Women's History Month 2024
Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
If we are going to make a brighter future, we need women dedicated to eliminating bias and discrimination.
For Women's History Month 2024, St. Catherine University celebrates and recognizes our own history-makers: the tens of thousands of Katies who help build a better, more just world.
Noteworthy Alumni
Bao Vang '91
Vang leads across business and government agencies, serving immigrants and refugees across the Twin Cities.
Erin Murphy MAOL'05
Murphy’s leadership continues to inspire and resonate with St. Kate’s students and alumni.
Sahra Noor '02
“We need to tell the stories of those marginalized from our larger healthcare system.”
Dawanna Bickham Witt '99
Witt is the first woman and person of color elected as the Hennepin County Sheriff.
Social Justice Changemakers
Firaoli Adam ’17 and Yasmin Samatar ’17
"We can't just wait for somebody else to do this."
Katie Eichten ’04
Eichten is on a mission to create comfortable places for displaced Ukrainians in Bulgaria.
Carmeann Foster ’08, MSW’12, JD
Foster confronts the deep disparities for black youth in the educational and judicial systems.
The McDonald Sisters
Rita, Kate, Brigid '62, and Jane McDonald have long been known as leaders for their work advancing peace in the Twin Cities and beyond.
The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet
Responding to the needs of the time, serving the dear neighbor, and accomplishing all of which woman is able.
Faculty DEI Leaders
Taiyon J. Coleman, MFA, PhD
Poet, researcher, essayist, Coleman educates, inspires, and guides St. Kate's Students.
Nancy Heitzeg, PhD
“People get killed by our legal systems every day … but there is even more killing done on the front end of the system by the very people who are meant to keep us safe.”
Pa Der Vang, PhD
Vang, whose research focuses on the experience of Hmong American immigrants, is a passionate advocate for leadership development in the Hmong community.
Kristine West, PhD
West helped launch the Minnesota Center for Diversity in Economics (MCDE), which aims at diversifying economics through education, outreach, and activism.
Leaders of St. Kate's Legacy
Antonia McHugh, CSJ
After serving 15 years as dean, McHugh became the then-college's first president in 1929, and she strove for academic excellence before, during, and after her time as president. McHugh’s legacy remains a strong element of St. Kate’s.
ReBecca Koenig Roloff '76
“The life afforded to me because of my education at St. Kate’s drives all decisions and choices I make as president so that others have the same chance I did."
Alberta (Fides) Huber, CSJ, ’37, PhD
St. Kate's seventh president, Huber guided the University through significant social changes of the 1960s and 70s, and was instrumental in seeing the college remain a women's institution.
Marcheta P. Evans, PhD
Joining St. Catherine University as its 12th president this July, Evans will make institutional history as the University’s first Black president.