|
|
JACKIE CHAISSON, CONTRIBUTOR ABOUT: Jackie Chaisson is a contributor to the AWOTC project. Originally from the west coast, Jackie has lived in Massachusetts for over twenty years and spent over a decade working in the financial industry before transitioning into higher education. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, tabletop gaming, and watching anything DC/Marvel/Star Wars/Star Trek-related with her husband. She finds bookbinding to be wonderfully meditative and occasionally crafts buildings and terrain for gaming. Every so often, she uploads a video to her YouTube channel New England Backyard. Jackie is owned by two dogs. CONNECTION: Jackie met MaryKate at Quinsigamond Community College, where she took Dr. McMaster's introductory Humanities course. She enjoyed it so much that she took her Creative Writing course the very next semester. They quickly became good friends. QUOTE: “I love falling into research rabbit holes, following those breadcrumbs wherever the books and databases take me. History is full of fascinating experiences, virtuosities, and connections that are worth the effort to learn, share and preserve. Sometimes, it's ugly and heartbreaking, or weird and funny, or hopeful and breathtakingly beautiful. I feel honored to be a part of such an impressive group of people who are ensuring digital immortality for A Woman of the Century.” |
|
|
LAUREN DEL VECCHIO, CONTRIBUTOR ABOUT: Lauren Del Vecchio is a contributor to the AWOTC project. She has a background working in software technology and a deep interest in history. As a resident of Maine, Lauren has a special interest in Maine history and has focused researching the Maine women in AWOTC. For more about Lauren, see her LinkedIn page. |
|
|
MALLORY ELLIS, CONTRIBUTOR ABOUT: With a master’s degree in education with a concentration in English, Mallory is trained to read between the lines of history and educate AWOTC readers. After teaching in Abu Dhabi for three years, Mallory now works at CAPS Educational Collaborative as a reading specialist and is also a certified dyslexia therapist. CONNECTION: I graduated with my undergraduate degree from Anna Maria where I was in many of MaryKate classes as well as her work study. I was born and raised in Orange, Massachusetts where I currently reside with my husband and two sons. QUOTE: “This project is important because it honors the amazing women, who paved the path for all women since to follow their dreams and become women to be the change in our world.” |
|
|
ROBBIN MILLER, CONTRIBUTOR CONNECTION: Robbin teaches courses in Social and Community Services at Quinsigamond Community College and met MaryKate at their weekly Zoom meetings. She resides in Massachusetts with her husband, son, and therapy dog, Woody. QUOTE: “The A Women of the Century project provides valuable information about famous women who will inspire girls to develop courage and grit to promote social causes.” |
|
|
ALANA OSHER, CONTRIBUTOR ABOUT: Alana Osher is a contributor to the AWOTC project. She is a hospice volunteer inspired by Dame Cicely Saunders and her associate Florence Wald, the women who are credited with launching the modern hospice and palliative care movement. Both women were independent thinkers with fortitude and determination to change the way that terminal pain was managed. Female heroines in historical fiction and nonfiction have always captivated Alana, so the AWOTC project truly resonates with her. Alana lives in Lexington, Massachusetts with her husband and has three grown sons. CONNECTION: Alana has known MaryKate since childhood. She has watched MaryKate’s dedication and determination move this project from incubation to verification, taking advantage of emerging technologies to bring these women of the century to life in a contemporary way/medium. QUOTE: “These women’s lives are like unique patches of a beautiful quilt that, once sewn together, represent a blanket of strength of mind and resolution for all of humanity to see!” |
|
|
AMY RAVITZ, CONTRIBUTOR ABOUT: Amy Ravitz is an active contributor to the AWOTC project. With over two decades of experience in research, writing, and editing for publication, the former international trade attorney knows the importance of finding fact-based narratives to draw readers’ attention. For the AWOTC project, Amy has drafted and edited biographies and created the Postcards from the Past exhibition that follows Catharine Maria Sedgwick’s travelogue through Europe. Amy also enjoys leveraging her studio art degree to create graphics for our social media accounts. When she is not working on AWOTC projects, she researches and writes for her travel and retirement resource website and serves her community in various church leadership positions. CONNECTION: Amy has known MaryKate for over 35 years since their college days. Originally from Massachusetts, Amy currently lives in North Texas with her husband (whom she met through MaryKate) and their two sons. QUOTE: “This project is about honoring the industrious women of the nineteenth century, including many whose names have never graced the history books. The story of their lives, however, still has the potential to inspire us if we take the time to discover them. I would encourage anyone who loves history, research, and writing (especially former educators and current or former history majors) to join the team.” |
|
|
PATRICIA TIRONE, CONTRIBUTOR |
|
|
EMILY WILLIAMSON, CONTRIBUTOR |
