Newcomb Alumnae Association bestows three awards to Newcomb alumnae each year at Under the Oaks. Award winners have represented Newcomb with distinction since their graduation.
The Newcomb Alumnae Association Awards are presented annually at the Under the Oaks celebration in May:
Nominations are good for three years. The nomination period for 2023 is now open until January 27th.
Congratulations to our 2022 Alumnae Award Winners!
We are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2022 Newcomb Alumnae Association Awards. These alumnae have represented Newcomb with distinction since their graduation, and all alumnae are invited to celebrate their achievements at the Under the Oaks Ceremony. See the date, time, and location details located under the Events Tab.
Last year’s recipients are:
Outstanding Alumna:
Pamela A. Geller, Ph.d. (NC ’88)
Inspired by her Newcomb College experience, Dr. Pamela A. Geller’s career trajectory has involved integration of varied disciplines, including clinical and health psychology, public health, and maternal and infant mental health. Dr. Geller graduated from Newcomb College magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Art and Biology and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with departmental honors in all areas. She received the Senior Scholar Award from both the Art and Psychology departments. She received her MS and PhD in clinical psychology from Kent State University and completed a NIH postdoctoral fellowship in psychiatric epidemiology at the Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health of Columbia University. Dr. Geller is an Associate Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences and the Director of Clinical Training for the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program at Drexel University in Philadelphia. She is also Research Associate Professor of Obstetrics/Gynecology in Drexel’s College of Medicine.
Dr. Geller’s innovative work in women’s health and perinatal mental health over the past 30 years has served to advance the field and drive change while also having a significant community impact, particularly for underserved populations. Her work focuses on the psychological aspects of events surrounding pregnancy and childbearing, such as infertility, pregnancy loss, and postpartum depression. Dr. Geller is a founder and co-director of Mother Baby Connections, an intensive outpatient perinatal mental health program at Drexel for pregnant and postpartum women experiencing anxiety, and depression and their infants. She is currently leading a team in the creation of a digital solution to support universal mental health screening for Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) parents. Through her Women’s Health Psychology Lab at Drexel, Dr. Geller serves as primary mentor to undergraduate, Master’s and doctoral students. In Drexel’s Psychological Services Center, Dr. Geller is a clinical supervisor of PhD students who provide psychotherapy and behavioral medicine services to individuals from the Philadelphia community.
Dr. Geller serves on the Executive Council and chairs the Research Committee of the National Network of NICU Psychologists, an organization she helped to found. She was recently appointed to the Board of the National Perinatal Association. In addition to over 65 peer-reviewed publications and 20 book chapters, Dr. Geller is an editor of the Health Psychology volume of the Handbook of Psychology, as well as the book Women’s Health Psychology. She has presented her work both nationally and internationally and has been featured on BBC Radio programs.
Community Service Award:
Amy Gatzemeyer (NC ’06)
Since graduating from Newcomb College in 2006, Amy Gatzemeyer has stayed true to her passion for exploring service learning and active citizenship and fostering conditions for others to serve. Immediately following graduation, Gatzemeyer spent one year teaching middle school in New Orleans, during which she implemented a service-learning program. Following that, she served for four years as a military intelligence officer in the U.S. Army. She served in Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2009 to 2010, earning a Bronze Star Medal for Service.
In 2017, Gatzemeyer completed her 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training in a special program for cadets, military service members, and veterans at the United States Military Academy (West Point) and immediately followed up by completing an additional 300-hour Yoga Teacher Training. In 2018, she worked with other veterans to create a yoga training program for military members who want to integrate the tools of yoga into their units. This program has since become the 501c(3) organization We Teach Resilience, Increase Balance, and Endurance (TRIBE). TRIBE’s mission is to teach the tools of yoga—both the physical practice and mindfulness techniques—that align with the military’s culture in order to enhance the resilience, mental and physical endurance and strength, physical vitality, and overall physical readiness of our nation’s active-duty personnel and their families. In addition to being one of the lead trainers and curriculum designers, Gatzemeyer currently serves as the Administrative and Financial Head of TRIBE.
Young Alumna Award:
Saira A. Mehmood, Ph.d. (SLA ’08, SLA *09)
Saira Mehmood graduated from Newcomb-Tulane College in 2008 as a Newcomb Scholar and Oak Wreath recipient, and with a Master’s in anthropology from Tulane in 2009. After graduating from Tulane, she was a Mayoral Fellow with the City of New Orleans, where she analyzed mental health services in New Orleans and worked on mental health policies in the Mayor’s Office and with other city departments and state legislators. Dr. Mehmood continued her work with the community and research on mental health services for her dissertation, “I am not my illness!: Navigating the mental healthcare system in New Orleans,” which she completed for her Ph.D. in 2019 at Southern Methodist University.
As an activist-scholar, Dr. Mehmood’s work extends to the community and her profession. During her time conducting fieldwork in New Orleans for her dissertation research, Dr. Mehmood was also active as a core organizer with the New Orleans Palestinian Solidarity Committee (NOPSC). From 2016 to 2019, she co-led community meetings, direct actions, teach-ins, and served as a guest speaker for numerous venues, including serving as a panelist for Community Action Council of Tulane University Students (CACTUS). Dr. Mehmood with NOPSC co-created the Tahrir Fellowship program, a paid internship made possible through funds raised from the annual New Orleans Palestinian Film Festival, to teach Palestinian youth skills in community organizing and legislative advocacy for effective social justice work.
Dr. Mehmood has received numerous awards and grants over the years for her research, including the American Anthropological Association’s Minority Dissertation Fellowship. From 2019-2021, She was a Visiting Assistant Professor at Spelman College. Currently, Dr. Mehmood is an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science & Technology Policy Fellow, with a placement at the National Institutes of Health. Working within the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).
Outstanding Alumna
1974 Elizabeth Wisner N'14
1975 Bessie Margolin N'29
1976 Corinne Claiborne Boggs N'35
1977 E. Lucille Smith N'35
1978 Ida Rittenberg Kohlmeyer N'33
1979 Ruth Rogan Benerito N'35
1980 Betty Werlein Carter N'31
1981 Lanier Allingham Simmons N'50
1982 Mary Lou Mossy Christovich N'49
1983 Odaline de la Martinez N'72
1984 Evalyn Stolaroff Gendel N'43
1985 Betty Stevens Sherrill N'44
1986 Hilda Arndt N'32
1987 Lynda Benglis N'64
1988 Rosa Freeman Keller N'32
1989 Martha Crenshaw N'67
1990 Marion J. Siegman N'54
1991 Barbara Y. E. Pyle N'69
1992 Deirdre Melessa Phillips, M.D. N'69
1993 Vivian Gussin Paley N'50
1994 Lois E. DeBakey N'40
1995 Eugénie Ricau Rocherolle N'58
1997 Susan Gold Willard Schorin N'67
1998 May Hyman Lesser N'47
1999 Martha Walters Barnett N'69
2003 Marsha Sidel Firestone N'65
2004 Cheryl A. Nickerson N'83
2005 Elizabeth A. Weaver N’62
2007 Jane Davis Doggett N'52
2008 Carol Lavin Bernick N'74
2009 Florence Weiland Schornstein N’56
2010 Berthe Lathrop Marks Amoss N’46
2011 Dee Unglaub Silverthon N '70
2012 Marlene Esking Moses N '72
2013 Margaret Burr Leonard N '63
2014 Merri Steinberg Ex N '73
2015 Regina Rogers N '68
2016 Jennifer Brush N '78
2017 Sally Kittredge Reeves N'65
2018 Meria Carstarphen NC '92
2019 Marcela Villareal de Panetta NC ’67
2020 Carter Flemming NC ’70
2021 Dr. Mara E. Karlin NC ’01
Young Alumna
2005 Jennifer Grotz N’93
2007 Melissa Ekin Kizildemir N’02
2008 Erica Trani N’06
2009 Rebekah Dobrasko N’01
2010 Theresa Schieber N’95
2011 Meaghan K. Callahan N'08
2012 Karoun Bagamain N'01
2013 Elizabeth Bellino N'98
2014 Johanna Gilligan N'03
2015 Jane Kellum N'01
2016 Dr. Mara E. Karlin N'01
2017 Demetria Christo N'06
2018 Lindsey Childs-Kean NC '04
2019 Paula Eichenbrenner NC ’04
2020 Nicole Hutchinson SLA '07
2021 Mwende "FreeQuency" Katwiwa NC '14
Newcomb Community Service and Loyalty Award
1987 Sybil Muths Favrot N’56
1988 Jane Kelleher Riess N’38
1989 Nellie Mae " Bartlett Kelleher N’30
1990 Carol Downes Cudd N’59
1992 Louise Hoehn Hogan N’35
1993 Winifred Delery Hills N’75
1994 Polly Phelps Durham N’52
1995 Harriet Barry Schupp N’59
1997 Regan Alford Forrester N'71
1999 Carolyn Robbert Davis N'42
2000 Andrée Keil Moss N'59
2001 Helen Schneidau N'67
2002 Patricia Greene N'67
2003 Karen Deener Depp N'66
2004 Virginia Niehaus Roddy N'60
2005 Barbara Bartlett Haddad N'53
2007 Cynthia Roosth Wolf N'68
2008 Eugenie Jones Huger N'53
2009 Adelaide Wisdom Benjamin N’54
Community Service Award
2010 Adele Redditt Williamson N’45
2011 Sharon Kozlowski Bourgeois N'69
2012 Suzy Guichard McDaniel N'83
2013 Newcomb Sisters & Friends Build
2014 Sylvia Klumok Goodman N'62
2015 Julie Schwam Harris N'74
2016 Roberta Guillory N'59
2017 Rhonda Kalifey-Aluise N'92
2018 Millibeth Currie NC '89
2019 Lisa Helfman NC ’96
2020 Nancy Godecke NC '81
2021 Isabel González Whitaker NC '94
Katrina/Rita Recognition Awards - October 27, 2006
Pamela Montgomery Bryan N'80
Barbara Gott Bush N'71
Beverly Reese Church N'67
Lea McIntosh Ellison N'69
Mignon Faget N'55
Virginia Saussy N'88
Ruthie Jones Frierson N'62
Patricia Heatherly Gay N'65
Barbara Barry Hammett N'64
Leslie Brupbacher Kramer N'77
Nancy Meyers Marsiglia N'75
Anne McDonald Milling N'62
Marcelle D'Aquin Saussy N'61
Louise Fergusson Saenz N'94
Cynthia Roosth Wolf N'68
Newcomb Centennial Awards - Awarded October 11, 1986
Mildred D. Christian N'22, Education/ English
Lucile Jacoby Blum N'24, Music, Performing, & Visual Art
Perrine Dixon McCune N'24, Music
Angela Gregory N'25, Sculpture
Rena Wilson N'29, Early Childhood Development
Mary Ethel Dichmann N'35, Education
Margaret Pace Willson N'43, Art/ Glass Blowing/ Business
Mary Hanemann Lystad N'49, Social Psychology
Shirley Ann Grau N'50, Author
Mignon Faget N'55, Art/ Jewelry Design
Linda Smith Wilson N'57, Chemistry/EducationalAdministration/Research
Frances F. Switt N'59, Foreign Service/ Cultural Exchange
Emily Watts Card N'63, Financial Management
Shelly Johnson Errington N’66, Anthropology
Marilyn Thomas Bernard N'68, Music
Janina R. Gerth Galler N'69, Pediatric Mental Health
Alumna of the Year (discontinued)
2005 Helen Carney Evans N’65
2007 Ruthie Jones Frierson N’62
2007 Anne McDonald Milling N’62