Texas Woman's Magazine - Fall 2022

A PUBLICATION FOR
ALUMNI, FRIENDS
AND SUPPORTERS
FALL 2022
TWU
steps up
to fill the
teacher
shortage

A Higher
Calling
With teachers
in short supply
from coast to
coast — and
deep in the
heart of Texas —
TWU steps up
to increase
the pipeline

INSIDE
6
THE WOMAN
BEHIND ROE V. WADE
Legal trailblazer’s collection
at TWU.
8
THE GIFT OF HEALTH
Dawn Chaney, Ph.D., ’63,
’66, ’70 promotes her
wellness philosophy by
funding scholarships.
24
TRUE GRIT
Gladys Acosta ’18, ’23
empowers multilingual children.
Texas
Woman’s
FALL 2022
PUBLISHER: Kimberly A. Russell, Ed.D.,
Vice President, University Advancement
Executive Director, TWU Foundation
MANAGING EDITOR: Brittany A. Connolly
Director, Executive Communications
CONTRIBUTORS: Jasmine Carter,
Eveline Chao, Michelle Cummings,
Matthew Flores, Patrice Frisby, Shelby
Gould, Launey Patton Griffith, Christopher
Johnson, Kristina Kaskel-Ruiz, Carolee
Klimchock, Nelda Martinez, Chelsea Mullin,
Lisa Rampy, Renee Thompson
ART DIRECTION AND DESIGN: Zehno
ILLUSTRATORS: Davide Bonazzi, Gracia Lam,
Delphine Lee, Margie and the Moon,
Kayli Mato, Jeannie Phan, Lauren Sanders
PHOTOGRAPHERS: Jill Broussard, Heather Key
CHANCELLOR AND PRESIDENT:
Carine M. Feyten, Ph.D.
PRINT PRESS: Slate Group
©November 2022, Texas Woman’s University
TEXAS WOMAN’S 1

What’s the
latest victim of
supply-chain
scarcity?
American
schools.
NOWADAYS, THE national teacher
shortage is hitting close to home.
Currently, Texas has 40,000 fewer
teachers than needed in public K-12
schools. Some rural school districts
have even moved to a four-day school
week as a stop-gap measure until they
can hire more teachers.
Having gained a reputation for
training many of Texas’ best
educators for over a century, TWU’s
College of Professional Education
(COPE) has devised innovative
strategies to help curb the teacher
shortage — and address the larger
social implications underlying it.
“It’s an ethical and a moral
obligation to support public educators,”
COPE Associate Dean Gina Anderson
noted. “But it’s also absolutely critical
for the economic health of our state
and our nation.”
Public-school leaders applaud
COPE’s commitment. “TWU has a
long history of preparing outstanding
educators for the teaching profession,”
said Jamie Wilson, superintendent
of the Denton Independent School
District. “From its commitment to early
literacy to preparation for master’sdegree
special educators, TWU’s
COPE prepares life-changing teachers
for our classrooms.”
THE SOCIAL COST
Studies show that quality child care
and early-childhood education —
crucial to social and intellectual
development — have a lifelong impact.
In fact, youngsters receiving quality
early-childhood education and care
have better outcomes in adulthood,
including career and earning potential.
Yet many children are missing out.
In addition to the K-12 teacher
shortage, preschool and infant care
remain understaffed and prohibitively
costly. Nearly half of U.S. families
live in “child-care deserts,” in which
one licensed child-care spot exists
for every three children needing
one, according to the Center for
American Progress.
And the numbers can be shocking:
The cost of infant child care in Texas
exceeds in-state college tuition, as it
does in 32 other states, according to
the Economic Policy Institute.
2 TEXAS WOMAN’S

These expenses, coupled with
the overall lack of regular childcare
access, don’t just hold children
back but can also disrupt the
career trajectory of many parents,
particularly women.
INVESTING IN HUMAN CAPITAL
COPE’s reputation for graduating
impactful future teachers is
acknowledged by many education
leaders, including Amarillo College
President Russell Lowery-Hart. “TWU
is a long-standing leader in preparing
some of Texas’ most inspiring
educators,” he said. “Amarillo College
and TWU share a strong history
of innovation, and I’m honored to
continue our partnership in changing
student lives.”
Even the tenure of TWU’s teachers
is noteworthy. Eighty percent of its
graduates remain in the teaching
profession after 10 years, exceeding
the national average of 55% and state
average of 50%.
“When you look at the data, our
candidates are hired, they’re retained,
and they’re more successful than other
candidates entering the profession,”
Anderson explained.
COPE also extends its reach
by training teachers across the
state through community college
collaborations, resulting in classroom
leaders with local ties that benefit
students and communities.
COPE’s Educator Preparation
program attracts a diverse student
body of working professionals and
parents who return to gain degrees and
credentials. Professional development
workshops, hybrid advising and testpreparation
tools position these
students for success.
But other needs exist.
THE COSTLY ROAD AHEAD
Several significant costs of teacher
education arise when graduation is on
the horizon.
Unpaid student teaching assignments
required for state certification include
significant in-class time, resulting in
thousands of dollars in lost wages.
After student teaching comes the state
certification exam, costing another
$1,000 or more in fees.
Since many future teachers support
their own families, these financial
burdens may derail their progress.
What’s a better alternative? Provide
a living wage for student teachers.
If nascent teachers were paid, more
could afford to complete their degrees
and become certified Texas educators.
It could be game changing, a remedy
for the dire teacher shortage in Texas.
Tackling the issue head on, COPE
Dean Lisa Huffman vows to reduce
the financial obstacles many student
teachers at TWU face.
Chancellor Carine Feyten and
Associate Dean Anderson applaud
Dean Huffman’s — and COPE’s —
commitment to public education as a
democratic ideal.
“Texas will benefit economically
from the investment in teachers,”
Anderson said. “There has never been
a more important time as a collective
community for us to uplift, recognize,
celebrate and invest in quality
educator preparation.”
50 Years of Bilingual Education
TWU has boosted Spanish-language competencies for 50 years and counting
The brainchild of
leading educators,
TWU’s bilingual
education programs
date back to 1969.
Then, as now, the
college’s education
experts focused on
field experience and
small class sizes to
pioneer the best
teaching practices.
The former Bilingual
Education Centro
de Acción (BECA)
prepared students
for more than half a
century with native
Spanish-speaking
instructors and
experiential learning
opportunities.
The legacy
continues today.
TWU has forged
ahead for decades
to train teachers to
better reflect the
state as a whole.
Here’s how:
The Reading Recovery
program, a part of
COPE’s department of
Literacy and Learning,
began in 1989 to
promote early literacy
and prevent literacy
gaps among first
graders. This TWU
program is one of
two in the nation
for educators.
Descubriendo la
Lectura is the only
Reading Recovery
program in the world
that offers training
in Spanish. Since
1997, participating
students have
received intensive,
individualized
instruction in Spanish
from certified
bilingual teachers.
Project PIONERAS
is a $2.2 million
scholarship and
research project
that began in
2016. It enhances
Spanish-language
competencies, content
and pedagogical
knowledge, and familyengagement
skills for
undergraduates
and teachers in
bilingual classrooms.
Project HELP
(Hispanic Educators
Leading the
Profession), which
began in 2019,
provides scholarships
to help cover tuition
and fees for the
final four semesters
at TWU. Federal
funding enables
TWU to partner
with community
colleges statewide
so that Hispanic
future teachers
can transfer and
complete their
education degrees
at TWU.
Project LEAMOS,
which began in
2022, is a one-year
grant that enables
40 educators to
earn an M.A. in
multilingual and
multicultural studies.
Learn more
Contact Dean Lisa Huffman at
LHuffman1@twu.edu
TEXAS WOMAN’S 3

Voices from TWU grads
“The forward-thinking education
and cutting-edge curriculum at
TWU prepared me to become a
leader in the classroom. TWU was
affordable, the community was
welcoming, and I could not find
that combination elsewhere.”
> DANIELLE “DANI” SANCHEZ ’20
“Going to TWU
definitely opened
the door for my
career in special
education. I went
into teaching to
help kids, and
that’s what I did.”
> MIRIAM HONIG ’89
“I’m a mom of five kids and
finished my TWU degree
while balancing my family
responsibilities and achieving my
goal to become a music teacher.
The faculty took the time to get
to know me. They understood
my situation and made my
educational experience realistic.”
> NATALIE JOYNER ’19
“Despite being a working mother and driving more than
50 miles each way [to class] after work, I did very well in my
courses. The master’s degree was the final piece needed.”
> YVONNE HANNON THOMPSON ’96 How you can
get on board
Contact advancement@twu.edu
4 TEXAS WOMAN’S

QWorking for the
Super Win-win
What role does COPE play in the
broader community?
College of Professional Education
students are learning how to become
excellent educators and pillars of
their communities. We’re working
to graduate more Texas teachers for
> LISA HUFFMAN, PH.D.,
College of Professional
Education Dean
COPE Dean Lisa Huffman aims to erase
Texas teacher shortages and child-care deserts
students ages 3-18. We’re focused on
supporting our local families through
education, providing access to mental
health services, offering family
counseling services and developing
community leaders.
First, we lead an early STEAMthinking
camp (Science, Technology,
Engineering, Art, Mathematics) for
young children that reaches across
the state. We call it Digital Days
Summer Camp, and it’s led by faculty
from the department of Literacy and
Learning and master’s students in
early childhood education. They’re
integrating learning, retention and
focused-based coursework with
STEAM applications for young children,
their parents and teachers.
We offer a mental-health clinic
that provides our communities with
affordable resources. Our Counseling
and Family Therapy Clinic, a part of
COPE’s Human Development, Family
Studies, and Counseling department,
also provides our graduate students
with clinical opportunities.
And we work with rural libraries
across Texas to ensure equal access to
print and digital information. In many
rural communities, the library is the
only source of reliable internet.
What early-childhood education
challenges are we facing as a state?
As a state, we must invest in earlychildhood
education, which focuses on
preparing teachers for pre-kindergarten
through third-grade classrooms.
We have child-care deserts. We have
families and parents who can’t find care.
At TWU we offer a number of programs
preparing the early-childhood-educator
workforce for every corner of society.
We offer a variety of flexible and fullyonline
undergraduate and graduate
degree programs.
We’ve all seen the dire headlines about
the K-12 teacher shortage. But what
can be done?
It costs a lot of money to become a
teacher. There are a number of broad
factors contributing to the teacher
shortage, and that’s why we’re working
to remove every obstacle to becoming
a teacher that we can.
Our students are often nontraditional,
and they’re entering TWU
— or maybe returning to college — to
receive an education at an average age
of 28. They’re typically parents; they
care for their children; and they may
be caring for other family members.
We find that a lot of students have
to step out of the program and save
money for their in-classroom student
teaching experience and certification
exams. Student teaching is required
by the state, along with mandatory
certification exams, which may total
thousands of dollars.
My goal is to find a way to cover
the costs associated with becoming a
certified teacher from coursework
to graduation.
What is your biggest “reach” goal
as dean of COPE?
Going back to early-childhood
education and child-care deserts, I’d
like to have early learning centers on
each of our campuses.
We’re a woman-focused, Hispanic-
Serving Institution with the most
diverse student body in Texas and
the fourth-most diverse student
body in the nation, according to U.S.
News & World Report.
Early learning centers would provide
our students access to high-quality
teaching experience in the classroom.
So the children benefit, TWU
students benefit and the state benefits.
I call it a super win-win.
TEXAS WOMAN’S 5

DONOR IMPACT
The Woman Behind
Roe V. Wade
Legal trailblazer’s
collection at TWU
will enhance research
and teaching
I
n 1973, Sarah Weddington,
a 26-year-old lawyer
from West Texas,
made history when she
successfully argued the
landmark Roe v. Wade
case before the U.S. Supreme Court.
When that case was overturned
earlier this year, it — and one of the
women behind it — once again became
relevant to another generation of
educators, students, journalists and
researchers.
Now TWU’s Jane Nelson Institute
for Women’s Leadership and the Mary
Evelyn Blagg-Huey Library will play a
central role in future research about
the historic case.
Before her passing in December 2021,
Weddington — a former TWU professor
— donated her papers, photographs,
books and other archival materials to
the university. For much of the year,
library staff have been busy organizing,
inventorying and digitizing the millionplus
documents that make up the Sarah
Weddington Collection. They aim to
Boldly go
Learn how you can
support TWU libraries at
advancement@twu.edu
make it navigable to students and
researchers for generations to come.
“Archivists have the gift of learning
people’s stories and preserving them,”
says Director of Special Collections
Kimberly Johnson ’93, ’07. “That’s what
we do every day and are working hard
to do with this collection.”
A TRAILBLAZING FIRST
The collection paints a portrait
of a trailblazer who made history:
as the first woman from Travis
County to be elected to the Texas
House of Representatives, the first
woman general counsel for the U.S.
Department of Agriculture and as an
adviser on women’s issues to President
Jimmy Carter.
“Women have an enormous power
to effect change, and Weddington’s
collection is the preservation of her
activism,” says Johnson. “Through the
collection, you get to know her as a
young girl growing up in West Texas, as
a student in law school at UT … you see
her at each stage in her life and career.”
Weddington’s commitment to
education and her belief that all people
should have equal access to education
are evident in the collection.
“She also mentored TWU
students, inspiring some to pursue
law careers,” said the late Phyllis
Bridges, a TWU Cornaro Professor
of English, administrator and friend
of Weddington who helped bring the
collection to the university system.
“When it came time to decide where she
wanted to place her papers, Weddington
had many offers. She chose to donate
them to TWU.”
A digital archive featuring selections
from the collection will be available
online next year. Special Collections
staff have given talks to TWU students
about the significance of the collection,
and they’ve received inquiries from
other universities about using the
materials in history, women’s studies,
political science and health classes.
6 TEXAS WOMAN’S

“TWU will always have a special
place in my heart because of our
shared interest in promoting
leadership in women.”
Sarah Weddington
TEXAS WOMAN’S 7

DONOR IMPACT
The Gift of Health:
Nurturing the Body
and Mind
Alumna promotes
wellness philosophy
by funding scholarships
for health and
kinesiology students
> DAWN CHANEY, Ph.D.,
’63, ’66, ’70
Stewarding one’s health is the key
to helping others. That belief led
Dawn Chaney to create opportunities
for TWU students in fields ranging
from exercise science and physical
education to occupational therapy
and sport management.
The two Dawn S. Chaney
Undergraduate and Graduate
Scholarship Endowments totaling
$100,000 support students in the
School of Health Promotion and
Kinesiology. In recent years, students
in the school have conducted
research exploring equity issues in
COVID-19 health responses, circadian
desynchronization and much more.
“Whether it is developing NASA
award-winning devices that
improve space travel or analyzing
the biomechanics of elite PGA
golfers, our students are inspired
by unique learning opportunities
to make a difference in the world,”
said Christopher Ray, dean of the
College of Health Sciences. “With
philanthropic investments like the
Chaney endowments, we will continue
to forge bold new discoveries that not
only elevate our legacy of educating
outstanding health and wellness
professionals but also enhance the
human condition.”
LEADING THE NATION
The School of Health Promotion
and Kinesiology is a national leader
ranking among the top 10 online
programs for bachelor's degrees in
the health sciences.
TWU kinesiology students also have
bested the competition two years in a
row at a NASA-sponsored design event.
The team’s 2022 project was enhanced
by adding a red therapeutic light to
the device to further improve
astronauts’ sleep quality.
Graduates of the school go on to
impressive careers. Bolstered by her
Ph.D. in kinesiology with a sport
management concentration, Lisa
Langston ’10 said she is “a better
manager, a better leader and a better
critical thinker” thanks to her
TWU education.
“Every project I completed,
every research paper I submitted
was related to my role as an
interscholastic athletic administrator,”
said Langston, director of athletics
for the Fort Worth Independent
School District.
A VISION FOR BOLD WOMEN
At the heart of Chaney’s decision
to endow the TWU scholarships is
her desire to expand educational
opportunities at the woman-focused
8 TEXAS WOMAN’S

institution. Women, she said, “have to
be able to hear and see the vision of
what they can become.”
Although Chaney now focuses on
managing a portfolio of investment
properties — in addition to serving on
a variety of community organizations
in Greensboro, N.C., where she resides
— she spent most of her career in
higher education.
Chaney’s gift to her alma mater is an
extension of her lifelong advocacy for
women’s education and health science.
She earned her undergraduate and
graduate degrees in physical education
from TWU.
Her continuing affinity for TWU is
another impetus for the gift. When she
first visited the Denton campus more
than 60 years ago, she immediately fell
in love with the atmosphere. What
stands out to this three-time alumna
all these years later is the vibrant
intellectual exchanges “and the amount
of interaction with faculty and students
that was available for all of us.”
Due to her generosity, a new
generation of TWU students will be
enriched by that same spirit of
collaboration and personal growth.
Boldly go
Learn how you can support
TWU colleges and programs
at advancement@twu.edu
1,500+
current TWU Health Sciences majors
TEXAS WOMAN’S 9

WHAT IF?
What if TWU launched
an aviation program?
Frequent flyers need some relief
IF YOU have flown on an airplane
recently, you probably realized that
the travel industry is changing. Flight
delays, cancellations and similar
frustrations have put a damper on
passengers’ enthusiasm for air travel.
And recent studies corroborate
what many frequent fliers have
noticed: We need more pilots.
What if TWU was a part of
the solution in addressing aviation
industry challenges?
Because TWU is a woman-focused
university system, increasing female
representation in the workforce is
especially important. Is aviation the
next industry where we could make
an impact?
While women constitute 47% of the
total U.S. workforce, they represent
only 20% of the aviation industry,
according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics. This gender gap is especially
visible among pilots, where women
comprise about 5% of the profession
and less than 2% of senior management,
as noted by the Pilot Institute.
Why so few? For many women, as
well as underrepresented populations,
flight school can be daunting.
Commercial pilots need at least
1,500 flight hours, in addition to other
requirements. Many pilots take classes in
mathematics, physics and meteorology as
well as aviation history, law and business.
Pilot preparation is expensive, and few
universities combine flight school with
four-year degrees.
But TWU could change that.
“I believe we have the unique
capacity to move into areas where we
see large gender gaps,” said Chancellor
Carine Feyten.
FLYING HIGHER
Some students are already addressing
the challenges that plague the industry.
In 2022, TWU’s Team Oneiroi —
comprised of five senior kinesiology
majors — was named Best Overall Team
at the NASA-sponsored Texas Space
Grant Consortium Design Challenge.
Their winning entry? They created and
submitted a wearable light-therapy
device that helps astronauts regulate
their sleep cycles.
History is filled with prominent women
figures in aviation. At TWU, the Woman’s
Collection houses the Women Airforce
Service Pilots (WASP) archive. The
WASP archive includes over 1 million
wartime and postwar items and personal
collections of hundreds of the WASP.
That leads to a new question: As a
community, what better way to honor the
past, than to help lead the future?
Tell us what
you think
Send us a note at
advancement@twu.edu
10 TEXAS WOMAN’S

RESEARCH
THAT
MATTERS
Learn how you
can support
research at TWU
Send us a note at advancement@twu.edu
> GIOVANNI VALDERAS, MFA
Assistant Professor, Painting and
Drawing in the Division of Visual Arts
Taking it to
the streets
Community impact drives
assistant professor’s art practice
GIOVANNI VALDERAS used
to think of art as something
created just for galleries.
But while teaching in Dallas
community colleges, he
realized his students often
found art inaccessible
and intimidating.
“I thought, ‘I’ve been
doing this all wrong — my
work needs to be out in the
community,’ ” he explained.
So he began making
piñata-inspired houses and
installing them “guerillastyle”
around Dallas’ Oak
Cliff neighborhood, drawing
attention to the affordable
housing crisis and its
impact on Black and
Latinx communities.
Teaching, too, is part
of his practice. Now an
assistant professor in
TWU’s division of Visual
Arts, Valderas is thrilled
when students approach
him after his presentations
to share comments like,
“I feel like you’re talking
directly to me.”
He clearly is. That’s why
he makes art that draws
from, and speaks to, his
culture and community.
“Artists,” he emphasized,
“can be catalysts for
change.”
TEXAS WOMAN’S 11

Healing through Music
Program’s graduates speak the languages
of music and health care
RESEARCH
THAT
MATTERS
AS ANY seasoned musician
will tell you, music is both
an art and a science. It’s
about the physics of sound
and the magic of rhythm.
TWU faculty are
uncovering music’s
power to heal by training
accomplished musicians
to become compassionate
music therapists. As health
care practitioners, their
task is to help alleviate
pain, enhance memory
and improve cognitive
functions in stroke patients,
children and neurologically
diverse individuals.
TWU’s undergraduate
music therapy program
is one of only five — and
the only master’s program
— in Texas. Training in
piano, voice, guitar and
percussion, as well as
courses in the psychology
of music and anatomy and
physiology, prepares grads
for a national exam that
leads to board certification.
Preparation pays off, as
TWU’s graduates have a
pass rate of 67% compared
to 51% nationally, according
to the Certification Board
for Music Therapists.
#
1
The only music therapy
master’s program in Texas
> Music therapy
students BRANDON
CARRASCO ’25 and
XITLALY LULE ’26
12 TEXAS WOMAN’S

PLANNING TO MAKE
A DIFFERENCE
PAYING IT
FORWARD
EDUCATION IS empowering.
It can be a catalyst that lifts
people from all walks of life
to new levels of economic,
social and professional
opportunity. And it can echo
through future generations,
changing the trajectory of
a family for all time.
Planned giving is one way
to extend intergenerational
benefits. Such gifts to
TWU have the power to
sustain and shape the
institution. Planned gifts
create a flexible and
charitable legacy, enabling
donors to “pay it forward”
by acknowledging the role
TWU played in their lives.
MEETING CRITICAL NEEDS
Special education is a
critical area of need that
Alicia B. Quinn ’94, a
librarian, plans to support
by dedicating a portion of
her estate to TWU. Her
planned gift will help prepare
teachers and researchers
to work with students with
exceptional needs.
Another alumna’s passion
for literacy will live on
through her planned gift.
The late Distinguished
Alumna and Cornaro
Professor of Reading
Emerita Billie J. Askew ’82
was an influential leader
and contributor to national
and international Reading
Recovery efforts, including
TWU’s programs, which she
founded in 1989.
Student-athletes and
Pioneer Athletics have
inspired generous support
from Bettejoe “Smokey”
Rogers Pendleton ’58
for nearly a decade. Not
only did she establish a
scholarship endowment,
she also gifted a portion
of her estate, leaving a
lasting legacy for TWU’s
athletics program.
“It is an awesome and
rewarding responsibility
for us to know that
Bettejoe Rogers Pendleton
believes in our ability to
magnify the mission of
the university through
academics, athletics and
leadership development,”
said Sandee Mott, director
of athletics.
Quinn, Askew and
Pendleton are among the
many donors who’ve chosen
to be catalysts for change
— opening doors to a better
life and a better world for
future generations.
Learn more
about planned
gifts
Visit plannedgiving.twu.edu
TEXAS WOMAN’S 13

1979
TWU Softball won the
1979 AIAW Women’s
College World Series
that was held in
Omaha, Neb., to
become National
Softball Champions.
Photo: TWU Special Collections
> 2017
Nicole Nordie ’17 was
named to the 2017
D2CCA Softball All-
South Central Region
First Team. She was also
recognized as a NFCA
All-Region First Teamer
and was chosen as the
Lone Star Conference
Player of the Year and to
the All-LSC First Team.
THEN AND NOW
Seriously
Sporty Women
TWU reflects on
50 years of Title IX
NOT MANY universities
can claim two Olympic
medalists as coaches.
But at TWU, Sara Lilly, a
2004 bronze medalist in
synchronized swimming,
and Randi Miller, a 2008
bronze medalist in
wrestling, are two of
nine head coaches.
Fifty years ago, Title IX of
the Education Amendments
Act passed, affording
women equal opportunity
in athletics. At TWU, this
included the advent of
athletics scholarships,
championed by former
Athletics Director Jo Kuhn.
Since its inception in
1906, TWU Athletics has
prided itself on serving
women student-athletes.
In 1979, the university
named its athletic teams
the Pioneers, then adopted
a Minerva owl as its
mascot in 2017. In 1982,
TWU joined the National
Collegiate Athletic
Association (NCAA).
Today the university
competes in five
intercollegiate Division II
NCAA sports — basketball,
gymnastics, soccer, softball
and volleyball — and also
offers competition in artistic
swimming, dance, STUNT
and wrestling.
Thanks to Kuhn and other
visionaries, Texas Woman’s
continues to empower
women through education,
competition and leadership
development.
14 TEXAS WOMAN’S

BOLDLY
GO
> A BRIGHT FUTURE
A graduate from the
class of 2020 savors
the moment at Dallas’
Reunion Tower
TEXAS WOMAN’S 15

SUPPORTING WOMEN VETERANS
The Jane Nelson Institute
for Women’s Leadership
awarded grants, ranging
from $1,000 to $10,000,
to 33 women-veteranowned
businesses across
Texas in 2021 and 2022.
THE JANE NELSON
INSTITUTE FOR
WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP
(JNIWL) at TWU is
dedicated to preparing
more women to take
on successful roles in
business and public
service. Our three
specialized centers
provide women with
the education to
establish executive-level
careers, the skills for
building entrepreneurial
businesses and the
framework needed to
run for public office.
JNIWL features
three centers: Center
for Student Leadership,
Center for Women
Entrepreneurs, Center
for Women in Politics
& Public Policy.
Learn more
at twu.edu/lead
THE GOLD BEACON LLC
Navy veteran and social worker
Kimberly Henry’s full-service nonprofit
agency provides sustainable tools
and services to organizations seeking
to address gaps and challenges. The
grant allowed her to create free content
including guides to help organizations
increase their capacity and become
champions for social change.
GRANT WINNER LOCATIONS
16 TEXAS WOMAN’S

THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF
VETERAN'S AFFAIRS PROJECTS
THAT WOMEN WILL ACCOUNT
FOR 40% OF ALL VETERANS
IN THE NATION.
SAN ANGELO
GARLAND
HOUSTON ENGLISH
LANGUAGE SPECIALISTS LLC
Simone Brown was an English-language
instructor for 20 years and realized
there was a need for physician-specific
communication programs. Her organization
provides international physicians with the
communication skills needed to clearly and
effectively communicate across cultures
to improve patient outcomes. The grant
allowed Brown to add resources
to scale the business.
MILKSPACE LLC
Kelli Mumphrey’s company specializes in
safe, clean spaces for nursing parents. The
Navy veteran’s business addresses the
lack of outdoor breastfeeding spaces by
providing Texas public-space operators
and event organizers with on-demand
lactation spaces for venues and events.
The grant funded the purchase of
a sanitation tower.
HOUSTON
TEXAS WOMAN’S 17

NEWS ROUNDUP
Campus by Campus
Learn what’s happening in Denton, Dallas and Houston
> LITTLE CHAPEL
VOTED THE BEST
TWU’s Little Chapelin-the-Woods
was
recognized as the city’s
top wedding venue by
Best of Denton 2022.
World-renowned
architect O’Neil Ford
designed the chapel,
which was built in 1939.
DENTON
TWU RANKS AT THE TOP
TWU is among the top
American universities for
social mobility, according
to U.S. News Best Colleges.
TWU ranked ninth in Texas
and within the top 15% of
universities nationally for
social mobility.
TWU HOSTS TWO-TIME
OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST
The Jane Nelson Institute
for Women’s Leadership
(JNIWL) and the Nancy
P. and Thaddeus E. Paup
Lecture Series hosted
Olympic gold medalist
Brandi Chastain in October.
The moderated discussion
explored the connection
between women’s
leadership and sports.
DALLAS
ANNUAL OT EVENT
CELEBRATES 30 YEARS
The Vanderkooi Endowed
Lectureship, established
in 1993, honors Fanny
B. Vanderkooi, TWU’s
first program director of
Occupational Therapy. The
2023 Vanderkooi Endowed
Lectureship will mark the
30th anniversary of the
School of Occupational
Therapy’s annual event.
DALLAS NURSING IN
THE COMMUNITY
The North Texas Food
Bank awarded its highest
honor, the Tom Black
Volunteer Award, to
Dallas nursing students
for their dedication to
community service.
HOUSTON
COB AND CWE PARTNERSHIPS
The TWU College of
Business and JNIWL
Center for Women
Entrepreneurs hosted the
annual Women’s Business
Enterprise Alliance
conference, which awards
certification support,
educational programs and
scholarships to businesses
and employees.
NEW HOUSING
TWU has partnered with
Texas A&M University to
offer Houston campus
students a housing
opportunity at Life Tower.
WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP PROGRAM
The TWU Bold LeadHERship
Roundtable — sponsored
by the TWU College of
Business, JNIWL and the
Greater Houston Chamber
of Commerce — is a sixmonth
program for women
of color in senior-level
leadership positions.
18 TEXAS WOMAN’S

ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT
Alumni Global
Network
TAP INTO
THE POWER
TWU’s global
network is more than
100,000 strong! The
Pioneer Network’s
online community
of TWU alumni,
students, faculty,
staff and supporters
fosters connection
with fellow Pioneers.
For more information,
visit twupioneernetwork.com
10,000+
ALUMNI SHARED
STORIES
The Pioneer
Reflections oralhistory
project got
big-time buy-in from
alumni this spring
and summer. A digital
archive and print
book comprised of
thousands of stories
will be available.
For more information,
visit twu.edu/pioneerreflections
99 %
of storytellers recommended the
opportunity to fellow alumni
Submit news
Tell us what’s happening
in your life and career
twu.edu/alumnews
CONNECT
WITH US
alumniengagement@twu.edu
940-898-2586
FOLLOW @TXWOMANSALUMNI ON
FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM AND TWITTER
facebook.com/txwomansalumni
instagram.com/txwomansalumni
twitter.com/txwomansalumni
JOIN US AT AN
UPCOMING EVENT
twu.edu/alumevents
TEXAS WOMAN’S 19

Pioneers
> “MENTORING IQUAIL
over the past six years,
as he has grown into
a dance scholar, has
been one of the most
rewarding aspects of
my job,” said Rosemary
Candelario, director of
TWU’s dance program.
“Iquail’s dissertation has
the potential to shift how
the field thinks about
Black men in American
concert dance.”
> IQUAIL
SHAHEED ’22
Dancer,
choreographer,
instructor
THE RIGHT MOVES
New Stage
Broadway dancer Iquail
Shaheed ’22 adds Ph.D.
to his artistic accolades
BROADWAY DANCER,
choreographer, entrepreneur
and new TWU Ph.D. dance
grad Iquail Shaheed ’22 has
studied at some of the most
illustrious dance programs
in the country including the
Alvin Ailey American Dance
Center, Philadanco and the
Juilliard School.
Today he’s the founder and
artistic director of DANCE
IQUAIL!, which has earned
prestigious grants from the
National Endowment for
the Arts and other funding
agencies. He also starred in
Broadway productions of
The Lion King, Hot Feet and
Super Fly.
Shaheed’s path to a
doctorate in dance was made
possible by TWU’s lowresidency
program, which
enables mid-career students
to pursue a Ph.D. without
taking time off from work.
Celebrating its 65th
year in 2022, the TWU
Ph.D. dance program is
the longest running of its
kind and one of only five in
the country. Its flexibility
allowed Shaheed to maintain
his active schedule as a
professional performer and
dance instructor in Maryland
at Goucher College, a former
women’s college.
Shaheed’s Ph.D. is an
asset in many ways. It
denotes expertise in the
scholarship of dance, and it
sets the stage for becoming
a sought-after author and
thought leader.
“A lot of the work we do
is social-justice focused
and brings attention to
voices that often aren’t
heard,” he said. “The Ph.D.
gives me the tools to bring
those voices to light in my
instruction and practice.”
20 TEXAS WOMAN’S

ASHLEY
DAME ’12 AND
NATHAN DAME ’11
Award-winning
choir directors
> KELLI
CONNELL ’03
Photographer
and Guggenheim
honoree
EYE ON THE PRIZE
Guggenheim
awarded to alumna
WHEN ASHLEY DELANEY
visited TWU to check out its
music education programs,
she fell in love with the
graduate curriculum — and
eventually a student pianist
she met that day. There, in
the office of Professor and
Music Education Coordinator
Vicki Baker, she first met
Nathan Dame ’11.
“He was sitting on
her piano bench as they
wrapped up his individual
instrument training,”
Ashley recalls.
She decided to enroll,
because the flexible course
options allowed her to
balance her day job with her
graduate preparation. “It’s
an attractive program for
MUSIC EDUCATION
A DUET THAT WORKS
Ashley ’12 and Nathan Dame ’11 found
love and award-winning careers at TWU
practicing educators,” she
says. But the best part was
the hands-on training with
real music teachers.
After Ashley graduated
in 2012, she and Nathan
stayed in touch, even as he
pursued a Ph.D. in Kansas.
“We love music, so we
mailed each other CD
mixes,” Nathan said.
Today the two are not
only married, but also
fellow choir directors at
Wylie East High School in
Wylie, Texas.
Under the Dames’ watch,
the school’s choir program
has tripled in size to 320
students, and both directors
have won multiple awards.
Ashley won the 2021 Texas
Choral Directors Association
Innovative Programming
Award, and Nathan was
named one of Yamaha’s
Top 40 Under 40 Music
Educators in the United
States in 2022.
Both credit TWU with
their success. “TWU’s
program was so practical.
You could easily take what
you learned and apply it
in the classroom the next
day and witness a positive
impact on the kids,”
Nathan said.
“TWU wasn’t just the
place that we met,”
says Ashley. “It was the
place that trained us to
be the music educators
we are today.”
FOR THE last eight years, artist
Kelli Connell ’03 has retraced the
life of Charis Wilson, best known
as a model and the former wife of
famed modernist photographer
Edward Weston. Connell explores
the artist-sitter relationship by
photographing her own partner
in the same locations where
Weston depicted his then-wife.
This year, Connell won
a prestigious Guggenheim
Fellowship for her project
“Pictures for Charis.” She plans
to produce a book and three
museum exhibitions of her
work in 2024.
“Having work recognized by
the Guggenheim Foundation is
a tremendous honor,” Connell
said. “I will use the 2022
fellowship year to continue
making work for the project
‘Pictures for Charis.’ I feel a
wealth of gratitude for this
opportunity, and for everyone
who has supported the project
along the way.”
Connell credits TWU,
especially Susan kae Grant,
Cornaro Professor of Visual
Arts Emerita, with shaping
her career.
“Working with Susan was
such a gift,” said Connell,
now a professor and graduate
program director of the
Photography department at
Columbia College Chicago.
“Susan organized her classes by
creating a sense of community
where everyone had an equal
voice, and she really influenced
how I teach my courses today.”
“TWU is a place that
encourages students to work
diligently on their fine art
practices and to become
confident in who they are as
artists,” Connell said.
TEXAS WOMAN’S 21

ALEXANDRA
WELKER ’22,
NAIKE KASONGO
’22, SHAUNTA
ROCKMORE ’22
Empowering
Women as Leaders
scholarship recipients
AS SHAUNTA ROCKMORE
’22 can attest, the value of
the Empowering Women as
Leaders (EWL) scholarship
goes far beyond the funding
it provides. A cum laude
graduate in criminal justice
and business and an EWL
scholarship recipient,
Rockmore said the EWL
experience “gave me hope
and opportunities.”
EWL is a nonprofit
organization that supports
MY SCHOLARSHIP MATTERS
Empowering
Mentorship
Empowering Women as Leaders scholarship
contributes much more than dollars and cents
non-traditional women
students beginning or
returning to college. They
provide support through
scholarships, mentoring
and networking. Recipients
are awarded funds to offset
educational costs and are
paired with a mentor based
on their educational and
career goals. The mentoring
relationship spans their entire
college experience and two
years into their careers.
For Alexandra Welker ’22,
the scholarship’s mentoring
component provided muchneeded
support during her
undergraduate coursework.
Welker found someone with
whom she connected, and
she describes her new friend
as “a wonderful mentor in my
life, a person who challenges
me to meet my goals.”
“This scholarship support
really changed my life,” said
Welker, who graduated from
her Texarkana high school
20 years ago. She will
complete her TWU English
degree in December.
Inspiring students
and helping them
become leaders in their
fields and communities
has been EWL’s intent
since 2005. When
awarding scholarships,
EWL prioritizes women
seeking their first
undergraduate degree.
Another EWL awardee,
Naike Kasongo ’22, will
also finish her sociology
degree in December. A
non-traditional student
and parent, Kasongo works
full time while raising four
children and managing
her coursework. At times,
she finds this juggling act
“challenging physically
and financially.”
“The EWL scholarship
definitely improved my
educational experience at
TWU,” Kasongo said of the
combination of financial
assistance and active
mentoring. “It is refreshing
to know that help is a phone
call away,” she said.
Rockmore describes
her EWL mentors as both
inspiring and encouraging.
She said, “They are some of
the greatest overcomers I’ve
ever met.”
22 TEXAS WOMAN’S

THE BLOOMBERG
TRADING AND
ANALYTIC S LAB
was created with
the generous
support of Nancy P.
and Thaddeus E.
Paup and the Jane
Nelson Institute
for Women’s
Leadership.
DID YOU KNOW?
A BOOST FROM
BLOOMBERG
New trading and analytics
lab prepares business
students for future careers
WATCH OUT, Wall Street!
TWU’s newest business
grads will be ready to hit the
ground running, thanks to
their experience using the
same Bloomberg terminals
as the ones used by elite
business schools and top
financial firms.
The launch of the
Bloomberg Trading and
Analytics Lab this academic
year on the Denton
campus will enhance the
student experience and
make TWU grads stand
out from the crowd.
“This lab will prepare
our College of Business
(COB) students in finance
and business analytics
for the workplace,” Dean
Rama Yelkur explained.
“Our finance students will
be trained and Wall Street
ready. They will hit the
ground running as they
begin their careers in the
financial sector.”
In addition to providing
research and study space,
the lab will offer direct access
to a subscription-based
financial software known
as the Bloomberg Machine.
This platform, widely used
by global-finance firms,
will afford TWU students
experience in real-time
market data analysis.
The lab is just the latest
reason the COB is poised
to become one of the best
business schools with a
woman-focused mission.
With multiple undergraduate
and graduate degree
programs, including two
options for undergraduates
to earn their BBA and MBA
in five years, the COB is
reaching new heights.
Learn more
Contact Dean Rama Yelkur at
ryelkur@twu.edu to support the COB
TEXAS WOMAN’S 23

True Grit
Literacy
across Cultures
COPE alumna burnished her own bilingual
skills to empower multilingual children
What inspires you
to support TWU?
Send us a note at advancement@twu.edu
W
ith a political and
economic crisis
brewing in their home
country, Venezuela,
it was fortuitous
that an appealing
job brought Gladys Acosta ’18, ’23, her
husband and two children to Irving,
Texas, 14 years ago.
As husband Juan Carlos settled into
his new job in the technology sector,
Acosta cared for their growing family.
While volunteering at her eldest son’s
school, she discovered the multilingual
classroom. “Watching the teacher
providing empowering instruction
to students learning English as their
second or third language was inspiring,”
Acosta said. “At that moment, I knew I
wanted to also inspire young students.”
Acosta started from ground zero. She
began developing her English-language
skills at the local community college,
before progressing to more advanced
classes. “I was taking care of my [now]
three children and working hard to do
well in my courses. There were many
late nights of studying,” she said.
Three years later, in 2016, Acosta
sought a program that would prepare
her to become a bilingual teacher. TWU
spoke to her because of its reputation
for training some of the best educators
in the state. She also experienced TWU’s
strong sense of community when she
toured the Denton campus. “There
were so many women like me, around
the same age, with unique stories and
families. I felt at home,” she said.
As a full-time student with three
young children, Acosta completed
her bachelor’s in interdisciplinary
arts with a concentration in bilingual
education and was honored with
the 2017-2018 Outstanding Senior
award. She attributes much of her
success at TWU to Associate Professor
Mandy Stewart from the College of
Professional Education’s Literacy
and Learning department. “Dr.
Stewart led our bilingual education
student organization. She was
always encouraging and supportive,
providing our cohort with community
engagement and professional
development opportunities,” she said.
“She has been my mentor and someone
I now call a friend.”
To further develop her skills and hone
her research interests, Acosta is now
pursuing a master’s degree in TWU’s
multilingual and multicultural studies
program. She’s learning about new
concepts like the threshold hypothesis
and the common underlying proficiency
approach to literacy. These theories
hold that “bilingual students transfer
cognitive and literary skills from their
first language to the second language”
and that “children need to have a
strong foundation in their first language
to successfully acquire a second
language,” she said.
Like so many TWU graduates, Acosta
is proud to help immigrant children
and first-generation Americans preserve
their heritage as they build a new life
in the United States. “Knowing more
than one language is an asset, not a
limitation,” she said.
As she enters her fifth year of teaching
at Whitley Row Elementary in the Keller
Independent School District, Acosta
looks forward to completing her master’s
and graduating in December 2023. She
plans to continue working with her
first-grade students. “Witnessing my
students grow into their language skills is
amazing,” she said, “especially when they
move from struggling to succeeding.”
24 TEXAS WOMAN’S

GLADYS
ACOSTA ’18, ’23
Bilingual teacher
TEXAS WOMAN’S 25

Texas Woman’s University
Division of University Advancement
P.O. Box 425618
Denton, TX 76204
Scan with your smartphone
camera to view the digital edition.