12:53 p.m., Feb. 12, 2010----Kathleen Matt, dean of the College of Health Sciences at the University of Delaware, and UD basketball standout Elena Delle Donne are among “10 women to watch in 2010,” featured in the February 2010 issue of Signature Brandywine magazine. The list also includes several Delaware alumni.

THIS STORY

E-mail

Print

Twitter

“As different as they may be,” writes reporter Victor Greto, “these women have at least a few things in common: a strong will to succeed, the ability to multi-task and some of the busiest Outlook calendars around.”

The group represents not only education and college sports but also the corporate, political, legal, and medical worlds as well as the arts, social services, religion, and the environment.

In addition to Matt and Delle Donne, three others on the list have UD connections:

• Velda Jones-Potter, Delaware state treasurer, earned a bachelor of civil engineering degree in 1979 -- the first African-American woman to complete an engineering degree at UD.
• Lolita Lopez, chief executive officer of Westside Family Healthcare in Wilmington, earned her bachelor's degree in early childhood education in 1976 and her master's in counseling in 1984.
• Beth Moore, president of the board of directors of the Wilmington Ballet Academy of the Dance, studied in Austria through UD's international studies program when she was a student at Padua Academy in Wilmington.

The five join the CEO of the DuPont Company, the leader of Trinity Episcopal Church in Wilmington, and the owner of a small company that helped clean up Wilmington's Riverfront. Others featured include the dean of Widener University School of Law and the director of education at the A.I. duPont Hospital for Children.

The article mentions Matt's strong roots in Newark and her UD education; she earned a bachelor's degree in 1975 and a master's degree in 1978, both in biological sciences. Matt is credited with “leading the University's efforts to turn part of the Chrysler assembly plant into a medical campus.”

Delle Donne, who holds several high school records in basketball, is now starring for the Blue Hens in that sport after a year on the volleyball team.

In an “only in Delaware” twist, Delle Donne's profile includes a quote from another woman on the list: DuPont CEO Ellen Kullman, whose daughter Maggie attended school with Delle Donne.

“I think we are fortunate that Elena chose the University of Delaware,” Kullman says. “The UD women's basketball team is so exciting to watch, and we are lucky to be in the presence of such a talented team in Delaware.”

Article by Diane Kukich