News

Newcomb Alumnae Association Newsletter

Tulane University names acclaimed psychologist Anita Raj as executive director of Newcomb Institute
March 31, 2023. Anita Raj, PhD, a distinguished scholar and research scientist trained in developmental psychology and public health with a multi-disciplinary research focus on gender equity in global health and development, has accepted the appointment as the new executive director of Tulane University’s Newcomb Institute, effective July 1, 2023. Read more.

Newcomb Scholars Alumnae Spotlight: Nina Baumgartner (SSE ’16, Ph.D. ’21)
March 17, 2023. It is impossible to be bored as a neuroscientist. Nina Baumgartner would know, especially as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine. Read more.

Center for Public Service awards Community-Engaged Research Grants to Tulane Faculty
January 4, 2023. Two Tulane professors have received Faculty Community-Engaged Research Grants from the university’s Center for Public Service (CPS): Jana Lipman, PhD, professor in the Department of History at the School of Liberal Arts, and Clare Daniel, PhD, administrative associate professor of Women’s Leadership and assistant director of Community Engagement at Newcomb Institute. Read more.

Tulane’s Newcomb Institute Part of a Team Studying How Black Women Participate in Legislative Caucuses November 16, 2022. Faculty from Georgetown University, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, and Newcomb Institute at Tulane University are working on a study entitled Bridges: How Black Women Coordinate the Lawmaking Efforts of Identity-Based Caucuses. Read more.

Tulane University Joins LSU Reilly Center Partnership to Document, Preserve Women’s Legacies in State Politics
November 3, 2022. The Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs at LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communication is partnering with Tulane University’s H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College Institute to document women’s experience as political leaders through oral histories. Read more.

30 Under 30: Hannah Novak, 27
November 2, 2022. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) centers public health by regulating the products Americans use each day, from food to cosmetics. As a Public Health Analyst for the FDA, Hannah Novak helps the agency with its regulation of medical devices by transforming complex scientific and medical documents into accessible information for the public. Read more.

30 Under 30: Tara Wilson, 29
November 2, 2022. Tara Wilson was driven to public service out of an urgency to use her skills to give communities a stronger voice in government and to build a better world. As a Legislative Budget Director for the Massachusetts State Senate, she finds purpose in collaborating with stakeholders, public officials, and their staffs to connect people with resources and make necessary legislative changes. Read more.

30 Under 30: Cora Boyd, 29
November 2, 2022. A multi-passionate creator, a relationship expert, and for many, a literal lifesaver. Cora Boyd has made your business her business as an all-around dating and love life consultant and media personality. Read more.

30 Under 30: Sarah Swig, 29
October 31, 2022. How does public opinion transform into legislative action? This is the question that informs Sarah Swig’s work as Policy Advisor for the United States Senate. Read more.

30 Under 30: Sarah Jones, 25
October 31, 2022. In the world of nonprofit organizations, finding strong and empowering leadership is a challenge. Sarah Jones, the Senior Research and Outreach Associate for DRG Talent Consulting Experts, meets daily with executive leaders hoping to change the political, social, and economic ecosystem, and helps them find the organizations that suit both their passions and professional trajectories. Read more.

30 Under 30: Allison Saft, 28
September 24, 2022. For New York Times bestselling author Allison Saft, the best part of her job is the writing process itself, from the idea formation stage to the final edits. Read more.

30 Under 30: Samantha Morris, 26
September 23, 2022. Hearing patients’ stories and sharing in their medical journeys are the features of becoming a physician that most excite Samantha Morris. A medical student at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Morris is excited to have reached her clinical years and begun meeting with new patients each day. Read more.

30 Under 30: Rebecca Martin, 27
September 22, 2022. Freedom and flexibility can be rare experiences in the world of science and technology, but for Rebecca Martin, they are a daily occurrence. As Senior Advisor for Cybersecurity Engineering and Operations at Dell, she enjoys curating her projects and centering her role around her interests. Read more.

30 Under 30: Angel Carter, 25
September 21, 2022. While many faculty and staff members at Tulane University first encounter students when they arrive on campus each fall, Angel Carter has the unique opportunity to forge connections with students before they even choose to attend Tulane. As the Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Tulane’s Office of Undergraduate Admission, Carter meets students from all over the world and helps them through their college application process. Read more.

30 Under 30: Franziska Trautmann, 25
September 20, 2022. Franziska Trautmann is changing the environmental landscape in Louisiana through 'glassroots recycling.' As Co-Founder and CEO of Glass Half Full, Trautmann and her team are leading the state’s efforts to recycle glass into sand and gravel for disaster relief and coastal restoration. Read more.

In Post-Roe Louisiana, Things Go From Bad to Worse for Teens
August 23, 2022. Now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, Louisiana’s trigger laws banning and criminalizing abortions—although currently contested—are in effect. Read more.

Information Technology Interns Wrap up the School Year by Sharing Their Work and Stats
August 19, 2022. The Newcomb Institute’s Information Technology (IT) interns work in person at The Technology and Digital Humanities Lab, also known as The Lab. Read more.

Congo Square Connection
August 19, 2022. Tulane University’s Newcomb Institute’s Digital Research Interns worked as website developers on Congo Square Connection. Read more.

Insights from Clinic Administrator on Dobbs Decision and Aftermath
August 5, 2022. “It’s almost like a bad dream,” said Sylvia Cochran, President of Women’s Health Care Center and Delta Clinic of Baton Rouge, when asked about the overturning of Roe v Wade. Read more.

Tulane Database Brings Historic Activism to the Forefront
August 2, 2022. Elisabeth McMahon, associate professor of History and Africana Studies in the School of Liberal Arts, holds a folder of letters that are part of the African Letters Project, a free database that consists of over 5,600 letters written between Americans and Africans spanning from 1945 to 1994, during the decolonization era in many African countries. Read more.

What PLEN Taught Me
August 31, 2022. My name is Sedonia Davis, and I am a pre-medical student at Tulane University with a background in neuroscience. I attended the Global Policy Seminar in 2022 as a part of the Public Leadership Education Network (PLEN). Read more.

Newcomb Alumnae Association Announcement: The 2023-24 Executive Committee Slate
September 21, 2022. On Monday, September 12, the Nominating Committee unanimously approved the following slate for the 2023-24 Newcomb Alumnae Association Executive Committee. Read more.

Taiwan for the Summer
July 07, 2022. I am unspeakably grateful to participate in the U.S. Department of State’s 2022 Critical Language Scholarship for Mandarin this summer. Read more.

Newcomb to Indonesia
July 07, 2022. This summer, Adhithi Sreenivasan will be heading to Malang, Indonesia, as a part of the Critical Language Scholarship program, which the US Department of State sponsors. Read more.

Alumna Spotlight: Dr. Barbara “Bobbi” Kurshan
July 07, 2022. r. Kurshan has more than 40 years of experience in education as a researcher, entrepreneur, developer, investor, and company executive. Read more.

Reproductive Justice for People with Disabilities
June 08, 2022. Although great strides have been made towards taking down barriers for women with disabilities and their access to general healthcare, there is still a gap when it comes to their reproductive access. Read more.

Guiding a Path Through Research 
May 05, 2022. I'm a first-generation college student from Birmingham, Alabama attending Tulane University studying political science with minors in French and Africana studies on a pre-law track. Read more.

Researching a Movement
May 05, 2022. Working as a research assistant to Dr. Mahoney for the last three and a half years has been one of the highlights of my Tulane experience.  It has given me the chance to combine my passions for politics and gender equity and collaborate with other students and professors who share those interests. Read More. 

Women in Politics – A Year in Review
May 05, 2022. It has been a busy and successful year for Tulane Women in Politics! 2021-2022 marked the first year that we were able to meet in person again after the Covid-19 pandemic. Read more.

Reflections on PLEN
May 05, 2022. This semester, I had the wonderful opportunity to attend a PLEN seminar, this last one I attended was specifically focused on STEM policy. Read more.

Celebrating CARnival
March 04, 2022. Leslie Holzmark Franklin (NC’ 88) and the Colorado Green Wave Club didn’t let not being in New Orleans keep them from letting the good times roll (literally). They hosted their first-ever CARnival parade on Saturday, February 26th, in metro Denver.  Read more.

Mardi Gras Through the Lens
March 04, 2022. Check out Cheryl Gerber’s book, Cherchez la Femme: New Orleans Women to find women from all different walks. Gerber, a local New Orleans photographer, is renowned in Crescent City for her captivating portraits of women, especially those most tightly woven in the fabric of Mardi Gras. Read more.

Newcomb College and Newcomb Alumnae in the News

Tulane database brings historic activism to the forefront
August 2, 2022. Elisabeth McMahon, associate professor of History and Africana Studies in the School of Liberal Arts, holds a folder of letters that are part of the African Letters Project, a free database that consists of over 5,600 letters written between Americans and Africans spanning from 1945 to 1994, during the decolonization era in many African countries. Read more.

Tulane's River-Costal Science and Engineering Department receives $3 million gift
September 28, 2020. Newcomb alumna Charlotte Beyer Hubbell has contributed $3 million to the Tulane Department of River-Coastal Science and Engineering for the creation of a department chair and excellence fund. Read more.

Janet Abel Hays
September 20, 2020. Newcomb alumna Janet Abel Hayes, of Amelia Island, Florida, died peacefully in her sleep on the morning of Monday, Sept. 14, 2020, after a short illness. Read more in the Cleveland Daily Banner.

Sunny Mayo: Remembered for her song
September 3, 2020. Having won a scholarship to Sophie Newcomb College at Tulane University, Sunny Mayo auditioned and was accepted into the touring acapella choir as a freshman. Read more in The Augusta Chronicle.

Marlene Eskind Moses included in The Best Lawyers in America
August 27, 2020. Marlene Eskind Moses, a Newcomb College alumna and an internationally recognized family law expert is listed in the Best Lawyers in America® 2021. Read more in The Tennessee Tribune.

A tale of extravagance interrupted at the 1849 'Robb's Folly' estate in the Garden District
August 27, 2020. Around 1900, Newcomb College took up residence in the Garden District mansion built 50 years earlier by James Robb. Read more in The Advocate. 

'Not Racist' Is Not Enough: Putting In The Work To Be Anti-Racist
August 25, 2020. NPR LifeKit interviewed Newcomb Alumna & Tulane's new Associate Provost for Diversity Anneliese Singh, who provides tips for how to be an antiracist. Read more or listen at NPR LifeKit

Mignon Faget's more than 50 years of jewelry designs shared by collectors in new exhibit
August 14, 2020. Faget, born and raised in New Orleans, earned her bachelor's degree in fine arts with a concentration in sculpture from Newcomb College in 1955. Read more in The Advocate

Obituary for Florence Ross Deer
August 7, 2020. Newcomb College alumna Florence Ross Deer ('55), of Little Rock, Ar., was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and the Rho Chapter of Chi Omega Fraternity while at Newcomb. Read more at The Arkansas Democrat Gazette.

Newcomb Loquat Lamp sheds light on glass craft, taught briefly at the New Orleans pottery
August 4, 2020. From 1895 to 1940, Newcomb College Pottery taught young women the skills they needed to support themselves as artists. Read more at nola.com.

Shirley Ann Grau, Metarie author who won Pulitzer Prize in 1965, dies at 91
August 3, 2020. Newcomb. College alumna Shirley Ann Grau won the Pulitzer Prize in 1965 for her novel "The Keepers of the House." Read more at nola.com.

Obituary for Patricia "Tricia" Ann Greene
July 30, 2020. Newcomb alumna and former NAA President Patricia Ann "Tricia" Greene passed away in Little Rock after a four-year battle with a degenerative nerve disease. Read more in The Arkansas Democrat Gazette.

Angela Gregory created Confederate monuments. But does her talent need more context now?
July 17, 2020. Fate of Confederate monuments made by Newcomb College alumna Angela Gregory called into question. Read more in The Advocate.

The most stylish 80-year old you've ever met
July 2020. Birmingham-based artist and Newcomb alumna Beverly Erdreich offers insight into her relation to art and the world around her. Read more in StyleBluePrint.

Parenting during the pandemic 
May 26, 2020. Julia Bland (NC '73), Director of the Louisiana Children's Museum, partners with Tulane to offer parenting advice during the pandemic. Read more. 

A woman's place 
May 12, 2020. A brief history of women's education at the turn of the 19th century, featuring Newcomb College pottery production. Read more in the Rushville Republican. 

'Haunted House of Lakeview' started in 1926 as a palace but ended decades later in tragedy May 6, 2020. Newcomb Alumna Martha Orchard's family home. Read more at nola.com.

Obituary: Vivian Rosenfeld Greene
April 30, 2020. Newcomb Alumna Vivian Rosenfeld Greene passed away peacefully at Berman Commons Memory Care center March 8, 2020. Read more at Atlanta Jewish Times.

Where coronaviruses come from and why we haven't eradicated them yet
April 1, 2020. Newcomb Alumna Dr. Sofia Curdumi Pendley, a former NAA Board member who holds Master's and Doctorate degrees from the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, provides insight into the origins of the COVID-19 virus and others like it, and why we haven't eradicated them. Read more at Business Insider.

Alumni Spotlight: Lisa D. T. Rice (NC '83)
March 31, 2020. In addition to her Newcomb degree, Lisa Rice holds a master’s degree in management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School and is a political innovator and social media activist in Washington, DC. Read more at Tulane Alumni Association.

United for a Cure
March 30, 2020. Newcomb College alumna and NAA board member Allison Shapiro Dandry is recognized for her fundraising efforts for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Read more at Biz New Orleans.

Ida Kohlmeyer: Cloistered opens at Berry Campbell
February 27, 2020. Kohlmeyer received her Bachelor of Arts in in English in 1933 from Tulane University’s Newcomb College. Read more on ARTFIX Daily.

Moses named to Lawdragon's Leading Family Lawyers List
February 24, 2020. Moses graduated from Tulane University with a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in social work. In 2012, she received the distinguished alumnae award from the Newcomb Alumnae Association of Tulane University. Read more on Mainstreet Nashville.

Trivially Speaking: In Praise of Women's Basketball
February 13, 2020. In 1896, bloomers were introduced as a basketball costume at Sophie Newcomb College. Read more in the Loveland Reporter-Herald.

French Quarter home is filled with antiques and art
February 6, 2020. Tour of former home of Newcomb College graduate. Read more on nola.com.

Ask Rufus: Snowdrops, harbinger of spring and hope
February 1, 2020. Snowdrop flowers adorn Newcomb College vase. Read more in The Dispatch.

Charbonnet, 81, loved community activities, Mardi Gras
January 29, 2020. Newcomb alumna Dottie Charbonnet dies at 81. Read more at Jackson Hole News.

The significance of Newcomb Pottery and where to find it on the Tulane Campus
January 8, 2020. A permanent display of Newcomb products in the new Commons building on Tulane’s Uptown campus now makes them more accessible to the general public as well as students. Read more in the Uptown Messenger.

Anita Pelias Georges, matriarch of large Greek family and key figure at annual festival, dies at 89
January 4, 2020. Newcomb alumna Anita Pelias Georges dies at 89. Read more at nola.com.

The story behind the defunct Miss Aiken's Primary School
December 23, 2019. Newcomb alumna Edith Aiken founded the school in 1917. Read more in the Gambit.

Jane Silverberg, St. Petersburg entrepreneur, philanthropist and activist, dies at 89
December 19, 2019. Newcomb alumna Jane Silverberg dies at 89. Read more in the Tampa Bay Times.

Susan and Carl Chase, an artist and musician who chose when to end their lives
November 24, 2019. Newcomb alumna Susan Chase dies at 75. Read more on The Boston Globe.

Décou-Labat Residences Dedicated
November 18, 2019. Labat and Décou became the first African American undergraduates to earn degrees from Newcomb College and Tulane, respectively. Read more on tulane.edu/news

Moses Named to Mid-South Super Lawyers
November 13, 2019. Newcomb alumna and artist Marlene Eskind Moses, an internationally recognized family law expert and founding manager of MTR Family Law, was selected for inclusion in the 2019 edition of Mid-South Super Lawyers. Read more on Main Street Nashville.

Obituary Holly Berkowitz Clegg
November 1, 2019. Newcomb College alumna and chef Holly Berkowitz Clegg is remembered by her family in Dallas. Read more.

Face of Wealth Management
November 4, 2019. After graduating from Newcomb College of Tulane University, Denise Emerson Rau left Louisiana to pursue an MBA and to begin a career in banking and financial planning. Read more on myneworleans.com

New CEO takes leadership role at Juvenile Welfare Board
October 15, 2019. Newcomb alumna appointed CEO to juvenile welfare board. Read more at Tampa Bay Newspapers Weekly.

Houghton takes over leadership at juvenile welfare board
October 8, 2019. Newcomb alumna appointed CEO to juvenile welfare board. Read more at Tampa Bay Reporter.

Berthe Amoss, award-winning author and illustrator of children's books, dies at 94
October 6, 2019. Newcomb alumna Berthe Amoss, who built a career as an author and illustrator while rearing six sons, died in her sleep Sunday at her Pass Christian, Mississippi, home. Read more at nola.com

After 47 years, 'Amazing Grace' retires from library
October 4, 2019. Newcomb alumna Grace Benson retires from the New Orleans public library system after 47 years of service. Read more at nola.com

Molloy announces new director for women's leadership
October 1, 2019. Rebecca Mark will take over as Director of the Institute for Women’s Leadership at Rutger's University. Read more at The Daily Targum

The reading life with Rachel Breunlin and Bruce "Sunpie" Barnes
September 29, 2019. Also coming up in October: Poet Morgan Parker will read in the Diboll Gallery at Newcomb Institute on Monday, October 7, at 7 p.m. Read More at WWNO. 

Pace Gallery celebrates Lynda Benglis with a mini-retrospective
September 4, 2019. Blurring the lines between painting and sculpture, Newcomb alumna Lynda Benglis' pioneering work sets her apart as one of the first women with the "moxie" to work with industrial materials in a bold way. Read more at Palo Alto Online

Vivian Gussin Paley, renowned early education researcher and Laboratory Schools teacher, 1929-2019
August 1, 2019. Newcomb alumna's fascinating research focused on how storytelling helps children learn, leading to developments in teaching strategies and a greater understanding of the role of race in the classroom. Read more at University of Chicago News.

Pincus Family Foundation gives $500,000 grant for Tulane Program aimed at curbing New Orleans violence
July 18, 2019. Newcomb alumna partners with Tulane Violence Prevention Institute to fund two year graduate training program focused on mitigating effects of violence on early childhood development. Read more at nola.com.

Felicia Kahn still going strong after 90 years in the movement
Felicia Kahn, the 90-year-old activist and Newcomb alumna, will be the second oldest delegate pledged to Hillary Clinton. She has spent a lifetime organizing for women's rights and politics, from volunteering with the League of Women Voters, to serving on the Democratic State Central Committee in 1972, and reviving the Independent Women’s Organization and serving as its president at age 84. Read more at the Uptown Messenger, July 7, 2016.

'Beloved' former Gretna teacher dies at 107
Mary Lou Lanier Fife was a beloved math and physics teacher during her 34-year career and lived to the amazing age of 107. She graduated in physics when she attended Sophie Newcomb College of Tulane University in 1930. She was a devout Catholic and served on the committee for the Eucharistic Congress, which had an audience of 65,000 Roman Catholics. Article Published on nola.com, May 31, 2016.  

N.O. artist’s exhibit opens June 2 with reception
Gretchen Reinike R. Eppling’s, born in New Orleans to the founders of the Reinike Academy of Art, displayed recent paintings and drawings at the Backwoods Gallery in St. Francisville. Eppling received her art education from Barat College, Newcomb College, and the Boston Museum School. She also has taught art to youths for more than 45 years. Article published in the New Orleans Advocate, May 25, 2016. 

Women in Business Q&A: Dr. Marsha Firestone, Founder and President of the Women Presidents' Organization
Dr. Firestone shares her professional knowledge by serving on numerous boards and advisory councils including: Women's Leadership Initiative at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), Enterprising Women Advisory Board, Forbes Executive Women's Board, Newcomb Institute Director's Advisory Council, the International Women's Forum, and The Women's Jewelry Association. She also sits on Mayor Bloomberg's Commission on MWBEs for New York City.  Read more in Huffington Post, April 15, 2014.

Newcomb College's "Dirty Dozen" on The Queen Latifah Show
Queen Latifah hosts, Janis Dropkin Smythe, Cheryl Joseph Zacarro, Linda Lewis-Moors and Carol Nathan McKegney, as they discuss their efforts to help rebuild New Orleans. Watch it on youtube.com, October 17, 2013.

An article on NOLA.com discusses Margaret Leonard, one of the Freedom Riders, and her ties to Newcomb College, her alma mater
Article published on NOLA.com, May 10, 2013.

Editors Susan Tucker and Beth Willinger discuss their new book, Newcomb College, 1886-2006, Higher Education for Women in New Orleans, after the 11:30 mark
Listen at WWNO.org, May 22, 2012.

Distinguished Alumna Award Recipient Marlene Moses (NC '72) is featured in the Nashville Ledger
Read more on NashvilleLedger.com, May 11, 2012.

Community leader Sharon Bourgeois (NC ’69)  receives the NAA’s Community Service Award for over 40 years of volunteerism in Acadiana
Published on Acadiana Gazette.

Alumnae in New York City  have the opportunity to see a retrospective on the work of groundbreaking artist Lynda Benglis (NC’64) at the New Museum
Read More at the New Museum and at The New York Times, 2011.

Newcomb alumna Julie Greenwald (NC ’91) chairwoman and chief operating officer of the Atlantic Records Group, spoke with the New York Times about her management style
Read more at the New York Times, 2011.

APS Member Dee Silverthorn was chosen as the Outstanding Alumnae of 2011 for the Newcomb Alumnae Association (NAA) of Tulane University
Article Published on The Physiologist.