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Rebecca Rimel, Head Of Pew Charitable Trusts And U.Va. 1999 Distinguished Alumna, To Give Public Talk Nov. 3 Oct. 18, 1999 -- Rebecca Rimel, president and chief executive officer of the Pew Charitable Trusts, one of the nation’s largest philanthropies, will visit the University of Virginia Wednesday, Nov. 3, to give a public talk and to receive the 1999 Distinguished Alumna Award given by the University's Women’s Center. Rimel will speak on "Jefferson’s Legacy: A Call to Civic Responsibility" at 3 p.m. in the Rotunda Dome Room. She will be honored at a benefit dinner that evening. A 1973 graduate of the School of Nursing and a Charlottesville native, Rimel began working for the Pew Charitable Trusts in 1983 and took the helm a decade later. She is often credited for her courage, vitality, dedication and integrity, among some of the traits making her an outstanding leader. She has made the Pew Trusts, based in Philadelphia, one of the most influential and innovative charitable organizations in the United States, doubling its grant-making total since 1994 and giving out more than $210 million to 298 nonprofit organizations last year alone. Across a broad range of areas, including culture, education, the environment, health, public policy, and religion, the foundation supports projects designed to advance knowledge and to translate it into effective action in the public interest. For example, in an effort to promote high-quality journalism, Rimel launched the Pew Civic Journalism Center in 1993 with $4.3 million; there are now related projects in 47 cities nationwide. Throughout her career, Rimel has maintained ties to the Nursing School and the University of Virginia. She currently serves on the executive committee of the Campaign for the University, which is working toward a $1 billion fund-raising goal, and she chaired the Nursing Advisory Board from 1992 to 1997. Last year she joined the Alumni Association Board of Managers. In addition Rimel has served on the board of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation (Monticello) since 1993. The University of Virginia’s Women’s Center provides a variety of services to the University and local community, including an information helpline, mentoring, counseling, child-care referral resources and support groups. The center offers a full calendar of events, bringing in artists and scholars to lead discussions and promote awareness of issues facing women and men locally and throughout the world. Rimel will be the ninth recipient of the Distinguished Alumna Award, established in 1991 to honor a female U.Va. graduate who has demonstrated excellence, leadership and extraordinary commitment to her field, and who has used her talents as a positive force for change. The previous honorees are: • 1998 -- Elaine R. Jones (J.D., Law ’70), director of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund • 1997 -- Valerie Ackerman (B.A., Political and Social Thought ’81), president of the Women’s National Basketball Association • 1996 -- Mariann Stratton (M.S.N., Nursing ’81), Rear Admiral (ret.), Nurse Corps, U.S. Navy • 1995 -- Hanan Ashrawi (Ph.D., English ’79), human and civil rights activist in the Middle East • 1994 -- Kathryn Thornton (Ph.D., Physics ’79), NASA astronaut • 1993 -- Katherine Couric (B.A., English ’79), NBC "Today Show" anchor • 1992 -- Vivian Pinn (M.D., Medicine ’67) director, National Institutes of Health Office of Research on Women's Health • 1991 -- Linda Fairstein (J.D., Law ’72) deputy chief, Sex Crimes Prosecution Unit of New York City Contact: Anne Bromley, (804) 924-6861 |
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: please contact
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