| Astronaut Melroy | |
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When NASA astronauts first walked on the moon in 1969, eight-year-old Pamela Melroy was watching. Very few people who saw the Eagle land have forgotten the sight, but for Pam, the experience was more than awe-inspiring-it changed the course of her life. |
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Mills College Announces the Election of Its 13th President, Alecia A. DeCoudreaux
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Alecia A. DeCoudreaux, Wellesley College ‘76 |
“I’m ready to now to follow the advice I’ve given to so many of the young women I mentor: I’m ready to now follow my passion.” January 20, 2011 Mills College recently announced the election of its 13th president, Alecia A. DeCoudreaux, an accomplished business leader and current chair of the Wellesley College Board of Trustees. |
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Ms. DeCoudreaux currently serves as vice president and deputy general counsel at Eli Lilly and Company, where she has worked for three decades. She has also served as executive director of Lilly Research Laboratories, research planning and scientific administration, and has directed governmental and community relations for the company. In addition to her impressive business and legal career, Alecia DeCoudreaux has held numerous leadership and fundraising positions in academic, private, and community sectors, including director of the Indiana University Foundation and as a member of the Indiana University School of Law Board of Visitors. (Ms. DeCoudreaux received her doctor of laws degree from the Indiana University School of Law at Bloomington in 1978.) A proud alumna of Wellesley College, Alecia DeCoudreaux embodies Mills College’s core values of leadership, creativity, and social responsibility. Throughout her professional career and her community involvement, she has demonstrated a commitment to women's education, civic engagement, philanthropy, and volunteerism. Here is an excerpt from an interview Mills College conducted with Ms. DeCoudreaux: “I have thought for a long, long time about how fabulous it would be if I ever had the opportunity to lead a women’s institution. Now that I have that opportunity, I’m just very, very much looking forward to it. “I’ve had a career that I’ve enjoyed very much, but I’m ready for a change. I’m ready to now to follow the advice I’ve given to so many of the young women I mentor: I’m ready to now follow my passion and that passion is what takes me to the academic world. “I’ve been excited about working for a women’s college for a long time, for a number of reasons, starting with the fact that I believe very, very strongly that a solid education is critical to the ability one has to make choices in life. I think that’s particularly so for young women. And I’ve spent a lot of time trying to help young women to understand how critical it is for them to get the best education they possibly can so that they’ll have choices in their lives and so that they can make good, informed choices and decisions in their lives. “I think that for me…having attended Wellesley College gave me experiences that have altered my life in many, many ways and in many positive ways. And I love the opportunity of working in an environment where I might have the ability to help young women to alter their lives as well.” For more information about the role that mentors and role models play in shaping women’s lives during college, go to:
For more information about why a women’s college might be the right fit, download: |