Class notes

Updates from alumni far and near

edna livengood being pushed in a wheelchair at a patriotic parade honoring heroes
Edna Livengood (B.S. '43) emerges from a Triad Honor Flight in a wheelchair pushed by her daughter, Elizabeth Livengood Ayers. A nurse during World War ll, Livengood was greeted by throngs of cheering onlookers, and, for the first time in 77 years, publicly recognized for her military service.

Edna Livengood (B.S.’43) in May participated in the nonprofit Triad Honor Flight, which transports vets to Washington, D.C., to visit the memorials. Livengood, 100, was the oldest female World War II vet to participate. She also placed a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and was inducted into the Military Women’s Memorial.

Karen Rose (M.S. ‘86) was selected as the dean of the College of Nursing at The Ohio State University, effective July 1. Rose previously served as the college’s vice dean and is a tenured professor and director of the college’s Center for Healthy Aging, Self-Management and Complex Care. Rose is widely recognized for her research on improving the quality of life and well-being for dementia family caregivers and people living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Her research has been continuously funded throughout her career, including by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.

Clementina D. Ceria-Ulep (Ph.D. ’92) was appointed dean of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Nancy Atmospera-Walch School of Nursing effective April 1, 2023. She served as interim dean prior to the appointment. Ceria-Ulep joined the School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene faculty at UH Mānoa in 1993 and has taught in both undergraduate and graduate programs in addition to service in various leadership positions.

Kathy Spaulding Gallowitz (B.S.N.’81), a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel, is the founder of Vanguard Veteran, a consulting firm that helps employers hire former service members. The organization was recently featured in the Phoenix Business Journal and the Fountain Hills Times (Arizona).

Jo Lynne Robins (M.S. ’91, Ph.D. ’99), Ph.D., RN, ANP-BC, AHN-C, VCU School of Nursing Ph.D. program director and associate professor in the department of adult health and nursing, retired at the end of 2023. Robins first came to the school in 1990 as a student in the master’s program. She later served as a preceptor and adjunct faculty member before earning her doctorate at the school in 1999. After completing a postdoctoral fellowship in biobehavioral clinical research, she joined as a full-time faculty at VCU in 2008. In addition to teaching, service and mentoring, Robins has made significant contributions as a clinical expert in holistic nursing, mindfulness and integrative health, publishing dozens of articles and book chapters and bringing those concepts into the classroom to the next generation of VCU nursing students.

jo robins hugs dean jean giddens at a graduation ceremony
Jean Giddens, Ph.D., dean of VCU School of Nursing, hugs Jo Robins, Ph.D., at her last commencement ceremony in December 2023.

Suzanne Wright (B.S. ’97, M.S. ’02, Ph.D. ’09) assumed the role of interim dean of the Old Dominion University School of Nursing in January 2023. Wright, who joined ODU in 2021 as chair of the School of Nursing, previously served as a full professor and in leadership positions at Virginia Commonwealth University for nearly 20 years. She earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing, a master’s degree in nurse anesthesia and a Ph.D. in health-related sciences from VCU.