Mayor’s wife stresses importance of positive role models for students

SHANNON KEOUGH ASST COPY EDITOR SEK723@CABRINI EDU

“I’m never going to stand in front of anyone and profess to be wonder woman; I’m not,” Lisa Nutter, president of Philadelphia Academies, Inc. and wife of Michael Nutter, the mayor of Philadelphia, said as she introduced herself at the 2008 Ivy Young Willis Lecture and Award Ceremony. The students she works with in Philadelphia public schools may say that’s an understatement.

Nutter’s whole career revolves around those students and their futures. Philadelphia Academies, Inc. is a non-profit organization that assists high school students in discovering the various opportunities that exist beyond 12th grade.

The Cabrini College community welcomed her on Thursday, April 3 to accept the Ivy Young Willis Award, an award that has been given at Cabrini each year since 1992. This award was created by William G. Willis in honor of his late wife. The award signifies a woman who is heavily devoted to public affairs as his wife was. His intentions were to show women students other women they could admire, respect and hopefully follow in their footsteps.

“This is a very real woman,” President Iadorolla said. She explained Nutter’s work as “not just