Meet some of Stephens' Amazing Women...

"I was looking for a change ... An awakening."

Sara Jane Johnson '56

She hadn’t been camping since she was a little girl in Riverside, California, so it came as a bit of a surprise when the 42-year-old, newly divorced mother of three signed up to trek through the
mountains with a 40-lb. pack for 30 days with a group of total strangers. But this tiny, quiet woman
has no shortage of what most people call courage.

Studying a tribe of Northwest coast Native Americans, while in a boat off the coast of Queen Charlotte’s Island, a terrible storm began to rage and the boat sank. Huddled in lifeboats in the pounding rain,
they waited hours for rescue. In spite of it all, the very next year she was back. She has spent her life fearlessly advocating for the enivornment, for affordable housing and for education.

“I’ve always been curious about how democracy transitions into different places, how it is
adopted and interpreted, and whether or not it can truly be promoted as a human right.”

Catherine Withrow ’05

9 weeks ago, Catherine was welcoming internationally known eco-journalist Simran Sethi to Stephens.
9 months ago, she was defending her thesis while living in Buenos Aires.
1 year ago, she was deep in the heart of the Amazon, swimming with pink river dolphins, traveling
by boat and trying to grasp the wisdom and generosity of the people of the rain forest.
1 1/2 years ago, she was in New York, working at the US Mission to the United Nations, attending meetings and events with Kofi Annan and Bill Clinton and negotiating resolutions on economic development and globalization.
3 1/2 years ago … she was just beginning her senior year at Stephens.

In case you’re curious, 3 months from now, she will be in Ghana, working with the Asanti youth in
a democracy and human rights campaign in a part of the world where both are crucial to a better future. Then she will return to Stephens in the fall to teach liberal arts and Spanish.

“It’s been completely surreal. What an opportunity to be a positive role model, not just for African-Americans and not just for women, but especially African-American women.”

Karith Foster '96

Comedy and Controversy. Karith has never shied away from either.

Using her quick wit and her ability to get anyone to laugh about themselves, Karith has built an
enviable career in comedy that has led her from stand-out student at Stephens College to
performances in New York and LA’s major comedy clubs to the honor of being the youngest member
of the New York Friars Club to her high profile position on “Imus in the Morning.” This, after Don Imus’ racially charged remarks about the Rutgers University women’s basketball team landed him at the
edge of losing his show forever.

The self-described Jewish African-American princess isn’t afraid to grab the microphone and say what needs to be said – with a big dose of humor, of course.

“At Stephens, you needed to learn to do absolutely everything, behind the camera, behind the
stage, everything. And I think that gave me a huge amount of discipline for the work that I do now.”

Elizabeth Mitchell

Years before starring on ABC’s “Lost,” actress Elizabeth Mitchell found herself at Stephens.

Elizabeth made her theatrical debut as a 7-year-old at the Dallas Theater Center, but she says it was at Stephens College that she figured out what she was all about.

She immersed herself in Stephens theatre — on stage and behind it — and afterward, with her BFA in hand, she headed off to the British American Drama Academy in London. Her list of credits includes a performance alongside Angelina Jolie in the HBO film “Gia,” the role of Mrs. Claus in the “Santa Clause” movies, and several appearances on “ER.”

Two years ago she landed on the set of “Lost” as enigmatic doctor Juliet Burke. As they impatiently
await the beginning of the hit TV series’ fifth season, “Lost” fans suspect mysterious Juliet has a few aces up her sleeve.
But Elizabeth Mitchell has already proven she has some of her own.

"We were ahead of our time by 30 years. Sally Ride went up 20 years later, and Eileen Collins
went up 30 years later.”

Wally Funk '58

At age 5, she attempted flight for the first time … off the roof of her father’s barn dressed like Superman.

At 16, she enrolled in the Stephens College Aviation Program after breaking her back in a skiing
accident, which ended her chances at the Olympics. She was a “Flying Susie” at the top of her class and received her private pilot’s license in 1958.

In 1961, Wally became the youngest member of Mercury 13, the “Women in Space” astronaut-testing program, beating U.S. astronaut John Glenn in many of the same tests he underwent as part of
Mercury 7. Wally’s dream of space flight was abruptly halted when NASA canceled the program later
that year.

Today, Wally still teaches teenagers how to fly and trains them in airplane safety while keeping her eyes firmly set on the stars. Not too long ago, at the helm of Solaris X, she participated in a competition for private funding for space travel. Her shuttle was defeated, but her dream remains intact.

“I’ll take the first outfit up into space, whatever it is,” she says. "I’ll sell my house to get to go.”

“In truth, I found a clear vision, self-confidence and determination for myself at Stephens, which lit the way for a great life and professional success.”

Jean McFaddin '62

Jean McFaddin holds a unique place in the annual Macy*s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
In November 2000, the City of New York renamed the corner of Broadway and 34th Street –
one of the last turns of the famous two-and-a-half mile parade route – the “Jean McFaddin Way.”

But Jean had a much earlier start at another Broadway intersection – in Columbia, Missouri, where she thrived in Stephens College’s theatre program. After graduation, while working on her M.F.A.,
she directed plays at Stephens’ Okoboji Summer Theatre in Spirit Lake, Iowa.

Eventually Jean became Macy*s East Senior Vice President in charge of public relations and events,
a position she held for 25 years. Every year she produced Macy*s award-winning Thanksgiving Day Parade, as well as New York City’s largest ongoing Fourth of July fireworks celebration.

Her events, acclaimed as icons in commercial branding, have earned her a dozen Emmys, recognition as a “Quintessential New Yorker” and a rare honor bestowed upon her in 2001 by Mayor Rudy Giuliani: the declaration of April 19 as “Jean McFaddin Day” in New York City.

“My personal mission statement is ‘live each day as a gift,’ and I don’t take any day for granted anymore. This is why breast cancer has truly been a gift to me.”

Neel Stallings '67

When her sister was diagnosed with breast cancer, Neel began volunteering with the Charlotte, N.C., Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure®. Little did she know that just a couple of years later she would wage her own battle against the disease.

That was nine years ago, and last year her sister helped her celebrate her 60th birthday.
To prove she’s not “an old geezer,” Neel climbed a peak in the Dolomites in Italy – a stop-over
on her way to Hungary, where she was one of only 25 U.S. Komen delegates at the Global Advocate Summit. Neel recently retired as a vice president in human resources and now channels her
energies into Komen and Stephens’ Couture for the Cure, pairing Stephens’ student fashion
designers and breast cancer survivors to tell their stories nationally in creative ways.

This year, the globe-trotting go-getter was named one of 25 Yoplait Champions in the U.S. for her work in “Shouting for the Cure.” With a cure yet to be discovered, it’s certain Neel won’t stop shouting from the mountaintops anytime soon.

“I give a great deal of credit for having a successful and meaningful life and career to Stephens
and my experiences there. It was so much more than having wonderful years at school; the school helped generate a wonderful life.”

Leslie Foster '78

As CEO of The Gathering Place, a shelter in Denver, Colo., Leslie Foster receives visits from more
than 60,000 women and children in need of support every year. But just a few years ago, among
the many new faces she sees every day, Leslie saw one she had actually seen before –
about 30 years ago, while a psychology student at Stephens College.

Through a service-learning project in college, Leslie volunteered at the prison where she first met the woman now coming to her shelter for services. They hadn’t seen each other since, and they barely recognized each other, but Leslie had always remembered the opportunity to meet her as one of the greatest experiences she’d had at Stephens.

As a student volunteer at a women’s prison, Leslie had a chance to learn from the inmates, but she also found ways to give back – like the time she took poetry from two women in the prison to a private meeting with Maya Angelou, who was visiting Stephens. Angelou critiqued their work, as well as writings by Leslie and other students; for days, Leslie says she “walked on air.”

A widely recognized leader in the nonprofit sector today, Leslie has been at the helm of The Gathering Place for nearly 20 years. Yet her career is still driven by the same passion that shaped her early years: to help those in need while recognizing their strength, their humor and their desire for love, beauty and community.