Trinity Washington University: A Legacy of Notable Alumni

Trinity Washington University, founded in 1897 by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, stands as a beacon of educational excellence. Originally established as the nation's first Catholic liberal arts college for women, Trinity has evolved into a diverse institution offering undergraduate and graduate programs across various fields. This article will explore some of the university's most notable alumni, highlighting their achievements and contributions to society.

A Brief History of Trinity Washington University

Chartered by an Act of Congress on August 20, 1897, Trinity Washington University has a rich history rooted in providing quality education. In its early years, it was an elite collegian institution. However, by the 1980s, the college faced declining enrollment. In response to these challenges, Trinity adapted and expanded its mission.

Under the leadership of Patricia McGuire, who became college president in 1989, Trinity refocused its efforts to serve the Black and Hispanic women of Washington, D.C. McGuire restructured the college into three schools: the historic women's college became the College of Arts and Sciences; the teacher college became the School of Education; and the continuing education classes were folded into a School of Professional Studies.

Today, Trinity enrolls over 1,800 students in its undergraduate and graduate programs, with a student body that is approximately 95% ethnic minorities. The university is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a Minority Serving Institution and is the only university in the D.C. region designated as both a Predominantly Black Institution (PBI) and a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI).

Notable Alumni

Trinity Washington University boasts a diverse and accomplished alumni network. Here are some of the most notable graduates:

Read also: Decoding Trinity GPA Requirements

Nancy Pelosi

Years: Enrolled 1958-1962
Degree: Bachelor of Arts in Political Science
Occupation: Politician

Nancy Patricia Pelosi is a prominent American politician who served as the 52nd Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. She held the position from 2007 to 2011 and again from 2019 to 2023. As the only woman to have served as House Speaker, she led the House Democrats from 2003 to 2023. A member of the House since 1987, Pelosi represents California's 11th congressional district, which includes most of San Francisco. She is the dean of California's congressional delegation.

Kellyanne Conway

Years: Enrolled in 1989
Degree: Bachelor of Arts
Occupation: Pollster, Politician, Political Advisor, Political Scientist, Lawyer

Kellyanne Elizabeth Conway is an American political consultant and pollster. She served as Senior Counselor to the President in the Donald Trump administration from 2017 to 2020. She has held roles as campaign manager and strategist in the Republican Party and was formerly president and CEO of The Polling Company/WomanTrend.

Kathleen Sebelius

Occupation: Politician

Kathleen Sebelius is an American politician who served as the 21st United States Secretary of Health and Human Services from 2009 until 2014. As Secretary of Health and Human Services, Sebelius was instrumental in overseeing the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Before becoming secretary, she served as the 44th governor of Kansas from 2003 to 2009, the second woman to hold that office. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Sebelius was the Democratic respondent to the 2008 State of the Union address and is chair-emerita of the Democratic Governors Association. She is CEO of Sebelius Resources LLC.

Rosemary M. Collyer

Occupation: Lawyer, Judge

Rosemary Mayers Collyer is an inactive Senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, and a former judge of the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.

Kathleen Passidomo

Occupation: Politician

Kathleen C. Passidomo is an American lawyer and politician who served as President of the Florida Senate. A Republican, she has represented the 28th district, which includes Collier, Hendry, and part of Lee County in Southwest Florida, since 2016. She previously served three terms in the Florida House of Representatives, representing the Naples area from 2010 to 2016. She served as Senate majority leader from 2018 to 2020 and Senate Rules chair from 2020 to 2022.

Cathie Black

Occupation: Publisher

Cathleen Prunty "Cathie" Black is a former New York City Schools Chancellor. On April 7, 2011, Black stepped down from her position after 95 days on the job. Her appointment to replace longtime Chancellor Joel Klein was announced on November 9, 2010 by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and became effective on January 3, 2011. Black required a waiver to replace Klein, as she did not possess the education administration experience required by New York State's Education Department. She was replaced by New York City Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott.

Jane Dammen McAuliffe

Years: 1944-.. (age 81)
Occupation: Scientist

Jane Dammen McAuliffe is an American educator, scholar of Islam and the inaugural director of national and international outreach at the Library of Congress.

Barbara B. Kennelly

Occupation: Politician

Barbara Bailey Kennelly is an American politician. She is the former Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut.

Claire Eagan

Occupation: Lawyer, Judge

Claire Veronica Eagan is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma and a former Judge of the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. Effective February 12, 2020, Chief Justice John G. Roberts appointed Judge Eagan as the chair of the Executive Committee of the Judicial Conference.

Aalayah Eastmond

Occupation: Social Activist

Aalayah Eastmond is an American activist and advocate for gun violence prevention, social justice, and racial equality. After surviving the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, Eastmond began her activism during the 2018 United States gun violence protests. Congress. Eastmond is an executive council member of Team Enough, a youth-led gun violence prevention organization which is part of the Brady Campaign. Eastmond co-founded Concerned Citizens of DC in the wake of the murder of George Floyd to organize protests supporting social justice issues in Washington, D.C. She supports Black Lives Matter and protests against police brutality.

Read also: Affording Trinity

M. Patricia Smith

Years: 1952-.. (age 73)
Occupation: Lawyer, Politician

M. Patricia Smith was the Solicitor of the United States Department of Labor, the department's chief law interpreter-enforcer and third-ranking official from 2009 to 2017. She was nominated by President Barack Obama to be the Solicitor of Labor on April 20, 2009. Senate on February 4, 2010, assumed her duties on March 1, 2010, had her swearing-in ceremony on April 23, 2010, and remained in office until January 19, 2017. As Solicitor of Labor, Smith oversaw over 450 attorneys across the country and more than 180 Federal labor laws and implementing regulations that cover about 125 million workers.

Patricia Rucker

Occupation: Politician

Patricia Rucker is a Republican member of the West Virginia Senate, representing the 16th district since January 11, 2017. Rucker served as the chairwoman of the Senate Education Committee from 2019 to 2022.

Maryanne Lewis

Occupation: Politician

Maryanne Lewis is an American businesswoman and former Massachusetts State Representative. In 2010, she ran unsuccessfully as an independent candidate for the US House of Representatives from the Massachusetts 10th district.

Maria Leavey

Years: 1954-2006 (aged 52)
Occupation: Political Advisor

Maria Irene Leavey was an American independent political strategist. Little known to the public, she played an influential behind-the-scenes role in American progressive politics during the 1990s and 2000s. Her passing at age 52 was publicly lamented by progressive figures such as Michael Tomasky, Joe Conason, and Cenk Uygur.

Alumni in Education

Trinity Washington University has a strong presence in the field of education. Here are some alumni making a difference:

Brandon McCoy â25: Named the Friendship Public Charter School District Teacher of the Year 2024. He earned his Master of Science in Education Administration in 2025 from Trinity Washington University School of Education.
Jessica Gonzalez â19: Director InclusiveDC at SchoolTalk Inc in Washington D.C. She earned her Master of Science in School.
Shemeka Ivy â23: Assistant Principal at Rock Creek Forest Elementary School of the Montgomery County. She got her Master of Science in Education Administration from the Trinity Washington University School of Education.
Eugene Pinkard â01: Director of practice and leadership, at the Aspen Instituteâs Education and Society program.
Chante Coleman â18: Lead teacher at KIPP:DC Schools.
Dr. Karen Archambault â03: Vice president of enrollment management and student success at Rowan College at Burlington County. She earned her master of arts in counseling from Trinity in 2003.
Carl Patton â04: Principal and chief academic officer of The John Carroll School, a co-educational Catholic high school in Bel Air, Maryland.
Holly Hill â05: Principal of the Wayside Elementary School in Potomac, Maryland. She earned a master of science in administration with a focus on educational administration from Trinityâs School of Education in 2005.
Dr. Jenifer Campbell â99: Dean of students for Fordhamâs Lincoln Center campus.
Kathy Hollowell-Makle â00: Executive Director of the District of Columbia Association for the Education of Young Children (DCAEYC)

Alumni in Healthcare

Trinity Washington University has a growing impact on the healthcare sector. Here are some alumni making contributions:

Dr. Sarrah Johnson â09: Renal Care. She earned her BSN from Trinity in 2009 and her MBA from.
Angela Anderson â11: Nurse practitioner in Trinityâs health center.
Dr. Kristen L. Hogue, DVM â06: Owner of the Animal Medical Center of Watkins Park. She earned her undergraduate degree in biology from Trinity in.
Brittany Walker â19: Nurse in the Labor & Delivery unit at Medstar Washington Hospital Center.
Samantha Jackson â18: Nurse in the cardiac step-down unit at Medstar Washington Hospital Center.
Stephanie Flores â19: Step-down ICU nurse at Shady Grove Hospital.

Alumni in Public Service and Activism

Trinity Washington University has a strong tradition of producing leaders in public service and activism. Here are some examples:

Jamileth Mendez â23: Co-founded the Sustainability Initiatives Club in college.
Ruth LaToison Ifill â17: President & CEO of Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers (WRAG).
Claudia QuiÃ±onez â20: Advocate and organizing manager at the state level for United We Dream.
Corrine R. Cannon â00,â03: Founder and executive director of the Greater DC Diaper Bank.

Alumni in Law

Anastasia Kelly â71: Partner with DLA Piper, a global law firm with lawyers in more than 40 countries.
Judge Jeanette Jackson Clark â70: Senior associate judge at the District of Columbia Superior Court.

Alumni in Business and Media

Amy Costello â92: Founder of Tiny Spark, a nonprofit, independent podcast news program that investigates nonprofits, philanthropy, international development and social enterprise.
Tiffany House â13: Small business innovation research commercialization specialist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Brandon Todd â09: Director of corporate policy at Washington Gas. For six years, he served as a D.C. Council Member representing Ward 4. He was Muriel Bowserâs.
Sherron Washington â03 â05: Founder and CEO of the P3 Solution, a full-service marketing and communications (marcomm) firm in the Washington, DC, region.
Jennifer M. Fisher â07: Founder of the Fisher Clay Group, a boutique consultancy dedicated to helping creatives navigate the political landscape and use their voice to influence change.
Torri S. Silver â10: Organizational development consultant and leads the Atlas Academy and Performance Institute founded by Atlas Research.

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