From class project to campus celebration: Women Who Led Lasell

(From left) Kathleen O'Connor, Claudia Rinaldi, Wanda Whittmore, and Zehra Abid-Wood were the main panelists at the Women Who Led Lasell event March 27, 2025. Photo by Aria Conti

What started as a Lasell Honors Program project in Hist223: Special Topics in Global History with students researching in the Lasell archives about our history became a years-long project that led to the Women Who Led Lasell event on March 27.

“I also really loved that this event and its concept came to be from a symposium project in Dr. [Lizbeth] Piel’s class,” said senior Mandy Brochhausen. “I think it emphasized Lasell’s connected learning initiatives and how students are working to create change in the way Lasell’s female leaders are celebrated.”

Lasell hosted the event in Brennan Library to honor presidents Caroline Carpenter, Catherine Chamberlayne, and June Babcock and Women’s History Month. A plaque was unveiled that included the names of all former Lasell presidents, including these three women who held the position in everything but title. The event also showcased materials from Lasell’s archives. Attendees included current staff and students of Lasell as well as many Alumni. 

“Recognizing these Lasell leaders is essential, as they represent the many women throughout the institution’s history who have shaped our university through their contributions as faculty, staff, donors, alumni, and in countless other ways,” said Anne Guaghen, Lasell’s director of alumni relations and annual fund advancement.

There was a panel of three Lasell women who hold or have held positions of power in and around Lasell: Kathleen O’Connor, retired vice president of enrollment management; Claudia Rinaldi,  professor of education and incoming dean of curricular integration; and Zehra Abid-Wood, president of Lasell Village. The moderator was Wanda Whitmore, spouse of president Eric Turner and principal of Legacy Inc. production and communication consulting. 

“This was honestly such a lovely experience for me,”  said Brochhausen. “To hear hardworking women within our Lasell community talk about their experiences and the women before them spoke to me emotionally. I’d attend something like this again in the future, especially if it’s related to the history of Lasell and where we started.”

Lasell University president Eric Turner (center) poses with organizers at the Women Who Led Lasell event March 27, 2025. Photo by Aria Conti