2017-18 WLP Annual Report

Dear Members and Partners,
This Annual Report presents and highlights the people most impacted by the
mission of USF Women in Leadership and Philanthropy, our WLP Scholars and
Faculty Excellence Award Recipients. The mission of USF WLP under the
visionary leadership of USF System President Judy Genshaft and the other
Founding members is as relevant today as it was 13 years ago. This has been an
incredible year of education, mentoring, leadership development, community
engagement and philanthropy that has impacted the Tampa Bay community
and the world. WLP owes its success to the collective philanthropic
contributions of our 350+ members and corporate partners. We thank
you for your unwavering commitment and generosity.
The trajectory of WLP has changed the landscape and made transformational
progress this reporting year (2017-18 fiscal year) in the lives of 136 scholars,
including 73 first generation women students, six faculty grants and many
programs within the USF System. Some of these include the USF Center for
Civic Engagement, Office of Veteran Success, Athletics, the Honors College,
USF Health, the student led WISE (Women who Ignite Student Engagement)
symposium and this year’s sellout Annual Fall Symposium. WLP is widely
known and recognized for fulfilling its mission of engaging and educating
visionary leaders and philanthropists to make a difference for women in the
global community. Our impact is far reaching. We continue to build upon our
legacy with pride and purpose.
“The Glass Castle,” written by Jeanette Walls (keynote speaker for the
2018 Fall Symposium Luncheon), offers vivid and heartfelt lessons
regarding the power of determination, resilience, ebullient belief in the
possible and unexpected outcomes. WLP remains powerful, determined
and makes education and research opportunities possible with amazing
outcomes.

WLP is fiscally and financially sound. We offer special thanks to you, our stalwart members,
supporters, and generous donors for the myriad of contributions to the success of WLP.
Every donation can be characterized as the lagniappe to creating opportunities for life-long
learning.
While we have far exceeded our membership goals, we warmly and gratefully welcome
new members. Members of WLP have many opportunities to network for personal and
professional growth, and to develop the next generation of women leaders. We invite you
to own your membership and join a committee in the coming year. Seize the opportunity to
harness our collective power to continue on this admirable journey of successful leadership
and philanthropy. Our mission and objectives are achieved through the pursuit of mutually
shared values and goals and the unique contributions of individuals and corporations. We
thank our amazing and talented staff, committees and volunteers for the human capital
invested in the outcomes of WLP.
Thank you for your generosity and for this privilege of serving.
CAROLYN HOUSE STEWART, ESQ. ’74
Chair, USF Women in Leadership & Philanthropy

The mission of the USF System Women in Leadership & Philanthropy program is to
engage and educate visionary leaders and philanthropists to make a difference for
women throughout the USF System and the community.
SOURCES OF WLP FUNDS
The structure and function of the USF WLP program requires a consistent source of
spendable income. Because the majority of individual gifts to WLP are made to restricted
endowed funds, our primary sources of operating income include annual membership
contributions, corporate memberships, sponsorships and ticket sales from the Annual
Fall Symposium and other WLP events, and contributions from the USF Faculty & Staff
Campaign. WLP also benefits from the investment of staff salary and budgetary support
provided by the USF Foundation.
MEMBERSHIP
USF WLP’s groundwork was established over a decade ago by our founding members
whose initial investments created a firm foundation for the fulfillment of WLP’s mission.
By establishing individual endowed scholarship funds, contributing to the WLP endowed
scholarship, and building the program endowment, our Founding, Lifetime, Individual
and Corporate members provide WLP the strong basis for the tremendous growth
and impact that distinguishes the program today.

OUR IMPACT
Founded in 2005 by a small group of individuals and a handful of Tampa Bay area corporations,
WLP advanced a vision shared by noted philanthropist Carol Morsani and USF System President
Judy Genshaft to create the first women’s philanthropic organization in the Tampa Bay region
focused on developing the intellectual and leadership potential of women through the promotion
of mentorship, philanthropy, community engagement and scholarly excellence. Fast forward 13
years and WLP - now numbering more than 350 individual and 24 corporate members strong -
has helped stimulate numerous transformational gifts to benefit the USF System; has directly
raised well over $5 million; and has invested more than $1 million in grants, scholarships, and
programmatic funding to assist female students, faculty members, and women in the Tampa
Bay region. These achievements are a clear sign that USF WLP is a trailblazer in advancing
women’s leadership and philanthropy in our communities and is fulfilling the vision of our
founding members.
Throughout the past decade, WLP has awarded scholarships to more than 475 students,
devoted mentoring hours to more than 600 students, and has provided research awards to 29
female faculty members. WLP presents a wide variety of educational and leadership development
programs annually at all three USF System institutions and in our surrounding communities, and
has formed formal mentoring partnerships with USF’s Center for Leadership & Civic Engagement,
Office of Veteran Success, Athletics, Transitional Advising Center, the Honors College, USF St.
Petersburg and USF Sarasota-Manatee.
In 2016, in partnership with Valley Bank (formerly USAmeriBank), WLP formed the WISE (Women
Who Ignite Student Engagement) Advisory Council. Together with the WLP Mentoring and
Program Committees and with the WLP WISE Advisory Council, we developed and launched
the USF System’s first student-led leadership symposium in spring 2017, and are in the planning
stages for our third successful WISE Student Symposium in March 2019.
The continued success of WLP is the result of the collective generosity of all of our members,
who lend their time, talent, and treasure to make WLP the impactful organization that it has
become. We thank our Founding, Lifetime, Corporate, and Individual members for their
engagement and continued leadership and support.

Even when their world took the harshest of turns, and the varied paths they traveled
veered into uncertainty and fear, five girls uprooted by a conflict beyond their childhood
comprehension were always guided by the same compass.
It pointed them – regardless of the challenges they and their families faced as refugees of
the brutal Bosnian War – in the direction of hope and higher education.
Little by little, the jagged courses they followed led to new lives as American citizens, and
ultimately to USF, with a shared story of perseverance, resilience and giving back. Four are
USF alumnae – twin sisters Nevena and Mirna Pehar, Ivana Djokovic Wendling and Maja Lacevic.
The fifth, Ivana’s younger sister Sanja Djokovic, is a graduate of Illinois Institute of Technology
in Chicago. And all are bonded in a friendship, a purpose and a passion that bridges any
differences that once divided their homeland.
“I remember my mother telling me back then that the one thing nobody can take away from
you is your education – your knowledge,” Ivana says. “That always stayed with us.”
The sentiment could have applied to any of the girls as they and their families were displaced
by a devastating war that began in 1992 and lasted until 1995, all growing out of a political crisis
that swept through Yugoslavia in the 1980s, following the death of the country’s longtime leader
Marshal Tito. In the end, the fighting led to the tragic siege and constant shelling of Sarajevo,
more than 100,000 casualties, unspeakable acts of genocide, and nearly 350,000 civilians
fleeing their home to seek safe haven in Germany alone.
Wherever they went in search of a new start – whether to Germany, Russia or eventually the
United States – the parents in the Pehar, Djokovic and Lacevic families made sure their children
applied themselves in school. And, in turn, the girls thrived on mastering new languages,
absorbing the nuances of different cultures, and pushing themselves to succeed in whatever
pursuits they undertook. War may have forced them from their homes, but could never drive
out their love of learning.

That mindset sustained them through the seismic disruption of their young lives. And today,
their commitment to education connects them in a new, truly meaningful way. They have
combined to create the New American Scholarship for Women of Excellence through USF’s
Women in Leadership & Philanthropy. The scholarship will provide a financial helping hand to
a standout recipient from a refugee or immigrant background, mirroring the merit-based
achievements of the five women. Their hope is to assist female students who have excelled
in both academics and extracurricular activities and showed strong collegiate promise.
But there is a larger purpose as well.
“A big part of the reason we are starting this scholarship, more than the financial assistance,
is to give an exceptional young woman the opportunity for mentorship and to be a part of
the WLP experience and share in the WLP network,” Maja explains. “We selected WLP as
the site for the scholarship because we wanted a female student who shares our passion
for education. We were also drawn to the opportunities that WLP gives their scholars through
training and career development.”
Each woman contributed $1,000 to establish the scholarship, and their next goal is to raise
the funds to permanently endow the scholarship at $25,000. “They wanted to create a positive
example of the benefits of education and living the American Dream,” says WLP executive
director India Witte, “but also with the statement of ‘I am a refugee.’ It’s a very important
message.”
Indeed, that message is undeniable. “In this political climate, the refugee story is a very
relevant one to tell,” says Maja, recently honored with a 2018 USF Outstanding Young Alumnus
Award. “So often, refugees are talked about as a ‘drain on the economy.’ We disagree. None
of us are drains on the economy. We are successful in our careers. And we all feel that giving
back is so important, because we were helped by so many along our journeys.”

For the past 12 years, Keri Gawrych has compassionately reached out and provided a crucial lift to
single teen mothers pursuing their education at USF. In 2006, Gawrych founded the Vincent
Zecchino MD/DreamGivers USA, Inc. Endowed Scholarship Program through USF’s Women in
Leadership & Philanthropy program- honoring the philanthropist who generously agreed to fund
the endeavor. The Scholarship began with Gawrych’s vision of matching the potential of these
determined and resilient single teen moms with the critical resources needed to help them achieve
financial independence and academic achievement through the power of higher education and
mentoring.
Gawrych established the scholarship program with WLP in the early days of the organization.
Planting the inaugural Endowment within WLP created an important link, ensuring the scholarship
recipients had a strong network of women leaders to provide critical mentoring during their
journey at USF. And it has played a key role throughout the years, adding an extra dimension of
support for the recipients. “If you were to ask any of them about their experiences,” she says,
“they would tell you without a doubt that WLP played a tremendous role – in the way of
mentoring and as an overall support mechanism – for the completion of their educational goals.”
The single mothers who earn scholarships all get to participate in WLP events and benefit from the
insights and experience of female professionals and other networking opportunities.
"There’s no reason that these women can’t be young parents and successful college graduates at
the same time,” Gawrych says. “These are all motivated, bright women who want to continue to
pursue their higher education and career goals but also be loving parents along the way. And our
perspective is that with a little extra support and encouragement, they can do both and they
have.” “Dr. Zecchino was a loving man who lived to be 104 and appreciated the power of higher
education,” she says. “He knew that if the support was there – combined with a person’s potential
and determination – it could become a bridge to opportunity.”
After crafting a Dream Givers USA, Inc. business plan with the assistance of other Tampa Bay
community leaders, it didn’t take long for the scholarship program to come to life – providing
renewable financial assistance of up to $5,000 per year to single teen moms who are residents of
Hillsborough County. Since its inception, the WLP/DreamGivers USA scholarship program

has helped 10 single moms graduate from USF, with the 11th scholarship recipient, Tigra Lopez, set to
graduate in the spring of 2019. Tigra is fulfilling her dream of becoming a teacher as she raises her
beautiful son.
Gawrych, a 1987 USF grad with a degree in Finance, has also been heavily involved in her alma mater,
serving as a member of the USF Foundation Board (2004-11) and recently began serving again on the
board in September 2018. And she couldn’t be happier to be involved in a pursuit she’s been
passionate about throughout her life: supporting education and helping to open doors to graduation
for young women in need. Gawrych is a 31 year banking veteran serving as Executive Vice President
and Credit Risk Manager for SunTrust’s Education Specialty Practice throughout STI’s footprint.
Gawrych stresses that DreamGivers doesn’t offer handouts, but helping hands to those determined to
succeed with or without the program’s support. “These women already have it in their hearts and have
the intellect to become attorneys, teachers, public health professionals, or whatever they desire.”
That was certainly the case with Dream Giver’s inaugural recipient, Cheeroke Townsend, who was
determined to become a portfolio manager when she arrived at USF – while caring for her infant child.
Gawrych vividly recalls how Townsend called to cancel her interview for the scholarship because she
didn’t have anyone who could babysit 1-year-old son, Khamari: “We just told her,
‘Bring him along!’ so she did. And we knew right away that she had it. She was going to graduate
regardless of anything we provided, and that’s the determination we were looking for.”
Still, the scholarship made a huge difference to Townsend, a sophomore at the time. “Being 18, having
a baby, going to school and paying bills was a little overwhelming,” she reflects. “My financial aid got
cut and my first thought was, how am I going to do this?” I went to the financial aid office to figure out
what I could do. That’s how I learned about the scholarship. And it helped so much, making it so I didn’t
have to take out more loans to stay in school. I’m so grateful.”
Townsend held down various part-time jobs as well to make ends meet, but the Dream Givers award
alleviated her worries. “I’m doing exactly what I wanted,” says Townsend, who recently celebrated her
10th year working for an independent investment firm in Tampa, and whose son is now 13. She’s
developed a lasting friendship with Gawrych, too. “Keri was very involved with me,” she explains. “She
took me to buy my first suit to wear to the interview for the job I’m in. And she’s just always been there
for me. Now I sit on the board for the DreamGivers program – and we just have a special bond.”

“The WISE Symposium’s impact on students is momentous as it allows students, like myself, to
realize their potential by learning valuable tools that will shape them into the innovative, effective,
and well-balanced leaders of tomorrow.” – Xigrid Soto, USF doctoral student and WISE speaker
As part of its ongoing mission, USF Women in Leadership & Philanthropy (WLP) is dedicated to
mentoring young women as they pursue their goals. That commitment is an essential component
of WISE – short for Women Who Ignite Student Engagement – and it was fully on display on Friday,
March 23, 2018 at the second annual WISE Student Symposium.
The half-day networking event, designed to impart insights and wisdom and unite college women
from across the USF System, drew 175 participants to the Marshall Student Center ballroom and raised
$13,000 with the presenting sponsorship of Valley Bank (formerly USAmeriBank) and other donors to
fund student scholarships through WLP.
The symposium featured all-women panel sessions with well-known business executives, community
leaders, and physicians. Panelists shared their insight on working harder, not smarter and combining
passion and service to live a life of purpose.
One of the student participants, WLP Scholar Xigrid Soto, summed up the impact of the WISE
Symposium at the event’s conclusion. The fourth-year doctoral student, pursuing a PhD in the
Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, earned both her bachelor’s and master’s
degrees at USF.

“If it hadn’t been for the mentorship and opportunities I’ve received while at USF, I would not be
standing in front of you today, a year away from earning my doctorate,” Soto told the gathering.
“I joined the WISE Council so I, too, could play a part in inspiring fellow students achieve their full
potential. Serving as a WISE Council member has been one of the highlights of my year. I’ve been
inspired to pursue a life that not only advances my career goals, but one that is focused on
improving the lives of people in my community.”
The lunch keynote address was delivered by Maggie Cook, successful entrepreneur turned
motivational speaker and CEO of Clearwater-based Dare to Defy, which encourages others to
defy the limitations placed on them. Cook was interviewed by WISE Advisory Council student
Wainella Isaacs, an environmental engineering doctoral candidate at USF, on a wide range of
topics including her background as an immigrant and life as an entrepreneur, philanthropist,
business woman, author, ordained minister, and life coach.
Cook’s life has been a twisting roller coaster of incredible highs and devastating lows. From being
raised in an orphanage in Mexico to becoming a self-made millionaire, Cook’s rags-to-riches story is
a tangible example of the importance of pursuing your passion and fulfilling your purpose. Her talk,
which elicited laughs, smiles, and more than a few tears from the awestruck crowd, closed out the
symposium with a standing ovation for a woman truly living her dream.
“Stay a dreamer,” advised Cook. “Wherever life takes you next, don’t be afraid. Balance your life.
A great career is not fulfilling if your personal relationships are suffering.”

Annual members ($1,000 per year, $500 per year for those 35 and younger) and Corporate
members ($5,000 per year) support WLP programmatic offerings and outreach initiatives
and help expand the impact of the WLP Endowed, WLP/USF St. Petersburg and WLP/USF
Sarasota-Manatee scholarship funds. Members contributing at the endowment level
($25,000 or above) join our list of Lifetime members.
CORPORATE MEMBER PROGRAM
Our Corporate Member program has grown from one member (Florida Blue) in July 2013 to
the 24 members listed below.

2018 RECIPIENTS
Established in 2007, the WLP Dr. Kathleen Moore Faculty Excellence Award Program provides
annual grants to USF System faculty whose research and creative efforts focus on women and
issues affecting women. This award is presented in the spring of each year through a competitive
selection process, with the recipient receiving a one-time $5,000 award to support their research.
To date, WLP has awarded 29 grants totaling $145,000 to deserving faculty members whose
research helps to support and advance women throughout the world.
Dr. Sylvia Thomas
USF Tampa Faculty Award
“The WLP Faculty Research Award will propel my work into the realm of
fabricating prototype devices to provide clean drinking water to poverty-stricken
/developing communities and alternative materials for treating regenerative
diseases, both of which disproportionately impact women and young girls.”
Dr. Lindsey Rodriguez
USF St. Petersburg Faculty Award
“This award will allow me to complete a research project examining coping
mechanisms of heavy and light drinking women. I will also disseminate the
research findings to the community through outreach and presentations at
USF St. Petersburg which will be made available and open to the public.”

Dr. Valerie Lipscomb
USF Sarasota-Manatee Faculty Award
“This award allows me to focus research on fighting ageism against women, who are
affected by age discrimination earlier in life and more harshly than are men. Literature
and the performing arts afford us the opportunity not only to examine, but also to
change, these cultural gender norms. I am challenging how older women are portrayed in the
arts, which function as a mirror of our society, and collaborating to develop research-based
documentary theatre about women and age for the local community and beyond.”
Dr. Cheryl Vamos
Valerie D. Riddle, MD Award in Health
“Overall, my research aims to facilitate the translation of maternal and child health
(MCH) evidence into practice for patients, providers and women at-large. The support
from this award will provide an excellent opportunity to continue to advance my
prenatal oral health research and contribute to improving women’s oral-systemic
health. My previous research has examined innovative ways to assist providers in
implementing the prenatal oral health guidelines into clinical practice with their
patients. The support from this award will extend this research with the objective of
exploring the acceptability and feasibility of an eHealth technological intervention in
meeting the oral health literacy needs of pregnant patients.”
Dr. Giti Javidi
USF Junior Faculty Award
“The WLP award will allow me to advance my research by collecting quantitative and
qualitative data to learn more about the characteristics of successful women in the STEM
workforce. The results of my research will highlight critical information for researchers
and practitioners as they attempt to further develop transformative strategies to improve
the gender gap in STEM.”

Liz Kicak
USF Instructor Award
“This award from WLP provides the resources to travel and work in the National Museum
of Women Artists for a dedicated project of ekphrastic poetry (poems that take their
inspiration from visual arts). To be able to pause all other professional obligations for
ten days and have the time, space, and visual inspiration to focus on writing is a rare
and wonderful thing. I’m looking forward to writing a new collection of poems taking
their inspiration from internationally renowned female artists.”
PAST WLP FACULTY AWARD RECIPIENTS:
2017
JEANNE TRAVERS
Professor
School of Theatre
and Dance, USF Tampa
DR. KATHRYN ARTHUR
Associate Professor
Anthropology
College of Arts and
Sciences, St. Petersburg
DR. FAWN T. NGO
Associate Professor
Criminology
Sarasota-Manatee
DR. STEPHANIE MARHEFKA
Associate Professor
Community and Family
Health, USF Health, Tampa
DR. ELIZABETH MILLER
Associate Professor
Anthropology
College of Arts and Sciences
Tampa
DR. DOREEN MACAULAY
Instructor
Department of
Information Systems
Decision Sciences
Tampa
2016
DR. KYOUNG CHO
Associate Professor
School of Music
College of The Arts, Tampa
DR. MELISSA SLOAN
Associate Professor
Interdisciplinary Social Sciences
Sarasota-Manatee
DR. JESSIE D. TURNER
Instructor, Department of
Women’s and Gender Studies,
College of Arts and Sciences,
Tampa
DR. JILL MCCRACKEN
Associate Professor for the
Department of Languages,
Literature, and Writing;
Chair for the Department
of Social Sciences;
Coordinator for the Honors
Program, St. Petersburg
DR. ALICIA GILL ROSSITER
Sequence Director
Veteran to Bachelor of Science in
Nursing Program, USF Health,
College of Nursing, Tampa
2015
DR. ELIZABETH HORDGE-FREEMAN
Assistant Professor
College of Arts & Sciences
Department of Sociology, Tampa
DR. HEIDI CASTENEDA
Associate Professor and
Graduate Director
College of Arts & Sciences
Department of Anthropology,
Tampa
DR. TIFFANY CHENNEVILLE
Associate Professor and Chair
Department of Psychology
Joint Appointment
Department of Pediatrics
St. Petersburg
DR. KATHY BLACK
Full Professor of Social Work
and Gerontology
Chair of Interdisciplinary
Faculty in Aging
College of Arts & Sciences
Sarasota-Manatee
2014
DR. SUSAN MACMANUS
Distinguished University Professor
Department of Government
& International Affairs
Tampa
2013
DR. GRISELLE CENTENO
Associate Professor of Industrial
and Management Systems
USF College of Engineering
Tampa
2012
DR. JAMIE GOLDENBERG
Associate Professor of Psychology
College of Arts & Sciences
Tampa
2011
DR. JODY LYNN MCBRIEN
Assistant Professor
College of Education
Sarasota-Manatee
2010
DR. ELLEN DALEY
Associate Professor of Psychology
College of Arts & Sciences
Tampa
2009
DR. PATRICA A. KRUK
Professor in the Department of
Pathology & Cell Biology
USF Health Morsani
College of Medicine, Tampa
2008
DR. LINDA M. WHITEFORD
Professor of Anthropology
College of Arts & Sciences, Tampa
2007
DR. NAOMI YAVNEH
Associate Professor of Humanities
College of Arts & Sciences, Tampa

TAMPA – An hour before she would rivet the sellout crowd at the 13th annual USF Women in
Leadership & Philanthropy Fall Symposium, bestselling author and keynote speaker Jeannette
Walls sat inside a small room and offered a few words of support to a visitor who had stopped
by. WLP Scholar Shari Zamani had just done a final run-through of the speech she would
deliver to a luncheon of a thousand-plus attendees – the event’s largest crowd ever – and
she wanted some advice.
“Don’t look at the crowd – that can be intimidating,” Walls counseled the USF senior with a smile.
“Just focus on a single person in the room and talk right to them.”
In retrospect, Walls’ advice of making a personal connection was particularly fitting, given that
both women soon did precisely that with their uplifting, humorous and insightful speeches at the
Oct. 19 gathering – connecting directly with the audience by relating their unique life experiences
linked by one shared element: hope in the face of hardship.
Considering that WLP has delivered hope in abundance to hundreds of USF students through
invaluable scholarship opportunities – millions of dollars of support over 13 years – there couldn’t
have been a better sentiment to underscore. And that message carried extra meaning coming
at the final WLP Fall Symposium for USF System President and WLP co-founder Judy Genshaft,
PhD, who will be retiring in July after 19 years at the university’s helm.
Walls’ tale emerged poignantly and with her trademark wit in details from her acclaimed New
York Times best-selling memoir, The Glass Castle. She recounted her life growing up in extreme
poverty and “running from her past” and the shame of her parents’ eventual homelessness on the
streets of New York City, as she built a life as a national television reporter.

But Walls explained how she came to face her fears and embrace the family dysfunction,
becoming a stronger and more self-aware person as a result. Her father’s constant promise
that the family would one day live in a “big glass castle” never materialized, but she came to
regard this as an irreplaceable gift.
“Dad never did build us a big ol’ fancy mansion,” Walls continued. “But I believe – I choose to believe,
because it is a choice – that he gave us something much more valuable than a fancy mansion to live
in. And that was hope … the belief that I deserved something more than what I had. And I believe
that’s what this afternoon is about. It’s not just giving these young women scholarships – it’s giving
them hope.”
Then there was Zamani, who never lost hope – in spite of dealing with considerable self-doubt and
fear of failure.
As it turned out, she needed no help overcoming her jitters to deliver a heartfelt and inspiring talk.
Speaking with poise and power, the public health major wasted no time commanding the room by
revealing not only that she was the first woman in her family to attend college, but that she came to
the university through an unlikely path - she was a high school dropout.
After dropping out of school, she worked in the service industry for three years, but always felt that
she was capable of something more. Overcoming memories of failure, Zamani got enough courage
to apply to Hillsborough Community College. She heard that the school offered an assessment test
that would allow her admission to college, without a diploma or taking the GED. She passed and
suddenly a new world opened up for her – with the realization that she enjoyed and excelled at math,
and that many of her past academic problems were due to dyslexia.
Zamani went on to graduate from HCC as class Valedictorian, and had no doubt that she would
continue her education at USF as a junior. “I chose USF because of the quality and variety of its
academic programs, the diversity of the student body and, in all honesty, because the president
of the university was a she.” Cheers and laughter erupted as Zamani gestured to a beaming
President Genshaft. Revealing she is on track to graduate in December 2018 with a 4.0 GPA,
Zamani expressed gratitude for all of the scholarship support she has received from USF and
WLP, and concluded her remarks to a thunderous, standing applause…led by President
Genshaft and Jeanette Walls.

136
The number of WLP
Scholarships awarded in FY18.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
$2,602,757
During this fiscal year, WLP
increased total dollars raised by
72% from $1,509,365 to $2,602,757.

••••••••••••••••••
+20%
The number of WLP scholarship
funds increased 20% (43 funds
in FY17 to 51 funds in FY18).
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
$1,000,000+
WLP has awarded more than
$1,000,000 in scholarships since 2005.
10 11 14 19 26 35 37
4 5 7 8 7 8 14
14 16 21 27 33 43 51

Since our founding in 2005, WLP has awarded more than $1,000,000 in scholarships to 475
students. These scholarship awards, paired with the unique mentoring and engagement
opportunities that WLP affords our recipients, provide opportunities for worthy students to
continue their education and fulfill their dream of completing their degree at a leading public
research university. Endowed scholarship funds exist in perpetuity. To achieve the balance
between making awards and sustaining principal growth, WLP adheres to the USF Foundation
spending policy established annually by the Investment Committee of the Foundation Board of
Directors. A percentage of the earnings of each fund are awarded in the spring to students
enrolled in the following fall semester. Many WLP members (individuals, corporations, and
private foundations) have chosen to contribute at the endowment level have established a
named scholarship to honor a special person or to serve a defined group of USF students, or
reinforce their values through their philanthropy.
We are grateful to our generous donors who have helped establish such a robust WLP Scholarship
portfolio. The following list represents the scholarships in the WLP program in the 2017-2018 year.
WLP/Ann McKeel Ross Scholarship in Visual Arts
WLP/Anne Marie Campbell Scholarship
WLP/Bank of America East Tampa Scholarship
WLP/Berkman Family First Generation Scholarship
& Endowment
WLP/Berkman Family Scholarship
WLP/Betty Castor Scholarship for Global Initiatives
WLP/Bob & Liana Fernandez Fox Endowed
Scholarship
WLP/Carolyn A. O’Steen Scholarship*
WLP/Carolyn A. O’Steen Memorial Scholarship
WLP/Carolyn House Stewart Endowed Scholarship
WLP/Chris Maria Reyes Endowed Scholarship*
WLP/CREW Tampa Bay Scholarship
WLP/Deborah Eaves Endowed Scholarship
WLP/Donald & Ruth Anderson Memorial Scholarship
WLP/Dorothy L. Morgan Endowed Scholarship in
Marine Science
WLP/Dorothy Warren Burke Endowed Scholarship
WLP/Elicia Renee Byrd Endowed Service Scholarship
WLP/Elsie A. Moore Memorial Scholarship
WLP/Esther Schneid Memorial Scholarship
WLP/Florida Blue Leadership in Healthcare
Scholarship
WLP/Geraldine Twine Endowed Scholarship
WLP/Jessica Stands with Girls Endowed Scholarship
* Deferred Gifts

WLP/Judith Bryan Darsey Scholarship
WLP/Linda Blume Award
WLP/Linda D ’Aquila Endowed Scholarship*
WLP/Martha Hodge Memorial Scholarship
WLP/Nancy Schneid Scholarship
WLP/National Mah Jongg League Foundation, Inc.
Scholarship
WLP/New American Scholarship for Women of
Excellence
WLP/Ouyang Yu Memorial Scholarship
WLP/Pam Iorio Leadership Scholarship
WLP/Philip & Ellen Asherman Scholarship
WLP/Ruth Earle & Yuko Yongue First Generation
Scholarship
WLP/Tampa Palms Women’s Club Scholarship
WLP/Triad Foundation & Academy Prep Center
of Tampa Scholarship
WLP/USF Sarasota-Manatee Scholarship
WLP/USF St. Petersburg Endowed Scholarship
WLP/Dr. Susan MacManus Undergraduate Research
Scholarship
WLP/Valerie D. Riddle M.D. Endowed Scholarship
WLP/Valley Bank Endowed Scholarship
WLP/Vincent Zecchino M.D./DreamGivers USA
Scholarship
WLP/Virginia Gregory Endowment in
Entrepreneurship
WLP/Waller-Witte Endowed Scholarship
WLP/Wilma Fowler Endowed Scholarship
WLP/Wilma Fowler Scholarship for USFSP
WLP/WISE Students Helping Students Scholarship
WLP First Generation Scholarship
WLP Endowed Scholarship
Drs. Anila & Mona Jain and Kailash Jain Endowed
Fund for WLP*

WLP honors visionary leaders and philanthropists throughout the community doing extraordinary
things to make the Tampa Bay region a better place for women to live and work. The Community
Leadership Awards program celebrates the immense contributions and achievements of women
in our communities with the intent of raising public awareness and inspiring the leadership and
service potential of current and future generations of women.
Elizabeth (Liz) Kennedy ’80 Elizabeth (Liz) Kennedy has made a substantial mark
on our region by helping to improve the lives of women, children and families
through her professional, volunteer and philanthropic endeavors. The graduate
of Plant High School, who earned her bachelor’s degree at Duke University and
master’s degree at USF, has been involved in a wide array of social service
initiatives. She was a founding board member and past president of the nonprofit
Child Abuse Council (now known as Champions for Children or CFC) from
1976-2001. Since 2011, she has been on staff with CFC, which provides support
and education for some 40,000 people throughout the region.
She was a founding board member and chair of Hillsborough Kids, Inc.; a past board member of
Healthy Start Coalition; and co-founder of the Baby Bungalow, a resource center for parents. She
founded Ophelia Project-Tampa Bay through the Tampa Metro YMCA, serving as director from
2002-2009, and she helped create Layla’s House, a Sulphur Springs early childhood development
center that provides free programs and services focused on helping newborns and children through
age 5. Kennedy also made her presence felt at USF, where she served on the College of Education
Development board. A tireless servant, Liz still volunteers roughly 100 hours each month, just as she
has done for the past two decades, and her impact has not gone unrecognized, as she has been
named a Lightning Community Hero (2013), a Civitan Citizen of the Year (2006) and a Bank of
America Local Hero (2005), among many honors for her invaluable, impactful work.

The WLP Community Leadership Lifetime Achievement Award is presented on a special basis to
an outstanding leader whose life’s work has demonstrably improved our communities and has
contributed to the advancement of women.
Dr. Liana Fernandez Fox ’80, ’98 Dr. Liana Fernandez Fox was a fixture as a
mathematics professor at Hillsborough Community College for 33 years, working
at USF simultaneously for nearly half of that time to help freshmen meet their
math requirements. She made it possible for countless students to excel, chaired
numerous college committees, was elected president of HCC’s faculty union and
also found time to earn her master’s and PhD from USF. For much of that time,
some 30 years, she remained highly active with the League of Women Voters of
Hillsborough County, serving as president for a stint, and helping produce some
150 town halls and debates (including the much-publicized 1994 showdown
between Florida governor Lawton Chiles and challenger Jeb Bush).
Fox, whose childhood was rooted in old Ybor City, became a member of one of USF’s early
classes and remembers the impact the young institution had on her life. “If this university hadn’t
been built when and where it was,” she says, “an entire generation – especially Latin women –
wouldn’t have gone to college.” Fox eventually graduated from Florida State University, where
she became engaged to and married fellow Tampa native Bob Fox – beginning a 50-year
adventure together that included endowing a WLP scholarship last year to help promising
female students from HCC successfully matriculate to USF.

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