Newcomb Alumnae Association Announcement: The 2024-25 Executive Committee Slate

The Annual Meeting of the Newcomb Alumnae Association will take place on Friday, November 8 at 11:30 AM in the Diboll Gallery (3rd Floor of the Malkin Sacks Commons, Uptown campus). At this meeting, the propsoed slate will be voted on by present membership.

The Newcomb Alumnae Association Board of Directors has put forth the following slate: 

Vice President – Alumnae: Tammy Thaggert, MD (NC ’91)
Vice President – Students: Julia Broussard
Secretary – Chelsea Cipriano
Treasurer – Heather Yanak

Tammy Thaggert, MD (NC ’91)
Dr. Tammy Thaggert has been practicing family medicine since 2000. Throughout her career, she has focused on preventative medicine and treatment of chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension in adult patients. Her professional interests also include public health and population medicine. Dr. Thaggert attended Newcomb College and Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, and she earned a medical degree from Drexel University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA. She completed a family medicine residency at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. She also earned a Master of Public Health degree from the University of South Florida.

When she is not working, Dr. Thaggert enjoys traveling and reading histories, biographies, and mystery novels.

We look forward to seeing you at the annual meeting and during Homecoming and Wave Weekend, as we celebrate the 130th anniversary of the Newcomb Alumnae Association.

Julia Broussard (LA ’10)
Julia Broussard is the Assistant Provost for Title IX Compliance and Education and the Title IX Coordinator at Tulane University. In this role, Julia oversees Tulane’s response to Title IX complaints and maintains initiatives to sustain a safe climate for all university community members free from sexual harassment and sexual violence. Julia previously worked in Case Management and Victim Support Services at Tulane. Outside of work, Julia volunteers with the New Orleans Medical Reserve Corps and enjoys gardening, cooking, and spending time with her family and friends. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and French from Tulane University, and a Master’s degree in Social Work from Louisiana State University; she is also a licensed clinical social worker.

Chelsea B. Cipriano (SLA ’10, PHTM *11)
Chelsea Cipriano (SLA ‘10, PHTM ‘11) has spent her career in public health working towards a more healthy and equitable future.

Most recently, Chelsea served as Executive Director for Government Affairs and Deputy Public Information Officer at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. In her role, Chelsea led the agency’s policy and advocacy activities, and the City's health-related legislative and budget negotiations at city, state, and federal levels. As Deputy Public Information Officer, Chelsea served New Yorkers via public-facing communications and partnership for the COVID- 19 and Monkeypox responses. Prior to her work at the Health Department, she served as Health Policy Advisor in the Office of the New York City Mayor and as Deputy Chief of Staff to the New York City Budget Director. Chelsea has also held roles in Public Health at the federal level - including with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, GA and the US Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, DC where she worked on a range of topics across the public health and health care reform spectrum.

At Tulane, Chelsea served as Associated Student Body President, Tulane EMS Assistant Director of Personnel, Vice President Panhellenic for Kappa Alpha Theta, Orientation Team Leader and Student Director, a Green Wave Ambassador, Vice President for the Graduate and Professional Student Association, and Undergraduate Student Government Senator.

In her free time now, Chelsea enjoys writing screenplays, drawing the world around her in cartoon form, advocating (loudly) for health and human rights, DIYing furniture and home decor, and watching bad TV. She lives with her husband Taylor (a fellow Tulane alum!) and 20- pound cat Theo (not a Tulane alum) in Shreveport, LA, though she can frequently be found in a plane between Louisiana and New York City.

Heather Yanak (NC ’97)
After graduating from Newcomb, alumna Heather Yanak (NC ‘97) received her J.D. from The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law. Heather has spent over 25 years in the legal, compliance, and leadership/talent management areas as a practicing attorney and strategic advisor to general counsel, chief compliance and risk officers, human resource executives, and their departments. She is currently the General Counsel and Vice President of Human Resources for a mid-stream oil and gas pipeline services company. 

In addition to the Newcomb Alumnae Association board, Heather serves on the Houston Tulane University Alumni Association board and has been instrumental in growing participation in the Houston area. She has also been an active member of the Tulane Alumni Association board since 2018.

This announcement complies with the procedures outlined in the NAA Bylaws, which require written notice to the membership at least 20 business days prior to the meeting. Please contact the Newcomb Alumnae office at newcombalumnae@tulane.edu if you have any questions or concerns.