At twilight on Wednesday, April 11, 2012, a distinguished, diverse group of more than 320 friends and honored guests gathered at Pittsburgh’s elegant August Wilson Center for African American Culture. They assembled to pay tribute to some of the city’s—and the nation’s—most influential individuals: Carlow University Women of Spirit®.
On this day, proclaimed “Women of Spirit® Day” by Pittsburgh City Council, five extraordinary women were honored with the 2012 Carlow University Women of Spirit® Award, recognizing significant achievements and accomplishments within the context of Carlow University’s core values.
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| From left, the 2012 Women of Spirit®: Anne Martindale Williams, Kim Tillotson Fleming, Karen Dunn Kelley, and Katherine Donahue Freyvogel. |
“Carlow's Women of Spirit® demonstrate
characteristics central to the mission of our University,” said Dr. Mary Hines, president of Carlow University. “The Women of Spirit® Awards program has earned a distinguished place as a Pittsburgh treasure. Since its beginning in 1993, women leaders have been recognized for their professional and personal leadership and their service to others. In turn, they share their expertise with the Carlow community by actively participating in the life of the University and in the development of its students.”
The five awards presented during the ceremony included the Women of Spirit® National Legacy Award, the Women of Spirit® National Award, and three separate awards honoring Values, Scholarship, and Vision.
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| The 2012 Women of Spirit® National Legacy Award was presented to Maggie Daley, former first lady of Chicago. |
This year’s honorees included:
National Legacy Award: Maggie Daley
National Award: Anne Martindale Williams
Values Award: Kim Tillotson Fleming
Scholarship Award: Katherine Donahue Freyvogel
Vision Award: Karen Dunn Kelley
The evening began with a gracious reception featuring the music of Spirit on the Hill, a three-piece jazz ensemble led by Artistic Director Kenan Foley, PhD, Carlow University adjunct associate professor of ethnomusicology. Attendees enjoyed a lavish buffet created by Pittsburgh’s Big Burrito Catering, and reflected on the true meaning of Women of Spirit®, guided by an invocation offered by Sister Mary Paul Hickey, RSM (Woman of Spirit® 1998).
Officiated by Tonia Caruso, Emmy-winning correspondent and co-host of Pittsburgh 360, WQED’s weekly news magazine program, the awards ceremony included a musical interlude featuring child of spirit Hannah Kwiecinski, a sixth grader at The Campus School of Carlow University. Kwiecinski performed “This Is the Moment” from the musical Jekyll and Hyde.
This year, the first-ever Women of Spirit® National Legacy Award was presented posthumously to Maggie Daley, the former first lady of Chicago, for her legacy as a friend of education and a model of Mercy values of justice, service, and hospitality. The award was accepted by Maggie’s daughter, Nora Daley-Conroy, and her two grandchildren, Maggie and John (Jack) Conroy.
A supporter of Chicago’s cultural and educational programs, Maggie Daley was born and raised in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. Her grandfather was Francis Edward McGillick, a Pittsburgh business man and devout Catholic, who formed the Francis Edward McGillick Foundation in 1937, which in turn funded Carlow's Hill College in 1998, and continues its philanthropy with McGillick Scholarships, awarded to qualified Carlow students. Daley passed away in November 2011, following a courageous battle with cancer.
In 1989, Daley helped establish The Frances Xavier Warde School, built upon strong academics and a values-based foundation, and serving students of all ethnic, religious, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds in a child-centered, urban environment. She was also instrumental in the creation of the Children at the Crossroads Foundation, providing tuition assistance that today exceeds $1 million.
Daley was also chair of After School Matters, a nonprofit organization that offers Chicago teens innovative out-of-school activities, with hands-on, project-based programs after school and throughout the summer that introduce teens to rewarding careers and help them develop marketable career-readiness skills.
The Women of Spirit® National Award was presented to Anne Martindale Williams, principal cellist and Pittsburgh Symphony Association Chair for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO).
Williams has enjoyed a successful career as principal cellist with the PSO since 1979, performing as a featured soloist both in Pittsburgh and on tour in New York at Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall. She has also collaborated with guest artists, such as Yehudi Menuhin, André Previn, Lynn Harrell, and Pinchas Zukerman in numerous chamber music performances.
Williams divides her time between the Orchestra, teaching at Carnegie Mellon and Duquesne universities, and solo and chamber music performances in America, Europe, and the Far East. She has appeared in several nationally televised productions including Concertos, produced by the BBC and Previn and the Pittsburgh, produced by WQED. She also is a member of the Carnegie-Mellon Trio, which performs throughout the United States.
The Women of Spirit® Award for Values was presented to Kim Tillotson Fleming, chairman and chief executive officer of Hefren-Tillotson, Inc.
Under Tillotson’s leadership, Hefren-Tillotson was named the #1 Best Place to Work (large company category), the Best Place to Work in Pittsburgh in 2010 by Pittsburgh Magazine, and the #1 Best Place to Work in Pennsylvania for medium-sized businesses in 2001. Hefren-Tillotson was also named the Western Pennsylvania Family Business of the Year in 2000 by the Katz Graduate School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh.
In 2009, Tillotson was voted one of the "Top 25 Women in Business" by the Pittsburgh Business Times, and in 2003, she was honored by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development as one of "Pennsylvania's 50 Best Women in Business."
In addition to her professional role, Tillotson is on the boards of many local and regional institutions, including Allegheny College, Allegheny Conference on Community Development, The Buhl Foundation, Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, Dollar Bank, Imani Christian Academy, and UPMC Health Plan. In 2011 and 2004, she was named an ATHENA Award finalist and received the 2005 YWCA "A Tribute to Women Leadership" award for business.
The Women of Spirit® Scholarship Award was presented to Katherine Donahue Freyvogel, president of Oakland Catholic High School, in honor of her lifelong dedication to educational excellence.
In addition to her professional leadership role, Freyvogel has led a career of volunteerism, including more than 30 years of service to St. Lucy’s Auxiliary to the Blind and more than two decades with the 25 Club of Magee-Women’s Hospital of UPMC, where she has spent countless hours raising funds for neonatal research.
Freyvogel is also currently serving as the Dame of Magisterial Grace for the Sovereign Military Order of Malta Federal Association. She previously served on the St. Vincent Seminary Board of Regents, the National Advisory Council of the National Association of Catholic Bishops, and the Epiphany Association. In 2003, she was named a Dame of the Papal Oder of St. Gregory by then-Bishop of Pittsburgh, Donald W. Wuerl.
The Women of Spirit® Vision Award was presented to Karen Dunn Kelley, chief executive officer of Invesco Fixed Income.
A leader in national and international financial investment, Dunn Kelley serves as senior managing director and chief executive officer of Invesco Fixed Income for Invesco Ltd. She oversees Invesco Fixed Income, Invesco Global Strategies, global equity trading, and investments administration. The businesses she manages comprise 273 employees, including 196 investment professionals, and more than $230 billion in assets (as of December 31, 2011).
Dunn Kelley is also co-chair of the Investor’s Forum, a member of Invesco’s Worldwide Institutional Strategy Committee, president and principal executive officer of Short-Term Investments Trust and AIM Treasurer’s Series Trust (Invesco Treasurer’s Series Trust), and serves on the boards for the Short-Term Investments Company (Global Series) plc, Invesco Global Management Company, Limited and Invesco Mortgage Capital Inc.
Just as Anne Martindale Williams’ solo in The Swan on the Pittsburgh Symphony’s recording of Carnival of the Animals by Saint-Saëns was described by Grammophon critic Edward Greenfield as “…the most memorable performance of all,” so was the performance she offered to conclude the Women of Spirit® celebration. Her spirit and passion filled the August Wilson Center as she created another memorable performance, ending the evening with a pleasant surprise: her inspiring rendition of the Sarabande from the Suite No. 1 in G major by J.S. Bach.
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Two Carlow University Women of Spirit® recently received the University’s highest honor: the Carlow Laureate Award.
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| Michele Rehfeld Atkins |
Michele Rehfeld Atkins, (’82, Woman of Spirit
® 2001) is president and CEO of Braddock’s community based not-for-profit organization,
Heritage Community Initiatives (HCI). Atkins was honored for more than 30 years of not-for-profit management, strategic planning, fundraising, and governance experience—and for her commitment to serve the underserved.
Michele Fabrizi (’75, Woman of Spirit® 2000) is president and CEO of MARC USA, one of the nation’s largest independent advertising agencies. One of today’s outstanding women in advertising, Fabrizi has guided MARC USA to new heights, creating an employee-centered culture that is deeply committed to clients.
Both women were recognized as powerful role models for women and honored for selfless service to their community.
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| Michele Fabrizi |
“Our Carlow Laureates are recognized for their outstanding academic achievements, professional contributions, and serving leadership,” said Dr. Mary Hines, president of Carlow University. “Recipients of this award have risen to the highest ranks of their chosen professions, have contributed to new knowledge in their disciplines, and have been guided by the principles of a Carlow education - one tied to academic rigor, but one also tied to service.”
The 2012 Laureate Awards, presented at a luncheon on May 11, 2012 at Oakland’s Twentieth Century Club, were also awarded to Patricia G. Donohoe ’75 and Marilyn Radke, MD ’73. Donohoe is co-founder of TBM Staffing, Inc. and Medical Staffing Network (MSN) in Tampa, Fla., and Radke is a medical officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Ga.
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The 2012 Women of Spirit® Summer Workshops are about to begin—but there is still time for students to enroll. This year’s four summer workshops give young women the opportunity to explore potential professions and to savor a taste of the college experience. For more information and an application, visit www.carlow.edu/summerworkshops. Financial aid is available for all workshops.
New This Year! Pre-Law and Order: the Summer Advocates Academy
June 25, 26, 27, and 28, 2012
Pittsburgh’s only pre-professional program focusing on legal careers for women—with special sessions held at downtown law firms, courts, and area law schools. All participants will network with professional women in the law, learn how to think and speak like advocates, and practice reading and briefing cases. The application deadline for Pre-Law and Order: the Summer Advocates Academy is June 15, 2012.
• Pre-College Track: High school juniors and seniors will prep for SATs and receive guidance writing college applications.
• Pre-Professional Track: College students will take a sample LSAT examination and prepare and test for law school admission.
Prepare to Care
July 10, 11, and 12, 2012
A three-day summer workshop for high school girls interested in healthcare professions, this summer’s interactive program provides students with exciting new hands-on experiences, including the opportunity to:
• Tour the cutting-edge Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and speak with a female physician.
• Discover how simulation is used in emergency medical training with Ronald Roth, MD
• Explore the front-lines of emergency room care, through conversation with an emergency room physician.
• Participate in hands-on activities in an anatomy lab and a state-of-the-art nursing skills lab where participants will listen to vital signs and lung sounds and check blood pressures.
• Investigate careers in social work with Sheila Roth, PhD, Carlow University professor of social work; and in exercise physiology with exercise physiologist Laura Timens, who will also lead participants through an invigorating abdominal workout.
Summer Science Nation
July 17, 18, and 19, 2012
A three-day program that introduces high school girls to career options in science. Through hands-on lab experiments, field trips to Pittsburgh’s research and industry facilities, and meetings with scientists in the field, students gain insight into a broad range of opportunities, including:
• Tissue Engineering and Organ Regeneration at the world-renowned McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine
• Hands-on Laboratory Careers, through hands-on experience in physics, microbiology, chemistry, and dissection labs
• Environmental Oncology, as they discuss career options with Maryann Donovan, MPH, PhD, interim associate director of the Center for Environmental Oncology at the Hillman Cancer Center
• Zookeeping, Sustainability, and Conservation during a special tour of the Pittsburgh Zoo.
ECO Camp (Environmental Career Opportunities)
July 17, 18, and 19, 2012
Environment, energy, and sustainability—three core themes to be familiar with when pursuing a career in environmental and green sciences. High school students will visit with professionals at several Pittsburgh area sites, gaining firsthand knowledge about such fields as:
• Ecology: learning to “green” their lives while exploring Carlow’s urban campus and visiting South Side’s Conservation Consultants, Inc. with energy management consultant Bradley Hochberg.
• Environmental Oncology: discussing career options with Maryann Donovan, MPH, PhD, associate director of the Center for Environmental Oncology at the Hillman Cancer Center.
• Alternative Energy and Water Analysis: analyzing water samplesdrawn directly from Pittsburgh’s rivers.
• Zookeeping, Sustainability, and Conservation: taking a special tour of the Pittsburgh Zoo.
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The 2012 Women of Spirit® Summer Workshops are about to begin—but there is still time to enroll. This year’s four summer workshops give young women the opportunity to explore potential professions and to savor a taste of the college experience.
