March is Women’s History Month, a time to celebrate the achievements and contributions of women throughout history and in our present day. At Monmouth University, numerous women-led clubs and organizations are dedicated to empowering women, advocating for change, and t fostering a more inclusive campus environment. This article features just a small sample of women leaders on campus.
“Monmouth University remains committed to creating an inclusive community for every employee and student, irrespective of gender,” said Patrick Leahy, University President. “At the same time, we have expanded mentorship programs, leadership workshops, and collaborative forums where individuals can discuss and address issues pertaining to women’s equity.”
How Sororities Celebrate Women
For many women on campus, sororities are a way to celebrate sisterhood. Monmouth houses eight female-centered organizations. Jackie Tamburrino is the president of Monmouth’s chapter of Delta Phi Epsilon, a sorority known for its values of justice, sisterhood, and love. “We make it our purpose to create and innovate together, pushing the limits each time on what we are able to achieve for the community together,” Tamburrino explained.
She is also the President of Students Advocating Girls’ Education (SAGE). Tamburrino continued, “We focus on highlighting girlhood through education and empowerment of all women and girls. Our annual 5K for Women & Girls Education isn’t just a fundraiser—it’s a celebration where participants share stories, build connections, and uplift each other.”
Alpha Omicron Pi focuses on arthritis and the Arthritis Foundation. Its president, Leila Cengiz, celebrates sisterhood every day through her sorority leadership. She said, “In these sisterhoods, women can physically, mentally, and emotionally support one another to build their resilience and confidence, bringing them closer to achieving their goals and ambitions.”
“Sisterhoods are full of women who will help you achieve your goals from a place of love and kindness and they will help you succeed because they want to see a fellow sister achieve great things,” said Megan Corby, president of Alpha Sigma Tau. “I also believe that sisterhoods are an important place of women empowerment because together as a group, there is a bigger potential to create change and make an impact on the community.” Alpha Sigma Tau fundrasies for women’s wellness.
Alpha Xi Delta supports the Kindly Hearts Initiative, which raises money for children experiencing foster care or homelessness. Their President, Briella Scuteri, said, “Sisterhood events give us the opportunity to collectively uplift one another and build the confidence in helping everyone believe that they can achieve their goals.”
Club Leaders
In addition to Greek life, female empowerment is explored through the various clubs and organizations Monmouth has. From honor societies to clubs, female student leaders are seen in all campus involvement.
Senior Haley Tischler is the President of Monmouth University’s Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology. She said, “Being a woman as a student leader is important to me because it allows me to uplift other women in my field and showcase the importance of diverse leadership. Representation matters, and having women in leadership roles helps challenge outdated stereotypes while inspiring others to pursue their dreams with confidence. To show women that they are capable and that they belong in the spaces that they are in is one of the most fulfilling parts about my roles.”
Tischler is also leading the Diversity Lives Here Art Project, which is fully funded by the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiative. The project showcases art that represents diversity in every academic building on campus. Titled by Tischler, this year’s title is “The Spirit of the Femininomenon.” She said, “‘The Spirit of a Femininomenon’ is a theme that I developed that highlights the experiences of women, femininity, and sisterhood through art.” Taylor Memoli, Editor-in-Chief for “The Outlook,” explained her fortunate position in a club that centers around a male-dominated industry. “Being a woman student leader here at ‘The Outlook’ is so important to me because I am able to lead in a primarily male-dominated industry without having to feel like I am less than.”
She continued, “One thing that has been great is being able to work and talk with other Editor-in-Chiefs of other college newspapers in New Jersey. All of the other editors I have talked to have been men, so it is just another reminder of how fortunate I am to be in the situation I am and to provide a different perspective to Monmouth’s paper that others might not have.”
Hawk TV Station Manager and Producer, Chloe Gosk, expressed a similar sentiment. She said, “Being a woman in a student leadership role, specifically Station Manager of Hawk TV, is important to me because the media industry is traditionally male-dominated. For so long, I was discouraged to pursue my passions because of how little women I saw doing what I dreamed of. Now I am here to be that woman I needed to see, I am here to show young women that we belong in the media industry and can flourish and be successful. I am here to inspire a change that is long overdue.”
Gosk encourages other students to not let tradition stand in the way of their dreams. She continued, “I want the future female student leaders to keep trailblazing. Know that the world is your oyster, and you can do anything you put your mind to. Prove everyone wrong.”
Gillian Sepp voiced how becoming a student leader has grown her confidence. President of Student Activities Board (SAB), Sepp said, “When I first joined, I didn’t like to speak up, but over time I’ve learned that my ideas, opinions, and decisions matter. I want other women- especially those who might be hesitant to step into leadership- to see that they belong in these roles too.”
Sepp also mentioned the growth of SAB since her freshman year. She said, “SAB has changed so much since I joined as a freshman three years ago, when the E-board consisted of just three people. This semester, we were able to build and sustain a full, 11-member e-board, which has been an incredible milestone for our organization.”
First to Fly celebrates first-generation college students. Denise Alotto, President of the First to Fly Club, discussed her role as president with her perspective as the first in her family to attend college. She said, “Being a woman in student leadership is important because it allows me to challenge stereotypes, inspire others, and bring diverse perspectives to decision-making.”
Alotto mentioned the importance of her identity as a woman in a club like First to Fly. She said, “For me personally, being a woman who is a First-generation college student in this role of leadership allows me to interact with other women to give them the support to reach their own goals. And the most important aspect is that I get to advocate for female first-generation students who may not feel heard or seen.”
The Italian Club is a club on campus that celebrates Italian Culture and enrolled over 100 members during the fall semester Involvement Fair. Liv Crocco, president, talked about the challenges of being a student leader. She said, “Becoming President of the Italian Club at Monmouth was, and still can be, a daunting task. However, it has also taught me the importance of believing in myself and empowering others to do things outside of their comfort zones.”
Crocco holds her Italian culture with great pride, and having the position of president has been dear to her heart. She said, “It is extremely rewarding to hold a leadership position for a club on campus, especially one that represents my heritage, as I feel like we are contributing to the campus community and fostering a welcoming environment for all students of all backgrounds.”
MU Players is Monmouth’s Theatre Club, hosting various events throughout the year, such as haunted houses and musicals. Their president, Nora O’Rourke, felt proud to be a woman in this field. “Within the theatre world, the roles of playwright, director and technical staff are typically male-dominated, whereas costuming is female led. Holding the role of president, I am showing people that women have all the same capabilities to do the role justice,” she explained.
Comm Works is a club on campus dedicated to student performance as well. Their president, Giovanna Territo, said, “Being a woman in a leadership position here has given me the wonderful opportunity to let my voice, my opinions and my decisions be heard and valued. It is incredibly empowering to lead and guide such a talented group of individuals.”
Amani Adelkman is Head of Women in Music MU Chapter, and Vice President of both Blue Hawk Records and Black Student Union. The Women in Music Chapter’s goal is to create opportunities and create a space for women within the music industry. “I, along with my executive committee, strive to foster an inclusive and diverse environment where women and the allies of our community are empowered to push the boundaries of the very male-dominated music industry and reach their fullest potential,” Adelkman explained.
Female Faculty
Female leadership extends beyond the student body. Women faculty members are integral in driving change, advocating for gender equity, and shaping the university’s academic environment.
Johanna Foster has been President of the Faculty Association of Monmouth University (FAMCO) since 2019. Foster and other faculty members in the union have fought for equal pay across campus as recently as last semester. She said, “For many of our FAMCO members, regardless of their gender, the issue of gender equity is a high priority. In the past, women faculty at Monmouth have voiced concerns about gender salary disparities between men and women faculty that they have felt are tied to gender and not to other factors that might make for reasonable explanations for those persistent differences.”
She expressed that these issues are a part of a larger issue at play. Foster said, “More recently, women faculty at Monmouth have also raised concerns that professors in academic subjects that are thought to be ‘men’s fields.’ This trend of occupational gender segregation is bigger than Monmouth, of course, and women faculty here have been raising awareness about this problem and promoting campus-wide solutions.”
Foster concluded, “I hope for a future where the academic study of gender inequality, and its relationship to the histories and realities of other forms of structural inequality, continues to be valued, financially supported, and sought after by our MU students. I hope for a future at Monmouth where all of our students, faculty and staff feel at home here as a place where the freedom to learn and to thrive is fiercely protected, and that the valuing of care and solidarity, as opposed to the valuing of accumulation, egoism, competition and brutality, are kept at center stage.”
Dr. Zaneta Rago-Croft, Director, Director of the Intercultural Center and Advisor to the President on Diversity and Inclusion, highlighted the efforts made across campus to make Monmouth more inclusive. She said, “Monmouth University provides spaces and opportunities for women through dedicated student organizations and academic resources that uplift women and shed light on issues related to gender equity. I think about our good colleagues within the Program for Gender and Intersectionality Studies as researchers, practitioners, and mentors whose scholarly work is both interdisciplinary and often experiential.”
Croft continued, “When a university actively creates an inclusive culture, it helps break down systemic barriers, fosters confidence in women pursuing leadership and academic excellence, and strengthens community support.”
The Global Education Office (GEO) is entirely run by women. Students who study abroad are also disproportionately female. Mykellan Maloney, Associate Vice Provost of Global Education since 2017, elaborated on the ratio issue. She said, “In Spring 2022, we were finally able to open study abroad again [after COVID]. Four students traveled to Sorrento to study with our new partner, The Sant’Anna Institute, which incidentally is founded by a very dynamic woman. In fact, both of our programs in Italy are founded and led by women. Three out of the four students in this inaugural program were female.”
Maloney continued, “The ratio between female and male participants in study abroad has narrowed a bit at Monmouth since then, but it is still much higher than the national average of about 67%. In terms of International Students, our population has consistently grown since covid, with women taking the lead again at 57% – this however is well above the national average of only 45% women traveling to the US for their education.”
She concluded, “Global education in US higher education in general is a female dominated field. This follows the national trend of more women experiencing study abroad as a college student than men do – which may be why more women tend to choose this career path. I do not doubt that my voice is respected and heard in my field – my hope is that every woman in a leadership position at Monmouth feels the same way.”
Leahy mentioned some honorable contributions of other important women at Monmouth. He said, “I am proud of the fact that women now occupy half of the senior leadership positions that report directly to me. This includes my Chief of Staff, Emily Miller Gonzalez, whom I have entrusted to lead a Taskforce on Working Parents and Caregivers to ensure that we are meeting our commitments to the work-life balance of our employees. I was also pleased to serve as president of Monmouth under the tenure of our first female board chair – Jeana Piscatelli – who is herself a distinguished alumna of Monmouth.”
“In fact, women have a long history of shaping and leading this university at every level,” he continued. “Former vice presidents Patricia Swannack and MaryAnne Nagy advanced campus-wide student initiatives; former Provosts Pamela Scott-Johnson, Rekha Datta, and Laura J. Moriarty fostered academic innovation; President Emerita Rebecca Stafford guided strategic growth; and former Athletic Director Marilyn McNeil elevated Monmouth’s reputation in collegiate sports.”
Leahy concluded, “You don’t have to look very far to find major campus landmarks honoring the leadership of these remarkable women here at Monmouth.”
