Famous Alumnae of Women's Colleges

Gloria Steinem, Martha Stewart, and Hillary Clinton share educational background

By U.S. News Staff

March 11, 2009 RSS Feed Print

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Agnes Scott College

Jean Toal—First female chief justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court
Katherine "Kay" Krill—CEO of Ann Taylor Stores Corp.
Jennifer Nettles—Grammy Award-winning country singer

Barnard College

Anna Quindlen—Author
Martha Stewart—Entrepreneur

Bryn Mawr College

Katherine Hepburn—Academy Award-winning actress
Drew Gilpin Faust—First female president of Harvard University
Nettie Stevens—Geneticist who discovered that X and Y chromosomes determine sex

Cedar Crest College

Judith McGrath—Chairwoman and CEO of MTV Networks
Andrea Joel—Emmy Award-winning set designer

College of Notre Dame of Maryland

Elizabeth Hoisington—First female to attain the rank of brigadier general of the U.S. Army
Eileen O'Neill—President and general manager of TLC

College of St. Benedict

Helen Meyer—Minnesota Supreme Court associate justice
LeAnne Matthews Stewart—Senior vice president and CFO of Nash Finch Co.

Converse College

Julia Mood Peterkin—Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in literature
Harriet Smith O'Neill—Texas Supreme Court justice

Hollins University

Natasha Trethewey—Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in poetry
Ann Compton—ABC News White House correspondent

Meredith College

Beth Leavel—Tony Award-winning Broadway actress
Silda Wall Spitzer—Founder of Children for Children

Mount Holyoke College

Priscilla Painton—Former deputy managing editor of Time
Suzan-Lori Parks—Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright

Simmons College

Gwen Ifill—Managing editor of Washington Week on PBS
Allyson Schwartz—U.S. congresswoman representing Pennsylvania's 13th District

Smith College

Gloria Steinem—Women's rights activist and author
Betty Friedan—Author of The Femini ne Mystique
Julia Child—Chef and author

Spelman College

Jerri Devard—Verizon Communications executive
Marian Wright Edelman—Founder and president of the Children's Defense Fund

Trinity Washington University

Nancy Pelosi—Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives
Kathleen Sebelius—Governor of Kansas, nominee to head the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Wellesley College

Madeleine Albright—First female U.S. secretary of state
Hillary Clinton—Current U.S. secretary of state
Pamela Melroy—NASA astronaut

Tags:: women's colleges,; education

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Bennett College is a four-year liberal arts women's college in Greensboro, North Carolina. Founded in 1873, this historically black institution began as a normal school to provide education to newly emancipated slaves. It became a women's college in 1926 and currently serves roughly 600 undergraduates.
A Few Famous Alumnae:
Dr. Glendora M. Putman, the first African-American women to serve as National President of the YWCA
Dr. Dorothy L. Brown, the first African American general surgeon in the south and to serve on the Tennessee State Legislature.
Yvonne J. Johnson, the first black mayor of Greensboro, NC
Faye Robinson, Opera Singer
Barbara Hamm, the first African-American woman to serve as a television news director in the United States
Dr. Linda B. Brown, author and professor of English at Bennett College
Belinda Foster, the first African American District Attorney in North Carolina

Kameelah Brown of FL 4:24PM August 31, 2009

Founded in 1844 by the Sisters of the Holy Cross, Saint Mary's College continues to grow and prosper, with approximately 18,000 living alumnae. A few notable alumnae include:
Congresswoman Donna M. Christensen ‘66, MD, the first female physician in the history of the U.S. Congress, the first woman to represent an offshore Territory, and the first woman Delegate from the United States Virgin Islands
Adriana Trigiani ’81, the award-winning playwright, television writer, and documentary filmmaker and bestselling author of the Big Stone Gap trilogy
Susan P. Peters ’75, Girl Scouts Board of Directors, vice president of executive development for GE (General Electric), executive vice president of human resources for NBC

Ali of PA 1:35AM May 29, 2009

Hon. Judith N. Keep - first female Chief Judge of the southern district of California (as well as the first female judge on that court). She received her B.A. degree in Humanities and Literature from Scripps College, and served as a federal judge for the Southern District of California. She served as Chief District Judge of the Southern District from 1991 to 1998, and chaired the Conference of Chief District Judges in 1997. Nominated by President Jimmy Carter, Judge Keep came onto the federal bench in 1980. She was the first female federal judge in her district and its first female chief judge.

AA of Scripps of CA 2:56AM May 18, 2009