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8 Reunion Reimagined 2021: A Virtual Celebration 10 The 2021 AABC Awardees 14 Barnard’s 2021 Gala: A Virtual Success
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Reunion Reimagined 2021: A Virtual Celebration
Alumnae connect, celebrate, and come together for Barnard’s second virtual Reunion
by Merri Rosenberg ’78
If Reunion Reimagined 2020 was like an improvisational jazz performance responding to the immediate reality of the pandemic, the 2021 edition, which took place June 2-5, could be described as an orchestrated composition that reintroduced familiar Reunion elements and impressively hosted twice as many events as it did last year.
The Reunion Committee produced a robust program of 54 events — for an impressive turnout of 1,170 alumnae from 39 states and 17 countries, including Australia, Ecuador, India, Israel, Netherlands, and Zimbabwe — with lively, virtual gatherings that fueled intellectual conversations about timely and relevant issues. As AABC Reunion Committee chair Rona Wilk ’91 said in her welcome remarks: “Though we’re all Zoom fatigued, an event comes along that glues me to my screen and energizes me. And we hope that Reunion Reimagined will be just such an event for all of you.” (Wilk just celebrated her Milestone Reunion of 30 years.)
In addition to the more traditional Reunion programming, the committee created online spaces that gave classes a chance to interact. There were webinars, interactive events such as professor of history Mark C. Carnes’s “Reacting to the Past,” an alumnae award celebration, panel discussions, STEM faculty-led presentations on research projects, and conversations with current and former faculty, including history professor emeritus Robert McCaughey and bestselling author Mary Gordon ’71 (who was the Millicent C. McIntosh Professor in English and Writing until her retirement in 2020). And the four-day lineup offered plenty of fun activities for alumnae, including a talent showcase, Barnard Bingo, trivia, and even a cocktail/mocktail demonstration with Giuliana “G” Pe Benito ’16, culture manager for beverage company Diageo and former instructor for the Beyond Barnard Bartending Program.
REFLECTING ON THE PAST YEAR
In her welcome address to alumnae, President Sian Leah Beilock said that in spite of the challenges the College faced during this crisis, “Barnard is stronger than ever. … I’m heartened by how we’ve come together to support Barnard and each other.
“We met students where they were,” President Beilock said. “Half our courses dealt with this moment. We tried to adapt to current times with a priority on health and wellness.”
By weaving in programs that put the community first, the College was able to address some other issues that arose during this extraordinary time. “In a year in which inequalities have been laid bare, we’re proud of what Barnard has done to advance social mobility, ” AABC president and alumna trustee Amy Veltman ’89 told alumnae.
The planning committee for “Undesign the Redline” hosted an insightful discussion on its upcoming interactive exhibition, which will take place at Barnard in the fall. This project — combining multiple disciplines, stakeholders, and forms of storytelling — will take a look at the history of systemic racism by examining the unfair government housing lending policies that took place in the Barnard and Columbia neighborhood.
There was no shortage of critical topics for Barnard alumnae and faculty to address at the Alumnae of Color Dinner. The event, this year entitled “Unmasking America: Drawing on Diversity to Change the Cultural Tides,” was designed to “talk about everything that’s happened — anti-Asian hate, Black Lives Matter — as we’re about to reenter the world,” said Sima Saran Ahuja ’96, co-chair of the committee. Cammie Jones, the inaugural Executive Director of Community Engagement and Inclusion, centered the conversation on “the pandemic’s impact on our lives and the communities we live in” with a focus on
“inequities for women, especially women of color, healthcare workers, parents, who’ve borne the brunt of the pandemic.”
Panelists Gloria Pan ’86, vice president of member engagement at MomsRising, and Christina Kuan Tsu ’83, P’18, sophomore class dean, explored the increase in hate crimes against Asian Americans and economic and racial inequities. Pan discussed efforts to “have more racial equality and more justice for everyone.” And for Tsu, it reaffirmed how “it’s important to speak out against hate.”
To provide a wider context of other challenging moments in Barnard’s history, Wilk hosted “Morningside Memories,” in which she interviewed three alumnae — Fran Abramowitz ’48, Nicole Bigar ’49, and Marjorie “Peggy” Lange ’50 — who shared their recollections of the campus and New York City during and immediately after World War II. “Many things have changed, but one thing remains constant,” Wilk noted. “Barnard is here for all of us in the Barnard family.”
That steadfast concern was especially evident during the poignant Memorial Service, a yearly tradition when alumnae, friends, and family acknowledge those classmates who’ve died since the last milestone Reunion. “We offer support to those who’ve lost a loved one or a beloved Barnard classmate,” said Rabbi Cheryl Weiner ’71. Reflecting on those who’ve passed, she added, “We think about how their souls touched ours.”
The Class of 1971 introduced their online docuseries Stand UP, Speak OUT: The Personal Politics of Women’s Rights, which examined voting rights in the United States, from the early suffrage movement to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the legal hurdles women face today. “Voting rights are at stake,” Ruth Louie ’71 said in an interview prior to the presentation. In the film, Louie spoke about the discrimination and danger Black women faced in the Deep South during her childhood and adolescence. “My 21-year-old grandniece can take advantage of rights and not realize that it’s not even 60 years [since they became rights],” said Louie. “Our rights are in serious jeopardy now.”
Umbreen Bhatti ’00, the Constance Hess Williams ’66 Director of the Athena Center for Leadership, moderated a panel on alumnae in public service that offered insights on how the government and nonprofit organizations can make necessary and positive changes in response to COVID-19’s disproportionate impact on vulnerable populations. “Public service is about working toward the greater good,” said Geneva Tiggle ’91, a panelist and the executive director of organizational excellence for Volunteers of America, Chesapeake and Carolinas. “It’s about empowerment and access to equity to help folks have meaningful lives.”
Barnard alumnae artists also shared their experiences about navigating the limitations and opportunities during the pandemic in “Spotlight or Ghost Light?: Alumnae Reflect on the Arts and Culture in the Age of COVID-19.”
CREATIVITY AND CONNECTION
The Moth storytelling event, hosted by Dr. Marilyn Stocker ’71 and introduced by Cyndi Stivers ’78, who had originally brought the program to Reunion, featured stories that highlighted how Barnard had shaped the narrators’ lives. The 2021 storytellers were Jenn Chowdhury ’06, Ritu Goswamy ’96, Susan Jacobson ’81, Patria Baradi Pacis ’71, and Wendy Rosov ’86. Jacobson, a choreographer, spoke about how Barnard gave her the “ability to create choice and to celebrate the choices I make.”
For the first time, there was even a virtual talent showcase, “Barnard Live!” hosted by AABC president Amy Veltman ’89, who is also a stand-up comedian. The event featured numerous creatives, alumnae singers, actors, directors, and comedians.
Although most alumnae were eager to return to campus for future Reunions, there were clear benefits to the virtual space. “I’m excited to have the recordings and be able to participate,” said Sarah Feinberg ’96, who lives in Silver Spring, Maryland. “I can do it in my own time.” Her class’s social event, she said, “allowed us all to interact. It’s all about connecting our class.”
And in words that echo across the generations, Nicole Bigar ’49 said that “Barnard made me what I am now — always curious. I want to learn more, I want to listen more, I want to read more. My life is not boring because of that.” B
Awardees
Honoring the 2021 Alumnae Association Award Winners
Each year at Reunion, Barnard honors exceptional alumnae celebrating a milestone Reunion year with five awards bestowed on behalf of the Alumnae Association of Barnard College (AABC). Honorees are selected by the AABC Awards Committee based on nominations from alumnae, and in 2021, nine remarkable recipients were recognized for their achievements and contributions.
MAGGIE ASTOR ’11 Young Alumna Award
Maggie Astor is a journalist at The New York Times, where she has reported on U.S. politics, breaking news, and the spread of disinformation. Her work focuses primarily on the stories of people whom the press has historically ignored or demeaned, including women, people of color, Native Americans, people with disabilities, and survivors of assault and abuse. She covered the 2018 and 2020 elections; reported on voting rights and voting access from states across the country, including Arizona, Iowa, North Carolina, and North Dakota; has written extensively about the politics of abortion and guns; and explored the many ways in which sexism, racism, and other forms of bigotry are still embedded in American politics. In a recent project, she and two other Times journalists reported on years of sexual harassment by a founder of the Lincoln Project, as well as cover-up efforts and secret financial arrangements among the group’s other leaders. Maggie’s exceptional contributions to journalism demonstrate her commitment to her craft and to bettering our world by covering issues in American society that are so often underreported.
Katherine Jessop Brewster, also known as Kitty, is a lifelong feminist, social justice advocate, and spiritual seeker. Her eclectic career, spanning 50 years in the corporate and not-for-profit worlds, includes coordinating opera productions, creating and launching new financial products and services, raising funds for not-for-profit organizations, and most recently, immersing herself in the health and wellness field as the founder of the ATMA Center of Transformational Yoga. Katherine has served as president of the Barnard Class of ’71 since 2006 and, in 2011, led the 40th Reunion Committee to begin creating an oral history of their class. She spearheaded the creation of a not-for-profit corporation, BC Voices, Inc., to raise funds to establish the Barnard Class of 1971 Oral History Collection in the Barnard Archives and Special Collections, a rich source of primary material about college-educated women’s experiences coming of age during the tumultuous 1968 era and, for the past 50 years, riding the crest of second-wave feminism. Thanks to Katherine’s leadership, engagement, and enthusiasm, BC Voices commissioned two short documentaries, The Way It Was and Making Choices, Forging Paths, and has been producing a six-episode, online docuseries, Stand UP, Speak OUT: The Personal Politics of Women’s Rights.
The many ways Phyllis Tabbot Hantman has served her alma mater — as a class officer, a member of the Reunion Committee, an alumnae admissions representative, and a board member, to name but a few — have brought many alumnae back to Barnard and enhanced the lives of countless students. Phyllis spent the 1970s and early ’80s volunteering with public schools, civic groups, and religious organizations, focusing on job training for immigrants, voter registration, hospital support, and medical research. Phyllis went back to full-time work after embarking on her first career — parenthood — at the department of engineering in Rockaway Township, New Jersey, where she had a hand in significant development decisions, recommending zoning amendments, preparing reports, and summarizing recommendations. Phyllis is the recipient of several distinguished honors for excellence in and contributions to planning, training, and zoning. After retiring in 2012, Phyllis once again embraced volunteerism. She spends much of her time volunteering at the Morris County Interfaith Food Pantry and has continued her civic-mindedness, serving as a member and treasurer of the local Public Library Foundation as well as a member of the Township’s Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment. She and her husband, Allen, are grandparents four times over and enjoy frequent visits with family.
MIA KATIGBAK ’76 Distinguished Alumna Award
As a performer and director and through her work with the award-winning National Asian American Theatre Company, which she co-founded, Mia Katigbak has dedicated decades to and been instrumental in busting stereotypes and creating vibrant opportunities for Asian American actors. Mia is a founding director of the Consortium of Asian American Theaters & Artists and served as the president of its first board. She was one of the organizers of the first and second National Asian American Theater Festivals in New York City and is on the advisory boards of the Ma-Yi Theater and the Fulcrum Theater. In addition to receiving several awards for her artistic contributions and accumulating numerous television credits, including How to Get Away With Murder and Conviction, Mia has served on panels for the theatre programs of the New York State Council on the Arts, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the Nancy Quinn Fund for Emerging Theatres and the Relief Fund for NYC Small Theatres, and the Asian American Arts Alliance. She has been a guest speaker for forums sponsored by The New York Times, the Humana Festival, and the Theater Communications Group.
For decades, Susan Sommer Klapkin has served her alma mater in countless capacities, from regional leadership and her role on the AABC board as chair of regional networks to her contributions to the Leadership Assembly and the Barnard Business & Professional Network. When her husband’s work moved them from Brooklyn to Connecticut, Susan learned that volunteering could bring her closer to her community and provide her with adventures and purpose outside of her career and marriage. Pat Tinto ’76 urged Susan to get involved with the Barnard Club of Connecticut, which strengthened her ties not only with the Connecticut community but also with the larger Barnard community. From there, Susan became president of the Connecticut club, a regional club chairperson on the AABC, a member of the board of the northern New Jersey club, a Barnard student mentor, and then the networking chair of the central New Jersey club. Susan’s career in the apparel industry has taken her around the world to visit factories, make production decisions, and create meaningful supply chains. She even combined Barnard with her professional life when she was able to meet a Barnard alumna living in Hong Kong!
CHRISTINA LAGAMMA ’16 Young Alumna Award
Third-year medical student and aspiring surgeon Christina LaGamma has shown a steadfast commitment to addressing institutional and systemic racism in medicine. She strives to provide a more inclusive and equitable environment that values diversity of experiences and voices. Christina is passionate about neuroscience research and innovative treatments for functional brain-based diseases and dedicated to advancing humanism in medical education, as well as improving the social, cultural, and political healthcare environment for both patient and provider. Her current research projects, under Penn State’s Medical Student Research Program, focus on utilizing a remotely administered, mindfulness-based stress reduction program on burnout, satisfaction, and worklife balance among physicians during the COVID-19 pandemic. Long term, Christina aims to become a physician-scientist who uses her understanding of brain-based diseases and treatment approaches to improve the quality of living for people struggling with chronic psychiatric and neurologic conditions. Ultimately, Christina intends to incorporate policy and advocacy work focused on uplifting diversity throughout her career.
Denise J. Lewis is a retired senior partner of Honigman LLP, a preeminent business law firm of 300 attorneys based in Michigan. As the founder of the firm’s urban redevelopment practice, she led its national practice engaged in representing developers in projects in major urban centers across the U.S. Denise is a respected expert in handling complex transactions that often include public/private partnerships and mixed-use development. She is widely recognized for her work with urban redevelopment projects that include historic preservation, zoning, and tax-incentive issues. Denise’s illustrious career as a real estate attorney and the work she has done to support underserved communities in Detroit are testaments to her commitment to the physical and social revitalization efforts in urban environments. Some of the many ways Denise has improved the lives of countless individuals both within and beyond the Barnard community are the path she formed as a student toward the creation of Barnard’s Department of Africana Studies by leading the effort to broaden the College’s curriculum to include the history and culture of developing countries and the African American experience; her namesake distinguished lectureship, which has expanded the intellectual universe for students; and her service as senior advisor to the CEO of the Africa-America Institute.
POLLY TROTTENBERG ’86 Woman of Achievement Award
Polly Trottenberg’s distinguished 25-plusyear career as a civil servant is a true testament to her devotion to, and passion for, bettering the lives of others with data, care, and humility. As the deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), the number-two official and chief operating officer, she supports Secretary Pete Buttigieg in providing leadership and strategic vision for USDOT. Previously, Polly served for seven years as New York City’s Transportation Commissioner, where she ran a complex 5,800-person agency responsible for the safe, efficient, and equitable operations of New York City’s transportation network, including 6,000 miles of roadways, 789 bridges, the nation’s largest traffic operation and parking system, the Staten Island Ferry, and bicycle, pedestrian, and public plaza infrastructure, as well as key initiatives in urban mobility, smart transportation technologies, and safety. In this role, she helped implement the landmark Vision Zero program, taking a multidisciplinary approach to significantly reduce traffic fatalities and injuries, and she facilitated the COVID-19 response and recovery. Polly also ran Building America’s Future, a bipartisan organization that advocates for investment in infrastructure and better national transportation policy, and served as transportation policy advisor for Senators Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Charles Schumer, and Barbara Boxer.
ALICE JACOBY WOLFSON ’61 Millicent Carey McIntosh Award for Feminism
Alice Jacoby Wolfson is a veteran political activist and a pioneer in the women’s health movement. From her time as a Fulbright scholar and the prominent role she took as a young activist in speaking out during the congressional hearings on birth control safety to co-founding the National Women’s Health Network and the Committee to Defend Reproductive Rights, Alice’s lasting contributions to the women’s health movement have made history. As a trial attorney, Alice had a successful career representing and fighting for the rights of disabled insureds against the unreasonable denial of their disability insurance claims. Throughout the years, she has been featured in numerous television and radio shows, most recently in She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry, a documentary film about the birth of the women’s liberation movement in the 1960s, and Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein’s upcoming documentary, The Business of Being Born. Alice credits her years at Barnard for having launched her into a lifetime of fighting for women’s equality. And she will never give up.
Gala
Barnard’s 2021 Gala: A Virtual Success
The annual event honored the entire Barnard community for its care, resilience, and innovative vision on campus and beyond
by N. Jamiyla Chisholm
On April 21, Barnard alumnae, students, friends, and family gathered for the College’s first-ever virtual Annual Gala. Each year, proceeds from the Annual Gala help to underwrite student financial aid at Barnard, sustaining the College’s enduring commitment to empowering talented young women through education, regardless of their financial means.
The gala honored the Barnard community for how we have risen to the challenges and opportunities of our time with care, resilience, and innovative vision. The new format featured a special project created by the Movement Lab, a performance by Bacchantae, interactive breakout rooms, a signature cocktail recipe shared by Martha Stewart ’63, P’87, and more.
This year’s gala, co-chaired by Nina Rennert Davidson ’95 and Trustee Caroline Bliss Spencer ’09, raised more than $2.2 million, which illustrates the community’s generous commitment to making sure that current and future generations of Barnard women continue to receive a world-class education. “The one constant that has inspired our community to persevere through these historic challenges is a palpable sense of hope, creativity, and action that transcends Barnard’s gates,” Rennert Davidson said.
President Sian Leah Beilock expressed her appreciation for the community in her opening remarks. “I am ever astounded by the accomplishments of this community — and this year especially, I cannot help but feel overwhelmed with gratitude as I reflect on our strength, resilience, and continued commitment to fostering a culture of care at Barnard,” said President Beilock. “We are so lucky to have this innovative space where STEM and the arts collaborate, benefiting students and faculty across disciplines. That’s what Barnard is all about.”
President Beilock also shared highlights from this academic year at Barnard, such as faculty and the technology team’s innovative collaboration to shift to remote learning; how virtual programming, such as interactive online events and professional development experiences, expanded Barnard’s geographical reach; the different ways that students stepped up for each other and their communities as activists, innovators, and advocates; and the dedication of campus workers, who safely maintained the College throughout the pandemic.
Cheryl Glicker Milstein ’82, P’14, chair of the Barnard Board of Trustees, also spoke about the power of the Barnard community to face and conquer hurdles together. “Every year offers a new chance to ensure we uphold Barnard’s mission to provide unparalleled opportunities to our students and to empower them with the “The one constant strength and determination to meet every challenge they that has inspired encounter in their lives,” said Glicker Milstein. “At a our community to time when our attention is pulled in so many different persevere through directions, sustaining this these historic student experience has never been more important.” challenges is a
Community members came together in five palpable sense of different breakout rooms that incorporated a Q&A hope, creativity, and session with the moderators, who addressed athletics, action that transcends the future of women in computer science, and Barnard’s gates.” Barnard’s growing financial, physical, and mental health and wellness hub, the Francine A. LeFrak Foundation Center for Well-Being. There were discussions around sustainability and the arts, as well as the many career and academic opportunities that Beyond Barnard can offer to students and alumnae on and off campus.
The event also featured the “Barnard Breeze,” a special cocktail created by recipe maven Martha Stewart ’63, P’87, who walked everyone through the steps to make the tasty beverage at home. The Movement Lab showcased a performance project called Kinection — including faculty and studentalumna dancers — that was accompanied by a poem penned by Joy Lee ’21. And Bacchantae performed Etta James’ “I’d Rather Go Blind” in homage to the contributions of Black women musicians for Black History and Women’s History Month. B
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A Gift in Your Will By leaving a percentage of your estate to Barnard, gifts to family members and other loved ones remain proportional no matter how your estate fluctuates over the years.
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