Four New Members to the Board of Trustees Announced

Contact:
Gwen O’Brien
Director of Media Relations
Saint Mary's College
(574) 284-4579

July 2, 2013 (Notre Dame, Ind.)—Saint Mary’s College welcomes four members to the Board of Trustees. At its spring meeting, the Board elected three members to three-year terms and appointed a student to a one-year term. The Board also reelected six members to three-year terms. The terms began in June.

Elected to the board are Sister Alma Mary Anderson, CSC ’65, Russell L. Blackwell, and Anne Meagher Northup ’70. Malea Schulte ’14 was appointed as the student trustee. Reelected for second three-year terms are Michael Cahill, Catherine Hammel Frischkorn ’75, Sister Judith Hallock, CSC ’65, Thomas Fitzgerald, and Beth Lichtenfels Viehmeyer ’77. Reelected to her third three-year term was Sister Michelle Germanson, OP.

In other Board business, Mary L. Burke ’85 was elected to her second three-year term as Chair of the Board and Frischkorn was elected to a three-year term as Secretary.

Meanwhile, Saint Mary’s College thanks the Trustees who departed the Board as of May 31. They are:

• Nancy Roberts Dobson ’70 (served 3 years, 2010-2013)
• Sarah Belanger Earley ’71 (served 11 years, 2002-13)
• Father Ken Molinaro, CSC (served 10 years, 2003-13)
• Alyssa Vinluan ’13 (served one year, 2012-13)

Background on the incoming Board of Trustees members:

Sister Alma Mary Anderson, CSC ’65 is not new to the Board. She served nine consecutive years and now comes back to the Board after a year off. Sister Alma Mary is a professor of computer graphics and graphic design at Indiana State University, where she has taught since 1987. In 2010 she received the President’s Medal from Indiana State, the highest award bestowed on faculty, for her service to students, the university, and the community. Sister is also a book designer and illustrator for textbooks in environmental health and sciences and related fields, as well as a graphic designer and computer and design consultant for small non-profit organizations. She earned her bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Saint Mary’s in 1965. In 1987 she earned her master of fine arts in graphic design, with a minor in computer graphics, from Rochester Institute of Technology.

Russell L. Blackwell is president and CEO of Reedy Creek Capital Advisors, LLC in Windermere, Fla., a company he has led since 2010. Previously he served as international director and CEO of CalEast Global Logistics, LLC, 1998 to 2009, and senior vice president of LaSalle Partners, 1988 to 1998. Blackwell earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Notre Dame in 1979 and in 1993 received the Notre Dame Exemplar (service award). He and his wife Elisa Garza Blackwell have five children, one of which is a Saint Mary’s alumna, Amanda Blackwell ’09.  

Anne Meagher Northup ’70, a former congresswoman, is senior principal of the Bracewell & Giuliaui law firm, where she started this year. In 2009, President Barack Obama appointed Northup to a seat on the Consumer Product Safety Commission where she served as a commissioner until 2012. Northup began her political career in 1980 as a volunteer for Ronald Reagan’s presidential campaign. In 1987 she joined the Kentucky General Assembly, where she served as a representative until 1996. She served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1997 to 2006. Soon after taking office, Northup was appointed to the House Appropriations Committee, which considers all federal spending bills. She graduated from Saint Mary’s in 1970 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. She and her husband Robert Wood Northup are parents of six children.

Malea Schulte ’14, of Norway, Iowa, is a studio art major who is minoring in mathematics. Schulte has been involved in student government since she arrived on campus. She served as vice president of her first year class. As a sophomore Schulte was a member of the Sophomore Class Board and served as chair of the Community Committee. She is currently a member of both the Alumnae Board of Directors and the Saint Mary’s College Women’s Choir. Other leadership roles include working as an administrative resident advisor this upcoming academic year and as a resident assistant last year.

About Saint Mary’s College: Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Ind., is a four-year, Catholic, residential, women’s liberal arts college offering five bachelor’s degrees and more than 30 major areas of study, such as business, nursing, art, chemistry, and social work. The College’s single-gender environment has been proven, in study after study, to foster confidence, ethical leadership, and strong academic success. Saint Mary's College ranks among the top 100 “Best National Liberal Arts Colleges” for 2013 published by U.S. News. Founded in 1844 by the Sisters of the Holy Cross, Saint Mary’s College’s mission is to educate women and prepare them for postgraduate success whether it’s a first job, graduate school, or postgraduate service.