lisa Lerer discussed their national bestselling book, The Fall of Roe: The Rise of A New America, at Newcomb Institute on April 10 as a part of its 13th annual Conceiving Equity event featuring the Roe v. Wade lecture.

The authors addressed compelling questions about their book, which delved into the political and religious forces behind the anti-abortion movement and exposed eyeopening unknowns from within the White House and the epicenters of reproductive activism.

“Our book braids together two main storylines. We do the investigation into the anti-abortion movement, which is a largely conservative Christian movement that had been working for 50 years and escalating over this last decade to overturn Roe [...] and then also what was going on with abortion rights activists and Democrats during this time,” said Dias, the national religion reporter for The New York Times. “We saw this story that was about the power of belief and the power of denial [so we began] thinking about the psychology of how our politics works and the effect that it has on people.”

New York Times reporters Elisabeth Dias (left) and Lisa Lerer (center) speak at Conceiving Equituy with moderator Kaitlyn Joshua (right).

Lerer, a national political reporter for The Times, explained that the abortion rights movement has historically based its political campaigns on two- and four-year election cycles, while anti-abortion activists tend to formulate strategy on a generational timescale.

“The abortion rights movement [...] historically has had the philosophy that, if they elect more people who support abortion rights, which now are largely Democrats, they will get into office [...] and abortion rights will be safe. The antiabortion movement comes from a really different place. This is a movement that’s rooted in Christian theology. [...] They compare their movement to a civil rights struggle for the lives of what they see as unborn people,” Lerer said.

Lerer also commented that denial in both the Democratic and Republican Party played a major role in the overturning of Roe v. Wade. “Voters simply did not believe that Roe, which was this thing that had been enshrined in American life for two generations, could just disappear. For many voters, it felt like a battle of the past,” Lerer said.

Dias and Lerer traveled to about 15 states and interviewed around 350 people from different backgrounds to get a deeper look into the politics and narratives surrounding the right to an abortion. Between being at a South Dakota Planned Parenthood clinic while the final abortion at the center was performed and spending time at a Catholic antiabortion facility at the very moment that Roe v. Wade was overturned, the authors got an intimate look at the views of real women experiencing pregnancy-related difficulties.

“We never want to lose sight of what’s actually happening. One of the things that we noticed in those stories was just how similar the struggles were of so many of these women, no matter where they ended up going to seek help and the kinds of decisions that they made,” Dias said.

According to Lerer, abortion rights activists are fighting two fronts as they attempt to keep states from passing more restrictive abortion laws while, in tandem, forming a longterm strategy to restore the federal right to an abortion.

“How long would it take to build back some kind of federal right [to an abortion]? Nobody knows. It’s an unanswerable question, but nobody’s saying one year —

we’re talking 10 years, 20 years, and maybe even 50 years. At the same time, they have to fight these state and local battles. [...] They’re working to prevent more states from passing more restrictions and more bans,” Lerer said.

The Fall of Roe: The Rise of a New America was published in June 2024. Dias and Lerer are still working at The New York Times and covering stories on anti-abortion activism, the conservative Christian political movement, elections, and political power.

The Roe v. Wade lecture is part of Newcomb Institute's annual Conceiving Equity event, which also features poster presentations from Newcomb Institute Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights interns.

Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights interns presented research posters of their work with local organizations during the Conceiving Equity event.

Conceiving Equity: Students Showcase Internship Experiences

Autumn Moore (PHTM ’26) speaks to fellow Newcomb students about her internship at 504HealthNet during the Conceiving Equity event.

Justbefore the Roe v. Wade lecture, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights interns at Newcomb Institute presented research posters of their work at local community-based organizations. The program provides students with the opportunity to develop valuable skills and knowledge while working with local nonprofits. Poster presentations showcased students’ internship experiences and analyzed their impact on equity across the Gulf South.

Hannah Levy (SLA ’26), a junior, has interned with New Orleansbased cinematographer Steph Smith, who directed Give Light: Stories from Indigenous Midwives, since January 2024. Working under Smith, Levy conducted research on traditional midwifery and reached out to companies such as Delta Air Lines for sponsorship.

“Everyone at Newcomb Institute is great. We do intern meetings where I get to meet other people, which I really enjoy because we don’t really run in the same circles. I get to hear about others who are passionate about the same things as me that I wouldn’t otherwise meet on campus,” Levy said.

Give Light: Stories from Indigenous Midwives features firsthand accounts of midwives from across the globe. The award-winning documentary has been screened internationally, along with education sessions to boost awareness about midwifery and birthing experiences.

Similarly, sophomore Kenedi Garrett (PHTM ’27) interned with Sista Midwife Productions, a New Orleans-based nonprofit that works to increase the number of Black birth workers, support expectant families and generate a positive shift in the way individuals view midwives and doulas.

“This was my first internship ever, and Newcomb Institute made it so easy for me to get involved with my boss and the rest of the Institute staff. They’ve helped me broaden my knowledge on what reproductive care and reproductive justice looks like,” Garrett said.

While at Sista Midwife Productions, Garrett developed a code of ethics and scope of practice regarding doula reimbursement and aided in the process of sourcing Medicaid reimbursement for doula services.

Newcomb's internship program offers internship opportunities for students each semester and summer term.

The Newcomb Institute Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights program is made possible by the Donna and Richard Esteves Fund for Reproductive Rights and Reproductive Health and the Bonnie and William Chapman Fund for Reproductive Health.

Introducing the 2025 Newcomb Alumnae Association Awards Recipients

Eachyear, the Newcomb Alumnae Association (NAA) honors Newcomb College and Tulane University graduates who have made exceptional achievements in their industries, contributed to their communities, and shown overwhelming dedication to their alma mater. These alumnae have represented Newcomb with distinction since their graduation, and all alumnae are invited to celebrate their achievements during Wave Weekend. The Awards Reception will be Friday, November 14 at 4 p.m.

This year’s recipients are:

Newcomb Alumnae Association Outstanding Alumna Nghana Lewis, PhD (NC ’94)

Dr. Nghana Lewis graduated magna cum laude from Newcomb College with a Bachelor of arts in English in 1994. She is currently a professor of English and Africana Studies, faculty affiliate of the School of Law, and adjunct professor with the Department of Psychology at Tulane. She also serves as a state district judge with Louisiana’s 40th Judicial District Court.

Dr. Lewis’s cross-sectional research and teaching interests include Black literary & cultural studies, Black women’s health, and juvenile justice. She is the author of Entitled to the Pedestal: Place, Race, and Progress in White Southern Women’s Writing, 1920-1945 (2009) and Black Women’s Health in the Age of Hip Hop & HIV/AIDS: A Narrative Remix (2025); she is also a founder and co-organizer of the Black Women’s Health Conference Task Force at Tulane University, which biennially convenes the Black Women’s Health Conference.

In 2021, Dr. Lewis launched the Literacy Clinic, a court-based preventionintervention program that supports literacy education for adults and youth involved in Louisiana’s criminal and juvenile legal systems and for families with children enrolled in Louisiana’s resourcechallenged elementary public schools. With funding from the Murphy Institute, she established the Political Economy and Access to Justice Judicial Education Seminar (PEAJJES) in 2022, to provide judges an academic framework for examining and formulating best practices for strengthening America’s justice system.

A proud native of Lafayette, Louisiana, and current resident of St. John the Baptist Parish, Dr. Lewis has devoted her professional life to the state of Louisiana through sustained advocacy, community-based research and program development. She has mentored and guided the career developments of hundreds of students, who are now educators, lawyers, doctors and public servants. For her leadership and contributions to her community, Dr. Lewis has received numerous awards and recognitions, including the Roddy Richard Lifetime Achievement Award, the Pro Bono Hero Award, an NAACP Award for Education and Representation and the Community Award from the School of Liberal Arts at Tulane.

Newcomb Alumnae Association Community Service Award

Dr. Abby Spencer, MD (NC ’98)

Dr. Abby Spencer serves as professor and vice chair for education in the Department of Medicine and as director of the Academy of Educators at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Dr. Spencer graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a

Newcomb Alumnae Award Association Recipients Dr. Nghana Lewis (NC ’94), Dr. Abby Spencer (NC ’98), Franziska Trautmann (SSE ’20) and Andrea Ricards Lapsley (NC ’72).

BS in behavioral neuroscience from Tulane University and received her MD from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. She completed her primary care internal medicine residency at the New York Presbyterian Hospital, Weill-Cornell Medical Center and subsequently completed a fellowship in general internal medicine with a concentration in women’s health and earned a master’s degree in medical education from the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Spencer enjoys caring for patients in the inpatient and primary care setting with a particular interest in women’s health.

Dr. Spencer has dedicated her career to developing curriculum, building teams, mentoring, coaching, leading educational programs and developing others in medical education. She has delivered over 200 invited faculty development/educational courses and workshops locally, regionally and nationally. She has won numerous national awards for her teaching, educational scholarship, mentorship, sponsorship and leadership including the Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM) National Brancati Leadership and Mentorship Award, SGIM National Scholarship in Education Award, Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Parker J. Palmer Courage to Teach Award, American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) Inspire award, the inaugural Washington University Advancing Women in Academic Medicine LEAD award and the national Association of Program Directors in Internal Medicine (APDIM) Dema C. Daley Founders award for leadership and innovation in medical education. In 2025, Dr. Spencer was recognized as a Fellow in AMWA for her advocacy and community service in supporting women in medicine. She completed the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) fellowship in 2022, serves on the editorial board for the Journal of General Internal Medicine and the AMWA Board of Directors. Dr. Spencer has held leadership positions in many national organizations across academic internal medicine including founding SGIM TEACH faculty, councilor for the Association for Program Directors in Internal Medicine (APDIM) and currently serves as Association of Chiefs and Leaders of General Internal Medicine (ACLGIM) LEAD course director and on the ACGME Internal Medicine Review Committee as vice chair. Her greatest professional joys are mentoring, teaching, sponsoring and developing others.

Newcomb Alumnae Association

Young Alumna Award

Franziska Trautmann (SSE ’20)

Over 10 million more pounds of glass would be in landfills if not for Franziska Trautmann and her team at Glass Half Full. Started in the backyard of a college fraternity house in New Orleans, Glass Half Full recycles glass into sand for coastal restoration, disaster relief, new glass bottles and more. Trautmann, a Carencro, Louisiana native, graduated with a degree in chemical engineering from Tulane University. This gave her the skills necessary to help lead a research team backed by the National Science Foundation, conducting novel research on the use of recycled glass sand for coastal restoration. They have completed five coastal restoration projects, restoring thousands of meters of coastline and counting. In her spare time, Trautmann makes educational TikToks on topics ranging from

recycling to climate change to wastewater treatment. Her page has garnered over 300,000 followers and millions of views.

Newcomb

Alumnae

Association Live Oak Award Andrea Ricards Lapsley (NC

’72)

Andrea Ricards Lapsley has dedicated her career to expanding access to literacy and public education through libraries, both locally and globally. From early on, she learned the value of philanthropy and community from her parents. Giving of time and treasure has always been part of her life. The importance and value of education and literacy have always been forefront. A former banking and nonprofit executive, she led development and programming for the Houston Public Library for over two decades, where her award-winning initiatives, like the Power Card Challenge, brought over 300,000 new patrons to the system.

She currently serves as the president of the Texas Library and Archives Foundation (TxLAF) supporting the Texas State Library and Archives. She has been on the board since 2016 and president since 2018. Skilled in marketing, PR and fundraising, she has increased the Foundation’s membership and development opportunities. She currently is an executive board member of United for Libraries, a division of the American Library Association (ALA), where she serves as their division councilor to ALA Council, the governing body of the 46,000 member organization. She has been a member of ALA since 1989 and has held several positions, including president of the Library Leadership and Management Association. She has served on multiple unit and ALA committees, award juries and presidential task forces.

Lapsley has served in leadership roles with the American Library Association and currently leads the Texas Library and Archives Foundation. She began her library career at the Houston Public Library System where she worked for 20 years as the assistant director of marketing and development overseeing all library programming, development and public relations/communications. She created the One Book One Community program for Houston. She worked extensively with their Friends of the Library group and the library board. Prior to her library work, she worked for the United Way of the Texas Gulf Coast, the Houston Chamber of Commerce and Fannin Bank. Her advocacy helped secure over $200 million in state funding to support Texas libraries and archives.

Traveling extensively in South Africa brought her in contact with a rural primary school, Zwelisha, after the end of apartheid. Recognizing the need for books and materials for the students’ success, she raised funds to build a library. The library is stocked with books she had donated or bought. Today the library has more than 25,000 books and is used by 1,400 students and the community. Now in her 29th year of support, she continues to travel there annually.

Lapsley also gives back to the Newcomb community by organizing alumnae book clubs. Through every chapter of her work, Andrea has used the power of books to build stronger, more connected communities.

The Newcomb College Class of 1975 gathers outside of Dixon Auditorium before the 2025 Under the Oaks ceremony.

NEWCOMB Donor Honor Roll

We appreciate the financial support of alumnae, parents, and friends. We proudly announce the donors to Newcomb Institute, including those that have made gifts to the Newcomb Alumnae Association, during the 2024-25 fiscal year. Thank you for your support. The Newcomb monies benefit today’s Newcomb Institute programs. Funds functioning as endowment and true endowments support the Newcomb Institute. Those amounts are now valued at approximately $66.3 million and generate $ 2.7 million for programs each year. The Newcomb Foundation Board ensures that the Newcomb Institute spends that money wisely. Named endowments support a variety of other activities, including lecture series, research grants, and the Newcomb Archives.

Donna and Richard Esteves Fund for Women’s Reproductive Rights and Reproductive Health

Donna and Richard Esteves have donated $3 million to Tulane University’s Newcomb Institute for the Donna and Richard Esteves Fund for Women’s Reproductive Rights and Reproductive Health, to which they have already given $1 million since establishing it in 2016. In honor of their generosity — and in recognition of Donna Esteves’ past service on the university’s President’s Council and the Newcomb Institute Director’s Advisory Council — Tulane is naming an academic wing, featuring three seminar rooms and the Institute’s administrative offices in the Malkin Sacks Commons, after the couple.

Laurel Adam

Jackson Adams

Parker Adams

Anissa Allbritton and Jack Allbritton

Vanann Allen

Sabina Altman

Kathryn Anderson and Larry Anderson

Bethlehem Andrews

Elsa Angrist

Anonymous Donors

Mary Arnold and Michael Arnold

Gina Arons and Ronald Siegel

Alpna Arora

Natasha Arora

Shaan Arora

Jeanne Ashley

Ava Attia

Teresa Auch and Michael Auch

Tara Auclair

Claire Avegno and Timothy Avegno

Lacey Baker

Rebecca Baker

Leslie Balch and Anthony Cipriano

Leland Baldwin and Robert Barnes

Françoise Le Gall and Jeffrey Balkind

Barbara Banner and Spencer Michlin

Lynn Barton and David Barton

Mary Bates and Nicholas Panayotopoulos

Claudia Baumgarten

Cynthia Beaird and Williard Beaird

Alison Bedell

Elizabeth Bellino and Peter Towns

Christine Bellino and Thomas Bellino

Joan Benjamin

Joan Bennett and David Peterson

Stephen Berg

Courtney Berman

Shira Berman

Ettie Bernie

Jenny Berry

Lisette Betancourt

Claudette Bienvenu

Julia Bland and Wilton Bland

Ellen Blue

Susan Borrelli

Mary Bostick

Martha Boswell

Lori Boswell and William Boswell

Margaretta Bourgeois and Lionel Bourgeois

Marie Bourgeois and Patrick O'Connor

Shannon Brady and Richard Brady

Mary Ann Brame and Scott Brame

Kathleen Branley

Elizabeth Brannon

Virginia Breedlove

Lindsay Brice

Barbara Bridges

Helen Brooks

Julia Broussard and Daniel Thompson

Paula Brown

Sheila Brown and F. Futterer

Katherine Broyles

Norma Bruce and Robert Bruce

Tosca Bruno-van Vijfeijken and James Bruno

Allison Buchalter and David Buchalter

Barbara Burk

Jessica Burt

Eurydice Bush-Harrison and Darryl Harrison

Denise Butler

Nancy Cadwallader and Daniel Cadwallader

Shala Carlson

Pamela Carnot

Kelsey Casano

Jane Cease

Bonnie Chapman

Elizabeth Cheesborough and George Owensby

Sarah Christie and Chadwick Christie

Chelsea Cipriano and Taylor Conrad

Holly Clement and Stephen Clement

Adele Cohen

Susan Collat

Jeannette Cook

Susan Cook and Clayton Cook

Martha Cooper

Heather Corbett

Katherine Cordova

Mary Ann Couch and Ellis Couch

Kaye Courington

Mary Cox

Jessica Creighton

Lisa Cristal and Bruce Cybul

Lindsay Cronk

Lania Cross

Mildred Currie and William Basco

Susan Currie

Allison Dandry and Bobby Dandry

Clare Daniel

Jennifer Daniel and Sara Slaughter

Sherrine Daniel

Andrea Daniels and Michael Daniels

James Daniels

Suzanne Danilson

Barbara Danos and Robert Danos

Frank Daspit

Frances Day and Richard Day

Michelle Delen and Franciscus Delen

Mary Dickson and Brooke Dickson

Mary Dietrich O'Reilly and Peter O'Reilly

Etta Dimitry and Richard Dimitry

Alandas Dobbins

Emily Doliner

Emma Dong

Joan Donovan and Robert Donovan

Annette Doskey

Clare Doyle

Hannah Duggan and John Nanfro

Linda Dunn

Elizabeth Duplantier

Marian Durfey and Allan Durfey

Elizabeth Dwyer

Catherine Edwards and David Edwards

Ellen Eglin and Thomas Eglin

Paula Eichenbrenner

Janice Elkin and David Elkin

Lauren Elkin and Matthew Jasie

Donna Esteves and Richard Esteves

Samantha Ethel

Stacie Goeddel and Michael Etheridge

Merri Ex and Mitchell Ex

Nancy Fellman and Ronald Fellman

Laura Felt and Robert Felt

Jill Fisher and Geoffrey Fisher

Amy FitzGerald and Todd FitzGerald

Carter Flemming

Bernadette Floresca

Ann Owens and Robin Forman

Leslie Franklin and Steven Franklin

Charles Freeman

Lauren Gaines

Judith Gainsburgh

Nancy Gajewski

Emily Galik

Sean Gallahan

Emily Garner and Douglas Garner

Mary Garrard

Katherine Gehr and David Gehr

Dana Gerard and Quin Gerard

Kimberly Frusciante and Taylor Gilbert

Elizabeth Gilmartin and J.J. Gilmartin

Rebecca Gipson and Ryland Gipson

Lisa Roberts and David Glass

Louisa Gleichman

Kimberly Glinert and Kenneth Glinert

Nancy Goedecke

Jacqueline Gold and Melvin Gold

DeAnn Golden and Craig Camasta

Doris Goldstein and Martin Goldstein

Donna Golub and Seth Golub

Abbey Graf and Jason Graf

Emily Greenfield and Aaron Viles

Mickey Greeson and Sharon Greeson

Susan Griffin and John Griffin

Cheryl Grisson

Judy Grosz and Keith Grosz

Maggie Grove and David Grove

Patricia Gruenberg and Alan Gruenberg

Nicolette Guillou

Allyson Halperin

Beth Hammerman and Neil Hammerman

Adia Handy

Renita Handy

Jacqueline Hantgan and Josh Zweiback

Lizabeth Harbin and Rodney (Rod) Harbin

Beatrice Harley

Gwen Harley and George Harley

Shanna Harper

Elizabeth Harrison Meyer

Elyse Harrison

Cynthia Harter and John Harter

Michelle Hatzis-Sullivan and John Sullivan

Kirsten Hawkins

Claire Hayes and G. Hayes

Ashley Hedemann and Stephen Hedemann

Rosaria Heide and Rudolph Heide

Jean Hendrickson and Robert Hendrickson

Jane Henning and Standish Henning

Julie Henriquez Aldana and Mynor Aldana

Paola Henriquez

Maggie Herman

Vicki Herman and Mark Herman

Martha Higgins and Christopher Higgins

Daphne Hill

Winifred Hills and John Hills

Lisa Hirsch-Solomon and Andrew Solomon

Nancy Hoffman and Phillip Hoffman

Paula Hoffman

Margaret Wild-Hogan and David Hogan

Elizabeth Holloway

Reva Holmes and Michael Holmes

Sarah Horrigan

Charlotte Hubbell and Fred Hubbell

Julia Hughes

Perri Huitt

Patricia Hurley and Kim Hill

Amie Hurst Adams and Gregory Adams

Ellen Hurwitz

Andrea Huseman and Jeffrey Huseman

Mary Lynn Hyde and Steven Rossi Camellia

Jacobs and Steven Jacobs

Mindy Jaffe and Irvin Jaffe

Caroline Jarboe and Brian Jarboe

Ella Jeffries

Talya Jeffries and Howard Jeffries

Beth Sundstrom and Bryan Joffe

Amanda Johnson

Beth Johnson

Isabella Johnson

Sabrina Johnson and Vincent Johnson

Terry Joiner

Cheryl Josephs-Zaccaro

Karen Kahn Weinberg and Daniel Weinberg

Ricki Kanter and Joel Kanter

Susan Kantrow and Byron Kantrow

Alexis Kaplan

Angela Keesee

Esther Kelly and Francis Kelly

Kathleen Kelly

Jessica Kennedy

Diana Khajautia-Bharucha

Stanley Khorosh

Suzanne Kinney and David Kinney

Anne Kocher

Jaye Kreller

Laura Kreller and Christopher Reeves

Molli Kuenstner

Rachael Kuntz and Shawn Kuntz

James Kuriath

Amelie Lanaux and Pierre Lanaux

Jacklyn Lane

Allison Lange

Andrea Lapsley and Robert Lapsley

Constance Larimer

Nancy Lassen

Laura Leach and Richard Lawrence

Ashley LeBlanc and David Curtin

Susan Lebow

Darilyn Lee

MaryBeth Leff and Jonathan Leff

Edward Legum

Blaine Legum-Levenson and Stephen Levenson

Alison Lehrer

Mary Ann Leo

Lawrence Lesperance

Lisa Lettau

Andrea Leverentz

Claudia Levin and Brandon Levin

Sharan Lieberman and Jordan Karlitz

Barbara Lief

Sandra Lipsitz and Louis Lipsitz

Barbara Livingston and Milton Livingston

Nia Lizanna

Loretta Loftus

Leann Logsdon

Geneva Longlois-Marney

Elizabeth Lopez

Alyssa Lovelace

Irene Lutkewitte and Thomas Lutkewitte

Katie Lynn

Janet MacDonell

Susan Mackler

Anna Mahoney and Patrick Mahoney

S. Mahorner

Catherine Makk

Sarah Mallonee

Denise Malone and Thomas Malone

Barbara Mansberg

Lori Maran and P. Maran

Diane Marcus

Helen Marsh

Suzanne Martin and Terry Martin

Theresa Martin

Mariana Martinez and Adam Martinez

Caroline Marvel

Kristen McCabe

Carolyn McCall

Rowena McClinton

Sonia McCormick

Mary Helen McCoy and Stephen McCoy

Ellen McGlinchey and Charles Monsted

Meredith McInturff

Katherine McLean

Kathleen McManus and Jorn Flatvoll

Sandra McNamee and Douglas McNamee

Madeline McNear

Patricia Meadows and William Meadows

Ann Meehan

Catherine Memory and Robert Memory

Melissa Mendoza and Charlotte Green

Katharine Merrell and James Merrell

Kimiko Meyers and Charles Meyers

Naomi Meyers

C. Courtenay Miller

Elaine Miller and Aaron Stambler

Leslie Miller and Brett Miller

Nancy Miller

Jennifer Mills

Priscilla Mims

Christina Miranda

Andrea Moffitt and Steven Moffitt

Mary Sandra Moise and Charles Moise

Ellen Monsees and Martin Monsees

Rachel Moody

Robin Morris and Jeffery Morris

Lamar Murphy and William Murphy

Alison Nelson and David Nelson

Theodora Nelson

Paula Newman and Robert Newman

Charles Nice

Jewelynn Nice

Amanda Nichols

Susan Nifenecker and Eugene Nifenecker

Jane Nighbert and Richard Nighbert

Colleen O'Donnell

Jeanne Olivier

Anneke Olson

Judith Olson and Leonard Olson

Martine Olson-Daniel and Nathan Olson-Daniel

Joanne Omang and David Burnham

Linda Orbach and Alexander Orbach

Statira Overstreet and W. Rich

Clare Owensby

Rachelle Parker and Nathan Parker

Marilyn Davis and Robert Passikoff

Janki Patel

Sybil Patten

Ann Pearce and Maunsel Pearce

Erin Peck

Marilyn Pecsok

Aditi Pemmaraju and Naveen Pemmaraju

Katherine Peres and Seth Krieger

Jessalyn Peters

Deirdre Phillips

Jessica Phillips

Paula Picker and Joel Picker

Suzanne Plaisance and Autrey Plaisance

Genevieve Pope and Jeremy Hunnewell

Catherine Posey

Paula Powers and Bernard Powers

Rebecca Powers

Andrea Price and Todd Price

Lee Prina

Dana Pudenz

Lindsey Purcell and James Purcell

Laura Purswell and Michal Purswell

Julie Qiu

Joseph Quarles

Maureen Quinn

Sarah Quintano

Mary Radford and Robert Dana

Linda Rafferty and Scott Rafferty

Anita Raj

Pooja Kharbanda and Atul Raj

Chathan Raj

Romesh Raj

Margaret Ratliff

Dana Ray

Elizabeth Reed

Jill Reynolds

Lisa Rice and Thomas Thompson

Martha Richard and Thomas Richard

Anne-Marie Richeme-Zweidler and Daniel Zweidler

Heather Rittenberg and Leon Rittenberg

Amanda Roberts and Sean Roberts

Shelley Roberts and Jeffrey Roberts

Kathryn Roman and James Roman

Camille Rome and Gregory Rome

Katharine Rose and Crawford Rose

Sharon Roth

Stephanie Rubin and M. Hooks

Nelle Sacknoff

Ann Salzer

Megan San Martin

Ruth Sang

Teresa Santa Coloma and Lynn Pyke

Christine Santhin

Carolyn Saunders

Sallie Scanlan

Lisa Scanlon and Sean Scanlon

JoAnn Schaub

Danette Schilling and Daniel Schilling

Janet Schinderman and Alberto Zmud

Alexa Schwartz and Victor Leyva

Julie Schweitzer and Richard Schweitzer

Maria Sebastian

Nancy See

Sandra Segel

Brittney Sheena

Michelle Sheena

Helene Sheena and Ronnie Sheena

Joan Shorter and Joseph Shorter

Lauren Siegel

Jay Silverman

Leonard Silverman

Yelena Silverman

Dee Silverthorn and Andrew Silverthorn

Jennifer Simmons and Michael Dunn

Jennifer Simoneaux and Robert Simoneaux

Lisa Simpson Hoover

Sherri Sklar and Jeffrey Sklar

Aidan Smith and Patrick Sullivan

Ashley Smith

Carol Smith

Christine Smith and Charles Smith

Nancy Smith and Mark Sirdevan

Leah Snyder

Melissa Sopher and Eben Timko

Luther Stacy

Ellen Stein

Jane Steinberg and Alan Kraut

Judith Steinberg

Melissa Striner and Jerome Steiner

Sarah Stevens and Thomas O'Toole

Rachel Stickney

Susan Stine

Carol Stivrins and Timothy Stivrins

Nicole Stone and Robert Stone

Jennifer Stowe

Kathleen Sukenik and Greg Sukenik

Jill Sullivan

Joanne Sullivan

Karen Sullivan and Michael Sullivan

Raleigh Susskind

Stephanie Swain

Nicole Tangen and Darren Tangen

Tammy Thaggert

Beena Thannickal and Victor Thannickal

Sarah Therriault and Russell Therriault

Stephanie Thibault and Kirk Thibault

Jakana Thomas

Patrice Thomas

Jenetta Thompson

Kathleen Timmins

Alisa Toney

Elena Toulios and Christopher Oliver

Sandra Turkel and Richard Turkel

Shelly Tyler and Emmett Kron

Barbara Unkel

Lianne Urada

Lisa Usdan and David Portnoy

Dolores Valtierra

Janice VandenBrink and Randy VandenBrink

Carmen Varley and John Varley

Carol Vatz and Joel Rosch

Catarina Vazquez

D. Veta and Mary Ann Dutton

Robbert Vorhoff

Claudia Ware

Joan Watkins

Susan Wedlan and Harold Rosen

Jocelyn Weinberg

Lauren Weinberg and Jordan Weinberg

Sue Robin Weinhauer and Robert Weinhauer

Riki Weinstein and Daniel Morrison

Martha Wells

Caroline Wendt

Lauren Wethers

Catherine Whalen and John Whalen

Mary Widmann and Harry Widmann

Nancy Wiener

Emily Wilkerson and Matthew Dupre

Sandra Willen and Jon Willen

Breegan Willey

Beth Willinger and Ian Lambert

Carol Wise

Judilyn Wise and Michael Wise

Marta Withers and John Withers

Amanda Wolfe and Jonathan Hackerman

Laura Wolford and Daniel Sharp

Susan Worley

Heather Yanak

Paula Zielonka and Carl Zielonka

Barbara Anne Zinker

Ronna Zoll and Steven Zoll

Emily Johnson-Zuppert and Robert Zuppert

American Endowment Foundation

Betancourt Stuttering Center

Birmingham Jewish Foundation

Blue Grass Community Foundation

Charities Aid Foundation of America

Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines

Delta Air Lines Foundation

Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund

Greater New Orleans Foundation

Hampton Roads Community Foundation

Hopewell Fund

Fred and Charlotte Hubbell Foundation

Jarvis Foundation

Kahn Education Foundation

Kanter Family Foundation

Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc.

National Philanthropic Trust

Ross-Merrell Associates

Shell Oil Company Foundation

Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program

M.B. and Edna Zale Foundation

To make a gift, visit giving.tulane.edu/nci or use the QR code above.

In Memoriam

The H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College Institute remembers the Newcomb College alumnae who have passed away in the last year.

Aline Longino McQuade (NC ‘51)

Alisa Strauss Warm (NC ‘90)

Alison Reimers Lyell (NC ‘62)

Amy Johnson (NC ‘99)

Andree Briant Lago (NC ‘55)

Ann Staples Perkins (NC ‘65)

Ann Richardson Peters-Calhoun (NC ‘53)

Ann Nicoll Baynard (NC ‘53)

Ann Franklin Maxwell (NC ‘53)

Ann Dubuisson Sturgill (NC ‘57)

Ann Marie Gandolfo Smith (NC ‘57)

Anne Jester Turner (NC ‘60)

Anne Robertson Sellin (NC ‘62)

Anne Pake Lowenburg (NC ‘50)

Ashley Beckerman Evans (NC ‘03)

Barbara Rosen Polmer (NC ‘68)

Barbara Kington Baldwin (NC ‘53)

Barbara Cohn Marcus (NC ‘53)

Barbara Dee Jacobs (NC ‘56)

Beth Boston Tedesco (NC ‘82)

Betsie Gillespie Tremant (NC ‘48, SW *53)

Betty Chen (NC ‘88, B ‘88)

Beverly Bringle (NC ‘60)

Bonita Rubenstein Dannen (NC ‘62)

Brooke Ray Arthurs (NC ‘70)

Carol Kaplan Segal (NC ‘55)

Carol Hamrick Ammons (NC ‘47, G *49)

Carole Mouchet Eubanks (NC ‘57)

Caroline Sutter Nusloch (NC ‘61)

Catherine Porter Hannahan (NC ‘63)

Cathy Goldstein Tasman (NC ‘69)

Cecile Felsenthal Prager (NC ‘61)

Chalita Menendez Baehr (NC ‘46)

Charlene Kaplan Smith (NC ‘52)

Clarisse Steeg Schleichardt (NC ‘43)

Claudia Borman Ware (NC ‘76)

Dana Boatwright (NC ‘98)

Deanna Schloegel Castanedo (NC ‘63)

Deborah Hacker (NC ‘87)

Deirdre Burke Provosty (NC ‘53)

Donnelly Eustis Rembert (NC ‘66)

Dorothy Johnson Callahan (NC ‘47)

Dorothy Iley Rogers (NC ‘50, G *52)

Elaine Dreyfus Lieber (NC ‘50)

Ella Montgomery Flower (NC ‘67)

Emilie Jane Dowrick Roeling (NC ‘51)

Eugenie Ricau Rocherolle (NC ‘58)

Eugenie Wilson Alsobrook (NC ‘56)

Frances Murphy (NC ‘91)

Geraldine Dye Parker (NC ‘49)

Harriett Drucker Rosin (NC ‘64)

Helen Barkerding Kammer (NC ‘72)

Imogene Whyte Murphy (NC ‘56)

Ina Lee Edrehi Sear (NC ‘52)

Jamie Covell (NC ‘68)

Jan Mercer Brown (NC ‘57)

Jane Armstrong Zimmerman (NC ‘47)

Jane Huff Caserta (NC ‘61)

Jane Pearlstine Meyerson (NC ‘53)

Jane Babst Truett (NC ‘60, B *86)

Jeanne Labouisse Cummings (NC ‘57)

Joan Kochman Weil (NC ‘65)

Joan Gillis Inman (NC ‘49)

Joan White Anderson (NC ‘52)

Joyce Caldwell Randazzo (NC ‘50)

Judith McNamar Howland (NC ‘65)

Judith Smith (NC ‘62)

Judith Agster Smith (NC ‘68)

Julia Claverie Gooch (NC ‘61)

Karen Kravtin-Shadrick (NC ‘85)

Kathleen McCarthy (NC ‘77)

Kelly Luck Cushing (NC ‘91)

Laura Herring Tanner (NC ‘64, L *67)

Laura Shiffman Cheney (NC ‘89)

Leila Rossner Thissell (NC ‘57)

Linda Lane Farmer (NC ‘67)

Lisa Young Donely (NC ‘59)

Lois Seidenbach Shepard (NC ‘47)

Lorraine Alexander Baroco (NC ‘66)

Lucie Pasquier Harris (NC ‘63)

Lynn McClure O’Brien (NC ‘55)

Lynne Trist Brennan (NC ‘56)

Marcia Suthon Pottle (NC ‘58)

Margaret Young Bell (NC ‘93, B *10)

Margaret Maier (NC ‘53)

Margot Klein Astrachan (NC ‘57)

Marilyn Hilbert Ruckstuhl (NC ‘57)

Marilyn Hoppmeyer Davidson (NC ‘51, G *53)

Marion Green Bolks (NC ‘48)

Marjorie Meriwether Milhas (NC ‘50)

Marjory Manget Lyman (NC ‘56)

Martha Fearon Mims (NC ‘68)

Martha Davis Odom (NC ‘59)

Martha Amsler McGlynn (NC ‘80)

Mary Touff Feldman (NC ‘78)

Mary Soulé Conroy (NC ‘49)

Mary Coutret Woodman (NC ‘58)

Mary O’Quinn Rowland (NC ‘61)

Mary Land (NC ‘55)

Mary Hanemann Lystad (NC ‘49, G *55)

Mary Foster Kock (NC ‘51)

Mary Akin Colbert (NC ‘57)

Mary Hebert McCowan (NC ‘65)

Mary Mears Gleason (NC ‘67)

Mary Anne McAlpin (NC ‘71)

Mary Elizabeth Patton Lamon (NC ‘52)

Myra Slawson (NC ‘55)

Patricia Coco Ellis (NC ‘65)

Patricia Ryan (NC ‘55, G *59)

Patricia Murphy Ames (NC ‘58)

Patricia Phillips Weiss (NC ‘57)

Rachel Sweeney Green (NC ‘01)

Ragan Kimbrell (NC ‘70, SW *76)

Rebecca Whitten Provenza (NC ‘72)

Rita Herold Hankins (NC ‘68)

Robin deArmas Terrebonne (NC ‘63)

Rosemary Janssen Orphys (NC ‘45)

Rozanna Brady Levine (NC ‘60)

Ruth Simon Rosenthal (NC ‘45)

Sandra Buzzalini Collie (NC ‘72)

Sandra Rosen Luxenberg (NC ‘59)

Sandra Brener Rosenthal (NC ‘64, G *65, G *67)

Sandy Bagalman Gittleson (NC ‘63)

Sarah Britton Neal (NC ‘57)

Sharon Weisler Leader (NC ‘74, SW *75)

Sherry Zox (NC ‘72)

Shin-Wei Fernandez (NC ‘89)

Shirley Mexic Watsky (NC ‘48)

Sidonie Evans Schmidt (NC ‘60)

Susan Simonton Tillinghast (NC ‘73, G *75)

Susan Valentine (NC ‘65)

Suzanne Peissel White (NC ‘64)

Sybil Cohen Adler (NC ‘68)

Sylvia Stahl Sterne (NC ‘54, G *74)

Teresa Schleh Bruff (NC ‘88)

Thomasine Kimbrough Kushner (NC ‘61)

Tuere Franklin (NC ‘99)

Virginia Bowen White (NC ‘49)

Vivian Eigenbrod Miller (NC ‘48)

Zelpha Corkern (NC ‘56)

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