Notable and Quotable

Robert Higgins ’13 was chosen from hundreds of applicants for one of only six 2018 NatureNet Science fellowships. The Nature Conservancy program selects promising early-career scientists for two-year fellowships focusing on challenges associated with climate change. Higgins, who received a doctorate in chemistry from Colorado State University, will research rare earth ions at the University of Pennsylvania with Associate Professor of Chemistry Eric Schelter. Rare earth elements are used for technologies such as data storage and wind turbines, but current techniques of purification and separation are environmentally damaging. Higgins will investigate new methods to separate rare earths from waste materials and minerals in an environmentally friendly, single-step process using their intrinsic magnetic properties. At Mary Washington, Higgins received an Irene Piscopo Rodgers ’59 and James D. Rodgers Student Research Fellowship in chemistry. He worked with Associate Professor of … [Read more...]

Sara C. Nash ’01 joined the National Endowment for the Arts as its new director of dance in August. In that role, Nash will oversee a grants portfolio that in 2017 numbered more than 165 grants totaling $4.2 million. She will represent the NEA at dance-related conferences and meetings across the country. Nash, who graduated from Mary Washington with a degree in theater and dance, has nearly two decades of national and international experience in dance as a funder, producer, and project director. Before joining the NEA, she was director for dance at the New England Foundation for the Arts, overseeing its national dance project. Earlier, Nash managed the USArtists International grant program at Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation. She also worked as senior producer at Dance Theater Workshop (New York Live Arts) for more than six years, where she oversaw the international program, the Suitcase Fund, and developed residency programs for commissioned artists. Nash’s international experience … [Read more...]

For 45 years, the Trident Literacy Association (TLA) of Charleston, South Carolina, has helped adults acquire the literacy and life skills needed to reverse the cycle of generational poverty. In March, association founder and literacy advocate Patricia “Pat” Barrack Gibson ’62 was among several women in her community honored at TLA’s Founder’s Award Luncheon. The TLA serves about 1,000 adults a year with classes in basic literacy, GED preparation, English as a Second Language, and work-readiness. Besides founding the literacy association, Gibson retired in 2006 as dean of the learning center for Trident Technical College, also in Charleston. At Mary Washington, Gibson and her husband have endowed the Patricia Barrack Gibson ’62 and Mervyn Gibson Scholarship, which assists UMW students from the Northern Neck of Virginia who aspire to careers in education or medicine. … [Read more...]

Courtney Moates Paulk ’92 has been elected president of the board of directors of the Hirschler Fleisher law firm in Richmond, Virginia. It’s the first time a woman has filled the role, equivalent to that of a chief executive officer. Paulk also chairs Hirschler Fleisher’s litigation section and co-chairs the construction practice. She will continue to advise clients on such matters as the negotiation and drafting of contracts, early dispute avoidance, and dispute resolution. Outside of the courtroom, Paulk is known for her ultra-distance swimming feats. She is among only 200 people to complete the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming, having swum the 21-mile English Channel, the 20-mile Catalina Channel, and the 28.5-mile circumference of Manhattan Island. She is only the fifth person to complete the Triple Crown twice. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in performing arts from UMW, Paulk earned a law degree from the University of Richmond School of Law. She joined Hirschler … [Read more...]

Monica Band ’11 practices what she teaches as an assistant professor of counseling at Marymount University. She received the Exemplary Diversity Leadership Award from the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development. The honor came in April during the annual conference of the American Counseling Association. … [Read more...]

The Inland Marine Expo named Mary McCarthy ’06 to its “40 Under 40” list for 2018. The awards were presented at the Expo in St. Louis, Missouri, in May. McCarthy has been quality systems manager for New Orleans-based Canal Barge Co. Inc. since 2014 and serves on the company’s corporate planning team, supporting strategic planning and budgeting. McCarthy is also president and co-founder of ADMIRALTY, a networking group for young people in the maritime industry. Before joining Canal Barge in 2010, she worked for the American Waterways Operators. She holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of New Orleans. … [Read more...]

After five years working in the nonprofit sector, Riham Osman ’13 recently joined Nestlé USA as an employee ambassadorship manager. Working from the company’s new headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, she is part of the communications team helping Nestlé employees across the company share their stories. … [Read more...]

Zealous representation is the credo of defense attorney Nellie E. King ’92 of West Palm Beach, Florida, and she’s bringing that zeal to a leadership role with the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. She was sworn in as secretary of that organization in July and is past president of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. … [Read more...]

As an art and elementary STEM teacher at Washington Episcopal School in Bethesda, Maryland, Katherine Falvey Lamb Owens ’99 developed a course to help students develop and market innovative products. Now, Owens has been recognized as one of 10 grand-prize winners of the 2018 Henry Ford Teacher Innovator Award. The award brings teachers from around the country to the Henry Ford museums in Dearborn, Michigan, for tours with curators and a recognition ceremony. … [Read more...]

Steve Antolick ’92 of the SmithBucklin association management firm has been named executive director of the Museum Store Association. The international organization, headquartered in Washington, D.C., advances the nonprofit retail industry. Antolick has more than 25 years’ experience in association management and has worked for SmithBucklin since 1992. … [Read more...]