Giving Stories

Lessons in Sciences: Mary Washington Alumnae Advance STEM Careers

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A young woman leaves New York to earn a bachelor’s degree in chemistry at a small Virginia women’s college in the 1950s. After graduate school, she becomes a revered electron microscopist – but not without the challenges of being a woman in a male-dominated field. Consequently, she spends her life helping female students at her alma mater advance their own careers and pursue their scientific passions.

It sounds like Lessons in Chemistry, the popular Apple+ miniseries based on the novel by Bonnie Garmus, chronicling the life of a female chemist challenging the status quo in the mid-20th century.

Yet, it’s the true story of Irene Piscopo Rodgers ’59. She and other Mary Washington alumnae – such as Anne Hope Scott ’59, Jerri Barden Perkins ’61, and Marilyn Shull Black ’69 – made scientific breakthroughs while breaking through the glass ceiling.

Irene Piscopo Rodgers ’59 poses in 2017 with three of her recipients, Kelly McDaniel, Mary Hopkin, and Emily Ferguson.
Professor of Chemistry and chair of the Department of Chemistry and Physics Janet Asper (right) works with chemistry major Dorothy Haas ’23 in Experimental Methods, a course that has students separating and identifying the molecules within a mixture. Through the years, Irene’s generous gifts to her alma mater have bolstered students’ pursuit of science.
Irene poses with a group of UMW scholarship recipients who benefited from her generosity at the 2018 Donor Appreciation Luncheon. To date, 93 students and counting have earned awards thanks to the funding she provided.

“These women overcame obstacles at a time when there were few women in STEM and found success in their fields,” said Vice President for Advancement and Alumni Engagement Katie Turcotte. “We are so thankful to them and others who continue to invest in their alma mater so that students today can achieve their goals, just as they did.”

On Feb. 11’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science, UMW recognizes alumnae who have established or contributed toward scholarships and other awards in the sciences. A total of 21 graduates have given $10,000 or more to STEM areas over the years, all of them women. Nearly $43 million has been made in gifts and pledges to designations in the sciences by alumni, friends, and families, mostly in the last decade. 

Irene left the University of Mary Washington a transformational $30 million gift – the largest in the institution’s history – when she passed away in 2022. Her generous bequest will exponentially grow UMW’s undergraduate scientific research program and create four new Alvey Scholarships, providing full tuition, fees, and room and board for out-of-state students, adding to the eight she created in her lifetime.

The first of these four new scholarships will be awarded this spring to an incoming first-year student who wishes to pursue studies in biology, chemistry, physics, Earth and environmental science, mathematics, or computer science. Recipients will be notified by April 1, 2024, and students are encouraged to apply for admission as the first step. UMW also offers in-state full-ride scholarships for Virginia students, with more than 90 majors, minors, and programs to choose from.

Current students can apply for scholarships now, with the application open Feb. 1 through May 15.

In addition, the University recently recognized a decades-long commitment by Anne Hope Scott, who made a provision in her estate plan in 1988 to fund the Anne Hope Scott ’59 Scholarship in Chemistry. A former teacher, Anne, who also passed away in 2022, spent 34 years as a chemist and consumer safety officer with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Irene Piscopo Rodgers ’59 received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree at UMW’s 2014 Commencement ceremony. Photo by Norm Shafer.
Anne Hope Scott (right) collaborates with a coworker in an FDA lab. The 1959 alumna’s bequest funded the Anne Hope Scott ’59 Scholarship in Chemistry.

Irene had often said that Mary Washington had “opened worlds” for her, so she wanted to do the same for students like senior Sofia Taylor, an Alvey Scholarship recipient with whom she corresponded regularly through cards and letters.

Sofia had the opportunity to thank her late donor one last time in a video that premiered at UMW’s annual Celebration of Giving dinner in December.

“I hope you know that everything I’m doing here at UMW was made possible because of your generosity,” said Sofia, a psychology major and music and neuroscience minor. “I will continue to make you proud as a woman in STEM and sing your praises for all past and future Alvey Scholars to hear.”

Seniors Sofia Taylor (right) and Hannah Stottlemyer, who both earned full-ride Alvey Scholarships established by Irene Piscopo Rodgers, pose with Ron Pohl, Irene’s friend and attorney, at the 2023 Celebration of Giving. Photo by Karen Pearlman Photography.
Harrison Miles ’15, ’23, who earned a post-baccalaureate degree in conservation biology, poses with his donor, Jerri Barden Perkins, MD, ’61, at the 2023 Celebration of Giving. His research received the John C. and Jerri Barden Perkins ’61 CAS Student Research Fellowship at last year’s Summer Science Institute. Photo by Karen Pearlman Photography.

With a storied career as a chemist, physician, researcher, and author, Jerri Barden Perkins, MD, credits her start to the $100 scholarship she received at Mary Washington when she was a student. “This is my way of paying it forward for future generations.”

She was also honored in the video by one of her recipients, Harrison Miles ’15, ’23, who returned to UMW to earn a post-baccalaureate degree in conservation biology. Harrison was awarded the John C. and Jerri Barden Perkins ’61 College of Arts and Sciences Student Research Fellowship at last year’s Summer Science Institute for his research using fungus extracted from the invasive spotted lantern fly.

“Without the scientific background and support of my Mary Washington professors, I could not have achieved my goals,” said Jerri, who faced gender bias in medical school and throughout her career. She later trained at the National Institutes of Health, where she made groundbreaking discoveries into rheumatoid arthritis, and worked at the FDA, where she recommended the first therapy to treat AIDS patients.

Docia Atanda ’23, also featured in the video, said that receiving the Bernard L. Mahoney Jr. Student Research Fellowship from Marilyn Shull Black meant that she could continue her research with Assistant Professor of Chemistry Sarah Smith ’12. Docia and Dr. Smith also received awards from Irene when they were students.

Now pursuing a Ph.D. in chemistry at the University of Maryland, Docia said she hopes to use her science education to contribute to the greater good just like Marilyn, who spent her career studying indoor air quality and its impact on children’s health.

Marilyn Shull Black ’69 with the late Distinguished Professor of Chemistry Emeritus Bernard L. Mahoney Jr. She named her fellowship for the former professor.
Docia Atanda ’23 (right) with Kathleen Mahoney, wife of the late Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Chemistry Bernard L. Mahoney Jr., the namesake of Marilyn Shull Black’s fellowship, at the 2023 Donor Appreciation Luncheon. Photo by Karen Pearlman Photography.

“Dr. Black, thank you for believing in the power of education and investing in students like me,” Docia said. “Your support has changed my life and enabled me and other Mary Washington students to pursue our dreams and make a difference in the world.”

Find scholarship opportunities that are available to UMW students. Learn more about establishing scholarships and how private support makes a difference in the lives of UMW students who receive scholarships, research fellowships, and internship grants.

-Article written by Associate Director of Advancement Communications Jill Graziano Laiacona ’04 

Watch the ‘Impact of Giving on the Sciences’ video:

Alumna, Author Uncovers Hidden Black History in Great Lives Lecture, Feb. 8

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An archaeological dig revealed the remnants of a notorious slave jail in Richmond. The groundbreaking discovery led journalist and Mary Washington graduate Kristen Green ’95 to use different tools to unearth information about Mary Lumpkin, a formerly enslaved woman who began her family’s quest for freedom on that site.

Kristen, an award-winning reporter and author, utilized the writing, critical thinking and rigorous research skills she honed through her college journalism courses to piece together a riveting portrait in her 2022 book, The Devil’s Half Acre (the jail’s nickname). Documents, deeds, death certificates, and more weave a tale of a woman all but erased from the American narrative.

Journalist and author Kristen Green '95 will share the story of enslaved woman Mary Lumpkin as part of UMW's Great Lives Lecture Series on Feb. 8.
Journalist and author Kristen Green ’95 will share the story of enslaved woman Mary Lumpkin as part of UMW’s Great Lives Lecture Series on Feb. 8.

“We know figures like Harriet Tubman, but most enslaved women didn’t try to escape because they wouldn’t have left their children behind,” Kristen said. “Instead, Mary Lumpkin used her agency … to secure an education and freedom for her children, nearly a decade prior to the Civil War.”

Kristen will shed light on Lumpkin’s story – including how she became known as the mother of Virginia Union University, one of the country’s oldest Historically Black Colleges and Universities – on Thursday, Feb. 8, for the William B. Crawley Great Lives Lecture Series. A part of UMW’s 2024 Black History Month Celebration, Mary Lumpkin: Enslaved Woman, Liberator will be held in George Washington Hall’s Dodd Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. Sponsored by LINKBANK, the lecture is open to the public and free of charge and will be posted online shortly after the event.

The lecture reunites Kristen – a member of UMW’s inaugural Alumni of Distinction class – with series founder and Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History William Crawley. She cites him as the reason she chose to attend Mary Washington, after a chance encounter when she was working at her high school job in a furniture store.

“I naturally followed Kristen’s progress with great interest, while she was a student and in her journalism career,” Dr. Crawley said. “I’m so proud of what she has accomplished.”

Kristen said taking courses in history, religion, historic preservation, and English pointed her toward the interdisciplinary American studies major. She also registered for every class with Steve Watkins, who taught journalism at UMW for over two decades.

“I came from a small town and had never encountered anyone like him,” said Kristen, who joined the student newspaper, then called The Bullet. “He encouraged me to question everything.”

With that curiosity, she earned a master’s degree in public administration from the Harvard Kennedy School and wrote for the Boston Globe, San Diego Tribune, and Richmond Times-Dispatch. Covering other communities inspired her to take a closer look at her own hometown.

Her New York Times bestseller, Something Must Be Done About Prince Edward County, investigated how the Virginia community shuttered public schools, rather than admit Black students, after the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision.

Kristen Green pieced together the story of Mary Lumpkin using letters, court documents, slave manifests, census and city directories, and more, as well as interviews with formerly enslaved people from the early 20th century.
Kristen Green pieced together the story of Mary Lumpkin using letters, court documents, slave manifests, census and city directories, and more, as well as interviews with formerly enslaved people from the early 20th century.

“I had only been told parts of the story,” said Kristen, who explored her own family’s role, learning that her grandfather helped open the segregated private academy that she herself attended as a child. “That’s what my books have become – this history hidden in plain sight.”

That’s what drew her to Mary Lumpkin, who was forced to bear the children of a brutal slave trader, Robert Lumpkin, but used her limited resources to help them have a better life. And Kristen wanted to share the stories of other enslaved women who were exploited during the domestic slave trade.

She used the Library of Virginia and Ancestry.com to trace Mary Lumpkin’s journey through personal correspondence, court documents, wills and deeds, census and city directories, slave manifests, advertisements, news articles, and birth, marriage and death certificates.

“There are so many little records that seem like nothing, but when you put them together, a story starts to form,” said Kristen, who also used recorded interviews with formerly enslaved people from the early 20th century to round out what Mary Lumpkin’s life might have looked like.

Mary Lumpkin saw a different future after Robert died, Kristen said. “She … found freedom, mobility and love and carved out a life of her own.”

A complete lineup of Great Lives lectures, including dates, speakers and sponsors, can be found at umw.edu/greatlives. Learn more about Kristen Green’s work at kristengreen.net. Read more about UMW’s inaugural Alumni of Distinction class.

– Article written by Assistant Director of Advancement Communications Jill Graziano Laiacona ’04 

UMW’s Great Lives Lecture Series Announces New Co-Director

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The University of Mary Washington’s Great Lives lecture series announces the addition of Scott Harris ’83 to its team. As executive director of UMW Museums, Harris joins Great Lives founder and Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History William Crawley as co-director of the hugely popular biography series, which returned for its 21st season in January.

Great Lives lectures are held Tuesdays and Thursdays through the end of March 2024. All are open to the public free of charge and begin at 7:30 p.m. in George Washington Hall’s Dodd Auditorium.

Executive Director of University of Mary Washington Museums Scott Harris ’83 was recently named co-director of the Great Lives lecture series.
Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History William Crawley, who founded Great Lives in 2004, will co-direct the hugely popular biography lecture series with Harris. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

Harris is well known in the Fredericksburg area for his extensive involvement in historic preservation, having earned his bachelor’s degree with honors in history and historic preservation from Mary Washington. He has been employed at UMW since 2011 and has served in his current role since 2018, overseeing Gari Melchers Home and Studio at Belmont, the James Monroe Museum, and the Papers of James Monroe.

In addition, Harris is past president of the Virginia Association of Museums and is an editorial advisor and frequent contributor to the White House Historical Association’s journal, White House History Quarterly.

“I’m honored to work with Bill Crawley and the rest of the Great Lives team to bring such a distinguished lecture series to the public,” Harris said. “This year’s lineup is excellent, and we are looking forward to a terrific one in 2025.”

In his new position, Harris will collaborate with Crawley in presenting this season’s lectures, as well as assembling the schedule of topics and speakers for the coming year. According to Crawley, who has led the series since its inception in 2004, the co-directors will be working together to devise a programmatic structure that will enable the series to thrive in 2025 and beyond.

Great Lives began as an academic course offered by UMW’s Department of History and American Studies with a free public lecture series. A significant endowment by John Chappell, in honor of his late wife, Carmen Culpeper Chappell ’59, enabled the series to attract bestselling biographers who provide illuminating insight into the lives of the world’s most prominent personalities. More than 300 subjects have been featured over the last two decades.

In 2016, the program was renamed the William B. Crawley Great Lives Lecture Series. Numerous local organizations and corporations throughout the Fredericksburg area sponsor talks and support the series.

Lectures continue this month with World War II spymaster Wild Bill Donovan on Feb. 1 (rescheduled from Jan. 16), followed by George Washington on Feb. 6.

On Feb. 8, Kristen Green ’95 will share the story of Mary Lumpkin, an enslaved woman who turned a notorious slave jail into a school for Black men, the precursor to Virginia Union University, one of America’s first Historically Black Colleges and Universities. An award-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author, Green penned Lumpkin’s biography, The Devil’s Half Acre.

Each lecture is recorded and will be available online shortly after the event.

A complete list of events, including dates, speakers, and sponsors, can be found at umw.edu/greatlives.

Baseball Executive, Alum Encourages Students to Take Risks, Build Relationships

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When Jin Wong ’97 was applying for an internship with the Atlanta Braves during his senior year at Mary Washington, he was given a choice. Did he want to interview with baseball legend Hank Aaron over the phone or in person?

“I told them, ‘Tell me where and when,’” said Jin, who flew south to meet the Baseball Hall of Famer, spending some time getting to know the player who held onto the record for most career homeruns for 33 years. “It’s all about making connections and building relationships.”

Now a Major League Baseball executive himself, Jin shared those words of wisdom when he returned to the University of Mary Washington earlier this month to speak with College of Business students, student-athletes, and the UMW baseball team. The Alumni Association Board of Directors also presented an evening Q&A for alumni with board member Karmel James ’13 as host.

Jin Wong ’97 poses for a picture in the College of Business. A business administration major at Mary Washington, he recently accepted the position of assistant general manager for baseball administration with the Chicago White Sox, after 24 years with the Kansas City Royals. Photo by Tom Rothenberg.
UMW President Troy Paino with Jin Wong ’97 during the Mary Washington graduate’s recent visit to his alma mater. Photo by Tom Rothenberg.
Jin Wong speaks to students in UMW’s College of Business. Photo by Tom Rothenberg.

Jin, a business administration major and Division-III All-American outfielder at Mary Washington, shared insights from his 24 years with the Kansas City Royals and his recent decision to move to the Chicago White Sox. Named to the University’s inaugural Alumni of Distinction class, he also had a chance to visit his plaque in the first-floor gallery in George Washington Hall.

“The best advice he gave was to take risks and jump headfirst into any position in sports you can find,” said junior Thomas Martinez, who plays third base for UMW and aspires to work in sports marketing.

As a student, Jin followed his own recommendation when his advisor, Professor Emeritus of Management and Psychology Larry Penwell, found him the internship in Atlanta, next securing an entry level job with the team’s minor league affiliate, the Richmond Braves.

Two years later, he landed in Kansas City, where he rose through the ranks over the next two decades. He became vice president and assistant general manager for baseball operations in 2015, helping contribute to the team’s World Series win that year. Every step of the way, his relationships played a role in helping him find his next opportunity, Jin said.

Now, he’s ready for a larger market, accepting an assistant general manager position with the Chicago White Sox, which made national headlines this month. In his new role, he’ll oversee all aspects of baseball administration, including contract negotiations, salary arbitration, budgeting and payroll management, compliance with MLB rules and regulations, and the collective bargaining agreement.

“The job will be stressful, but all the responsibilities are in my wheelhouse,” said Jin, who appreciates that he’ll have more work-life balance. “It’s also an opportunity to change an organization from the inside.”

Jin Wong ’97 speaks to the UMW baseball team in the Leigh Frackleton Classroom in the College of Business. Photo by Tom Rothenberg.
Jin Wong’s 2015 Kansas City Royals World Series Championship ring. Photo by Tom Rothenberg.
Jin Wong speaks to the UMW baseball team. He was a Division III All-American outfielder as a student. Photo by Tom Rothenberg.

He reassured UMW students that there are jobs in professional sports for any major, with a willingness to work hard, be a team player, treat others with respect, act with integrity and accountability, and not focus more on ambition than one’s current position.

“Most importantly, remember that failure is inevitable,” said Jin, recalling how he quit the baseball team for a year to improve his grades in college, as well as the times he didn’t get hired for jobs he wanted. “Learning resilience and perseverance will help get you through those tough moments.”

Jin also encouraged students to use him and other alumni working in sports as a resource. He singled out Tad Dickman ’12, a former UMW basketball player who now directs communications for the Pathway/PGA Tour. Others include Emily Badis ’15, who played field hockey at UMW and is now manager of football administration with the Minnesota Vikings, as well as Shelby Harris Carey ’16, a former UMW tennis player who now manages events at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

For example, Jin said, he recently helped Xavier Herring ’23 – who was named UMW’s Male-Scholar Athlete of the Year last season – score an internship with a Chicago White Sox minor league team.

Senior Marie Butler, a geography major and business administration minor who plays on the UMW volleyball team, said she’s already taken Wong up on his offer to help.

“As a young woman looking to break into sports management, I learned from him that I need to put myself out there and use the connections I have,” said Marie, who was interested to hear Jin speak about the kinds of jobs available for liberal arts and sciences majors. “If you are confident, passionate, and willing to work hard, there’s a career out there for you.”

Jin Wong ’97 is the recipient of the UMW College of Business Distinguished Business Alumni Award, a member of the UMW Athletics Hall of Fame, and is featured among Mary Washington’s Alumni of Distinction. 

–Article written by Assistant Director of Advancement Communications Jill Graziano Laiacona ’04

New Alumni of Distinction Gallery Honors Mary Washington Grads

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A New York Times bestselling author. An Emmy-nominated television host. A past poet laureate. Two previous U.S. ambassadors. The former CEO of Rolls Royce North America. An award-winning chef and restauranteur. And the newly minted assistant general manager of the Chicago White Sox.

A member of the inaugural Alumni of Distinction class, Jin Wong '97 was recently named assistant general manager of the Chicago White Sox after 24 years with the Kansas City Royals. He visited UMW this month to speak with business administration students, student-athletes, the baseball team, and alumni. Photo by Tom Rothenberg.
A member of the inaugural Alumni of Distinction class, Jin Wong ’97 was recently named assistant general manager of the Chicago White Sox after 24 years with the Kansas City Royals. He visited UMW this month to speak with business administration students, student-athletes, the baseball team, and alumni. Photo by Tom Rothenberg.

Those are just a few of the individuals recognized in the University of Mary Washington’s inaugural Alumni of Distinction class, featuring 35 exceptional graduates who excel in the fields of business, law, medicine, arts and entertainment, sports, literature, human rights advocacy, philanthropy, scientific research, higher education, and more. Spanning generations and professions, their accolades can be found displayed on the first floor of George Washington Hall and in an online gallery. The University is accepting new submissions – grads can nominate themselves or others on the UMW Alumni website – and fresh faces will be added every five years.

“For the past 115 years, Mary Washington graduates have gone on to become accomplished leaders in every discipline, highlighting the power of a liberal arts and sciences education,” said Executive Director of Alumni Engagement Mark Thaden ’02.

The new gallery will help provide a fuller picture of the Mary Washington story, Thaden said, accompanying the restored murals originally painted by late art professor Emil Schnellock and his students in the 1940s. “I’m so excited that we are able to prominently display these amazing alumni in one of the most iconic buildings on campus.”

So are the members of the Alumni of Distinction class themselves. Jin Wong ’97, who was recently named assistant general manager for baseball administration of the Chicago White Sox, visited the gallery when he came to campus earlier this month to speak to students in the College of Business, student-athletes, fellow alumni, and the UMW baseball team. He previously worked his way up through the Kansas City Royals organization, serving the team for 24 years, including during its World Series-winning season in 2015.

Nellie King '92, pictured on the cover of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers 'Champion' publication, is the organization's immediate past president.
Nellie King ’92, pictured on the cover of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers ‘Champion’ publication, is the organization’s immediate past president.

“Mary Washington holds a special place in my heart,” said Jin, who majored in business administration at Mary Washington and was a Division-III All-American outfielder on UMW’s baseball team.”I’m very proud and humbled to be honored by my alma mater.”

Nellie King ’92 considers the honor a highlight in her much-lauded career focused on protecting and expanding civil and constitutional rights in the criminal justice system.

“My personal and professional choices were distinctly influenced … by the network of friends, professors, and administrators who supported and mentored me after graduation,” said Nellie, who also was shaped by her experiences as president of UMW’s Honor Council. “The University’s emphasis on service to others encouraged me to question, explore, and engage in order to impact individuals and communities.”

Fitz Maro ’11, manager of design technology at Amazon’s Brand Innovation Lab, was one of several business administration majors from Mary Washington’s College of Business to earn a spot on the wall.

“UMW … was pivotal in discovering my professional direction,” said Fitz, who also earned a master’s degree at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Brandcenter. “The expansive coursework I found at Mary Washington gave me a panoramic perspective that continues to be indispensable in my career.”

While several graduates in the gallery continue to live and serve locally in Fredericksburg, some have moved overseas, including 2019 alumni Jalen Brown and Maria Dubiel.

2019 graduates Jalen Brown and Maria Dubiel publish The Francofile, an online project documenting their life and work in France. Photo courtesy of Jalen Brown and Maria Dubiel.
Fitz Maro ’11 is manager of design technology at Amazon’s Brand Innovation Lab. Photo courtesy of Fitz Maro.

Shortly after earning degrees in French and international affairs from Mary Washington, the couple created The Francofile, an online project chronicling their life in France and providing information on going to graduate school and working abroad.

“Everything we’ve accomplished in France bears the mark of the excellent liberal arts and sciences education that can only be found at UMW,” Maria said. “We’re thrilled that our alma mater has chosen to recognize our achievements in this way and thankful for an undergraduate experience that continues to challenge us to realize our potential.”

Alumni can browse the gallery display online or in person in George Washington Hall, and a celebration will be a prelude to the annual Alumni Awards ceremony during Reunion Weekend. 

-Article written by Assistant Director of Advancement Communications Jill Graziano Laiacona ’04