Honoring people who inspire women
Penn State Brandywine recognizes the diversity of women’s experiences and their invaluable contributions to our campus and community.
We invite you to celebrate Women’s History Month with us by learning more about thirteen members from the Brandywine community who inspire us: Monica Woutersz, Kennesha Busby, Bobbi Caprice, Claire Nolan, Chris Brown, Hope Stylios, Elizabeth Womack, Christina Olear, Laura Evans, Marinda Harrell-Levy, Myeisha Matos, Angela Putnam, and Pat Hillen.
Monica Woutersz
Administrative Assistant, Athletics & Student Affairs
“Monica has made a positive impact on my life and I know the lives of many others. She is always willing to lend a hand and make everyone around her feel welcomed. She goes above and beyond to ensure all students and staff she encounters feels appreciated and has the tools to be successful in their role. She is a role model of a strong independent woman. We are lucky to have her!”
–Staff Member
“Monica is a wonderful co-worker. She is patient and kind. She is always willing to help and share her knowledge. She is hard working and upbeat and truly cares about others. Monica is an administrative assistant we can all look up to and strive to be like her.”
–Staff Member
Kennesha Busby
Student
“Kennesha is one of the most prominent students I've met. She is an excellent student, actively involved on campus, supporting students via club's event , tutoring and working with Mrs. Debbie Ousey. She worked as Virtual Orientation Leader to welcome & support new international students University-wide in summer 2020 and spring 2021. She also assisted with many regional and university-wide events led by me on behalf of Global Programs. Kennesha is graduating this semester. I'm very proud of her, and believe she is one of the best to represent Brandywine community; students like her inspire me with their energy, hard work and resilience. She devoted her time at Penn Sate not only to becoming a successful in her academic career, but also investing her time and effort into working with the community, promoting global learning and empathy. Kennesha deserves to be nominated and acknowledged as a young woman who focuses on within and outside growth and appreciates all the learning opportunities utilizing them with a great passion and success.”
–Staff Member
Bobbi Caprice
Director, Athletics
“As a younger woman professional in a male-dominated field, I can imagine there may be obstacles for Bobbi to hurdle as an Athletic Director. I admire the way she always holds her ground and keeps the best interests of students at heart. Bobbi’s ability to manage an Athletics program and supervise her staff is a model of consistency and sincerity. She is dedicated to the Athletics department, which has only become clearer through the COVID-19 Pandemic, as she has striven towards providing student-athletes the best possible experience. I look up to her as a leader and a resource and am honored to know her as a colleague.”
–Staff Member
Claire Nolan
Enrollment Services Specialist, Admissions
“Claire was a big part of the reason I enjoy my time here at Brandywine. She was one of the first faculty members I met, her enthusiasm is defiantly contagious. I did the PASSS program because she was so convincing and even though she's not a part of our campus anymore we still keep in touch. Truly a wonderful person with a great soul. She wants nothing but the best for us all.”
–Student
Chris Brown
Associate Teaching Professor of English
“Chris has contributed so much to the success of Brandywine students, particularly through the PAL Program. Through innovative assignments and adaptive techniques, she provides a course and leadership development opportunity that I admire greatly. I have connected with several young women who take her classes. These young women are empowered by the PAL program and energized to make a difference on campus. I enjoy collaborating with Chris on projects because she is always open to new ideas and how we can maximize our resources. Her enthusiasm fuels my own, and even on the most stressful days, working with Chris always brings a smile to my face.”
–Staff Member
Hope Stylios
Student
“Hope has made a tremendous inspiration to me ever since school has started. She has helped me by motivating myself to even complete assignments which I probably would not have been able to complete if she wasn't there to help me. She is such a selfless, giving friend and student and I'm sure plenty of other students like myself benefit solely from even having a conversation with her. It's hard to describe with words alone how amazing she is, but she truly is an inspiration too many.”
–Student
Elizabeth Womack
Associate Professor of English
“Having had Professor Womack as an English teacher, I hope I don't disappoint her with this paragraph, but she is a one-of-a-kind person who you could never forget. Even on zoom, she made sure we all felt comfortable to speak our mind and talk freely about what topics in and out of class. You can tell she genuinely cared about each student individually and she tried to ensure that every student was okay in and out of class. She has made such an impact on every student she has taught in the past, and she is certainly a role model and someone I hope I can stay in contact in the future. She is truly an amazing teacher, mom, and person.”
–Student
Christina Olear
Lecturer of Accounting
“This is my first semester having Professor Olear but already I can tell she will be a professor I hope to stay in contact in the future and to hopefully meet one day soon. She makes all the students feel comfortable and she is someone you could talk to about seemingly anything. She is committed to being a great mentor and teaching her students to the best of her ability. She is a great person and I hope she truly understands how just being herself is impacting so many students for the better.”
–Student
Laura Evans
Associate Teaching Professor of Human Development and Family Studies
“Laura has taught me to always remember our shared humanity by being a role model on how to bring kindness and respect into the workplace. This includes ways to demonstrate this in the classroom as well as in meetings and other professional interactions with colleagues. I admire her skills in navigating sensitive topics and her steadfast courage to speak up in the face of injustice. I continue to look to her example as I strive to become more courageous in taking action where needed and to remember to always be kind.”
–Faculty Member
Marinda Harrell-Levy
Associate Professor of Human Development and Family Studies
“Marinda is an inspiring leader which is demonstrated by how she identifies problems or challenges while also proposing solutions AND focusing on those solutions until they become reality. Many of us are able to do some of those things while Marinda can do all three. Her work ethic and enthusiasm for shared projects motivates me and others to bring these characteristics to our own work at Brandywine. Marinda is also skillful in how she handles challenging conversations and viewpoints that differ from hers. I have frequently witnessed her accepting and appreciating statements and carefully try to understand what the speaker is trying to say and look for shared ground. I continue to learn from her example.”
–Faculty Member
Myeisha Matos
Recruiting, Retention, and Alumni Coordinator, Athletics
“Myeisha is an incredibly strong and inspiring woman. She goes above and beyond in all her roles within the athletic department. She serves as a mentor to all our students she interacts with. Her experience and commitment to an inclusive society makes a positive impact to our campus community.”
–Staff Member
Angela Putman
Assistant Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences
“Angela has taught me so much about the need to continuously work on how to be a white ally for my students and my colleagues. She willingly devotes considerable time to help guide those of us seeking answers and direction on how to move beyond just saying we want equity at Penn State, but also the importance of acting on and understanding how to reach that goal. Angela's encouragement has given me the confidence to take actions where needed; confidence that I often previously lacked. Her tireless efforts in this area inspire me to push myself further and I want to thank her for all this support.”
–Faculty Member
Pat Hillen
Associate Teaching Professor of English
Assistant Director of Academic Affairs
"In her administrative role, Pat is responsible for the hiring of all adjunct faculty on our campus. Adjunct faculty members are an invaluable component to nearly all Post-Modern universities. Her positivity and enthusiasm for nearly all things Penn State Brandywine is truly inspiring. I don't believe many on campus quite understand how much her involvement with so many things "Brandywine" plays a major hand in the successes, uniqueness and diversity of our campus. Patricia enjoys working with the Brandywine Global Programs Committee, she focuses on initiatives for civic and community engagement, and she also won the Madlyn L. Hanes Faculty Award. "
–Faculty Member
This effort was led by the Chancellor's Commission on Empowering Women. Honorees were nominated based on the following criteria:
- Inspired someone in their daily life
- Acted as a role model or mentor in their field
- Made a meaningful contribution to the world
- Showed a commitment to challenging inequality and questioning stereotypes
- Helped forge a more inclusive society
