Text reading Brown Women's Network over a light blue background with the Brown crest.The Brown Women’s Network aims to keep the 40,000+ member Brown alumnae, student, and staff community engaged with the University and each other through a variety of programming—from podcast interviews with noteworthy women of Brown, to live events throughout the year, to seasonal newsletters, and more.

Events

Headshots of event speakers for Women in Writing event

Industry Night: Women in Writing, Editing & Publishing 

Monday, December 9 | 6 p.m. ET | Virtual | Register 

This event series provides unique insights from industry leaders and networking opportunities for current students and alumni. This December, we will engage with women working in and excited by the writing, editing, and publishing industry. Panelists include:

  • Lucy Feldman '14, senior editor at TIME
  • Natasha Noel AM'15, writer, poet, and educational leader
  • Suzy Becker '84, author and illustrator
  • Taylor Michael '17, freelance journalist and adjunct instructor

Presented by the Brown Women's Network and the Women's Launch Pad. Co-sponsored by Friends of the Pembroke Center, Sarah Doyle Center for Women and Gender, and the Brown Department of English

 

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Past Event Recordings

Hear from a panel of accomplished alumnae who have pursued advanced degrees. They will discuss their graduate school experiences and their career paths as well as the rewards and challenges of their industries.
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Hear from a panel of accomplished alumnae discussing their work within law, including advice on getting hired, and rewards and challenges of the industry.
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Featuring: Morra A. Aarons-Mele '98, speaker, best-selling author, and communications consultant; María Camila Arbelaez Solano '21, case manager at Smart Start and community birth worker; Yanely M. Espinal '11, author, creator of @MissBeHelpful, and director of educational outreach at Next Gen Personal Finance; and Talya Parker EMCS'19, founder & executive director of Black Girls in Cyber Security, and Google engineer
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Featuring Johanna Fernandez '93, Associate Professor, Baruch College of the City University of New York | Mara E. Gottlieb '93, President, Talking Changes LLC | Alicia Cepeda Maule '11, Digital Engagement Director, Innocence Project
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Featuring Rebecca Ballhaus '13, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal | Amy D. Barnett '91, Chief Content Officer, Outside, Inc. | Taylor V. Michael '17, Associate Editor, A Public Space | Kasturi Pananjady '19, Data Journalist, The Philadelphia Inquirer
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Featuring Pamela K. Arya '84, P'18, Vice President of Government Programs, Iridium Satellite | Jessica Dai ’21, Machine Learning Engineer, Arthur AI | Patricia L. Riskind '88, P'17, P'24, Chief Executive Officer, Orbita (a Healthcare Conversational AI company) | Ruth L. Neighbors '95, Senior Director, Strategy, Social Edge Consulting
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Nina R. Jacobson '87, P'23, Soledad O'Brien P'24, and Angela Robinson '92 lead a behind-the-scenes discussion on their careers, diversifying the entertainment industry, and the importance of female mentorship. Moderated by Resa E. Lewiss '92.
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Featuring Tiara T. Mack ’16, Rhode Island State Senator, Andrea M. O’Neal ’03, Public Servant & Institutional Equity Expert, Kim Wright-King ’90, Non-Immigrant Visa Deputy Chief, US Consulate in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Fatemeh Ziai ’86, Director of Coordination for the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and the Department of Peace Operations at the United Nations.
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Featuring Noel Pacarro Brown ‘02, Investing with Impact Director, Lead of the Conscious Wealth Management Group at Morgan Stanley, Priya R. Shah '07, General Partner, Theia Ventures, Mallory L. Taub '08, Senior Associate, Gensler, Cherise Guico Pabia '18, Business Sustainability Analyst, B Lab
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Join the Brown Women's Network for a virtual fireside chat between author Charlene Wang ’20 and Distinguished Senior Lecturer in Theatre Arts and Performance Studies, Barbara Tannenbaum as they discuss Wang's new book, Model Breakers: Breaking Through Stereotypes and Embracing Your Authenticity, exploring the intersection of self-awareness, identity, and minority stories.
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Senior leaders in the Biden administration explore the role of women in government and how they are navigating civil rights, education, and labor challenges during times of change, uncertainty, and intense political division.
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Professor Nadje Al-Ali, Director of Middle East Studies, Robert Family Professor of International Studies, and Professor of Anthropology and Middle East Studies discusses her research around feminist activism and gendered mobilization, with a focus on Iraq, Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey and the Kurdish political movement.
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Industry Night event offers current students and young alumnae an opportunity to connect with Brown alumnae who are leaders within Public Health as they discuss their work, including advice on getting hired, and the rewards and challenges of the field.
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This virtual “fireside chat” featured Sunisa Manning '07 and Mary-Kim Arnold '93, MFA '98 discussing Manning’s debut novel, A Good True Thai. (May 27, 2021)
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This virtual moderated discussion on gender equity and policy featured Jennifer Klein '87, P'22, Pamela Reeves '87, P'22 and Alex Wagner '99. (April 27, 2021)
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This virtual panel discussion featured Brown alumnae working to help other women through organizations focused on education, maternal health, human trafficking, and health/nutrition. (March 18, 2021)
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Sabic-El-Rayess discussed her recently-released memoir, "The Cat I Never Named: A True Story of Love, War, and Survival," and her journey from teenage survivor of the Bosnian War to Brown student and eventually college professor. (February 11, 2021)
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Alyson J. McGregor, M.D. RES '07 discussed tips on taking control of your medical care and treatment as well as her recently published book “Sex Matters: How Male-Centric Medicine Endangers Women's Health and What We Can Do About It.” (January 25, 2021)
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The virtual “fireside chat” featured Tara Schuster ’08 and Lauren Corrao ’83, P’16. The former Comedy Central colleagues discussed Tara’s new book “Buy Yourself the F*cking Lilies”, self-care, and navigating the time we’re living in. (January 7, 2021)
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Nominate a Graduating Student

The Susan Pilch Friedman ’77, P’08 Excellence Award in Women’s Leadership recognizes an undergraduate senior each year who has demonstrated exemplary leadership during their time at Brown – this could be in academics, athletics, extra-curricular activities, and/or off-campus efforts, or a combination of these.

Maya F. Laur '24 is originally from Wendell, Massachusetts, and will be receiving an A.B. in modern culture and media, and an Engaged Scholarship Certificate with a focus in art, a tool for social change.

She is a writer, artist, and activist with a passion for community and social change. During her time at Brown, Laur has volunteered as an editor and consultant for the Tenderloin Opera, a theater company by and for unhoused individuals and their allies; served as a storytelling fellow, using poetry and prose to spotlight grassroots movements for immigrant justice, prison reform, disability justice, and homeless rights around Providence; and worked as a Brown Outdoor Leadership Training (BOLT) mentor, leading backpacking trips for underclassmen in the White Mountains. 

In her four years at Brown, Laur has also served as a sexual health and peer education advocate at the MET school, a research intern for Suffolk University’s Women and Incarceration Project, and a community-based learning and research fellow for Brown University’s Anthropology of Homelessness course. Most recently, Laur partnered with Brown students and Providence residents of diverse immigrant experiences to workshop and produce an original play, “Yearning to Breathe Free,” as an intergenerational, intercontinental reimagining of immigration stories; a call for solidarity across centuries, continents, borders and backgrounds; and a vision of a world where all are welcome. 

In her free time, Laur can often be found embarking on Polar Plunge excursions to Barrington Beach, leading musical Shabbat services with fellow Jewish women or watching the sunrise with her friends. 

Laur will be working at an inn in Newport this summer, before attending a social-justice theater program in Ecuador in the following school year. In her life beyond Brown, she hopes to continue to harness art as a tool for social change, be that on Broadway, in the streets or beyond. 

Isha Ponugoti '25 is from Carmel, Indiana, and will receive an A.B. in computer science-economics with a certificate in entrepreneurship in December 2024. Through her contributions to Brown, Ponugoti has leveraged technology and entrepreneurship to drive social impact and build community.

This year, she founded the University’s Girls Who Code chapter and quickly grew its membership to 60 students, building a robust community of women in tech both at Brown and in Providence. As president, she led her 10-person executive board to establish a mentorship program for Providence middle schoolers; she also designed and taught coding lessons to 20 students weekly at Sophia Academy, an all-girls charter school.

To further her love for teaching, Ponugoti has been a teaching assistant (TA) for many computer science courses, most recently serving as a head TA for Brown’s new foundational course on AI. By the end of her tenure, the number of female TAs increased from zero to a near-majority, largely due to her active efforts in recruiting qualified female candidates to ensure gender diversity in computer science education.

As a recipient of the Social Innovation Fellowship (SIF), she worked with Edesia, a social enterprise fighting malnutrition. In collaboration with another SIF fellow, Ponugoti spent the past year building a deep learning algorithm to more quickly and accurately detect Alzheimer's disease. In 2022, she took her interests abroad, working at a cleantech startup through Brown’s Signature Sweden Entrepreneurship program.

Moreover, Ponugoti has enriched campus life through her leadership across diverse areas. While vice president of the South Asian Students Association, Brown’s largest cultural organization, she led initiatives with Brown Cooking Club, RISD and more. As a transfer and resumed undergraduate education (RUE) peer advisor, she facilitated non-traditional students’ transition to Brown. Further, as a tour guide and admissions rep, she shared her love for Brown with hundreds of prospective students. 

Looking ahead, Ponugoti plans to continue exploring the intersection of tech, innovation, and meaningful social change

Alumnae News & Stories

Programs & Initiatives

Women’s Voices Amplified Podcast Series

A podcast of incredible women from all corners of the Brown ecosystem sharing their insights on work, life, and living in today’s world. Listen and subscribe on SpotifyStitcherSoundCloudYouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon.

The views expressed in this podcast do not necessarily represent those of Brown University.

Latest episode

 

Entrepreneur Jennifer Gomez '08 on being a boss, building a company, and the importance of community.

Other podcast guests have included:

Alumni & Friends

Miranda ADEkoje '04: Writer, Producer, and Actor

In this episode of the Women’s Voices Amplified podcast, ADEkoje discusses producing art amidst the pandemic, the political relevance of her work, and how Brown’s Open Curriculum empowered her to construct her own career path.
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Alumni & Friends

Valerie Tutson '87 AM'90: Storyteller and Artist

Tutson reflects on the global influences that have inspired her, the healing power of stories that connect us with our past, and how her independent concentration at Brown allowed her to find her path.
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Recently named one of the “50 most connected women in America” by Marie Claire, Pendleton has put her varied career experiences to work investing in and advising women and diverse-led businesses.
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This episode of the Women’s Voices Amplified podcast features a conversation with New York City Department of Probation Commissioner Ana M. Bermúdez ’86, P’22 on the essential link between criminal justice and social justice, how her experience at Brown shaped her, and the importance of using our voices.
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Alumni & Friends

Kristin Richardson Jordan ’09: Civic leader

In this episode of the Women’s Voices Amplified podcast, Almaz S. Dessie '07 MD'11 F'17 speaks with Kristin Richardson Jordan ’09 about her recent run for New York City Council, the late-night conversations at Brown that helped shape her worldview, and what we can all do to affect change locally.*
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In this episode of the Women’s Voices Amplified podcast, Ellen Hunter ’04 speaks with historian, author, and professor Nancy K. MacLean ’81 AM’81 about social movements, the state of our democracy, and how history can inform the present.
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Alumni & Friends

Lois Lowry ’58 on the power of noticing

This latest episode of Brown Blasts: Women's Voices Amplified features an interview with the award-winning author of more than 40 books, including The Giver, about her creative process, her advice for writers, her new book, and more.
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Alumni & Friends

Meg Wolitzer ’81 on the importance of fiction

This latest episode of Brown Blasts: Women's Voices Amplified features a conversation with New York Times bestselling author Meg Wolitzer that ranges from falling under the spell of a book, to why listening matters, and what she learned from working with Nora Ephron.
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In this episode of Women’s Voices Amplified, neurologist Teena Shetty ’95 MD’00 shares her thoughts on the human element in medicine, the importance of female mentorship, and how Brown helped shape her worldview.
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Women have powerfully contributed to the progress and advancement of Brown University for 130 years. There is no question that women will continue to lead and innovate within the Brown community, in our nation, and in the world. I'm thrilled that we are celebrating the outstanding achievements of women in our community.

President Christina H. Paxson
 
Portrait of Brown University President Christina H. Paxson

More Resources

Women’s Programming Offered by Brown 

Here are some ways to stay informed, tools you can utilize for career and relocation assistance, and groups of like-minded alumni you can join to get you started.

Contact

The Brown Women’s Network is open to all members of the University community. Network activities focus on the experiences of those who identify as cis or trans women, as well as non-binary people who are comfortable in spaces that center on the experiences of women.