Alumnae News

To kick off the new year, we are proud to feature Susan Hanley Duncan, Class of 1984 as this month’s Alumna Spotlight. Susan and I spoke from her office in Oxford, Mississippi, where she serves as the first female Dean of the University of Mississippi Law School. Susan comes from a family of Valkyries, and raised three Valkyries of her own – Emily, Catherine and Maria. She shares her thoughts on our precious core values, lends brilliant advice to aspiring law students, and reminisces about some of her favorite memories of Dear Sacred Heart. Thank you, Susan!

Donna Bender Moir, SHA Class of 1979, is a wonderful example of a Valkyrie who embodies so many characteristics that are valued here at Sacred Heart Academy. Throughout her 30+ years as SHA’s Athletic Director, and head basketball coach, Donna has accumulated four state championships – 1 as a player (’76) and 3 as a coach (’02, ’03 and ’04) – and she has successfully led our SHA Athletic Department coaches and players as they have racked up 94 state tournament championship titles. A fierce competitor, Donna also embodies the characteristics of patience, kindness and perhaps most importantly, community, in her time at Sacred Heart. As a player during Donna’s tenure as AD, and now her colleague at Sacred Heart, it was a great honor to interview Donna for this spotlight. Read on, to learn more about this beloved Valkyrie!

We are happy to feature Pam Willinger Stallings ’82 and her daughter Samantha Stallings ’11, as they share their thoughts on our Dear Sacred Heart, and why they choose to give back to our community in ways that are truly “all heart."

Autumn Walker, SHA Class of 2006, spent some time with me on the phone recently, from her home near Dover, Delaware. We discussed her time at Sacred Heart, her role as an Officer in Charge (OIC), Unit Support Analyst with the United States Air Force, and what our Ursuline core value of “leadership” means to her.

Maribeth Kapilla Sandford is the founder and CEO of Union, Illinois-based BAG MAKERS, Inc. and a 1960 graduate of Sacred Heart Academy. Maribeth is also a horse owner, with thoroughbred racehorses who compete at various tracks around the country. She was recently back in Louisville when their horse, Eloquent Lady, ran at Churchill Downs.

Nancy is a graduate of the SHA class of 1963 and the owner and executive designer of Events LLC, in Louisville, KY. Events LLC produces a myriad of events throughout Louisville and beyond.

Nina Leigh attended college at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and went on to earn her Masters of Business Administration from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Since joining Purina (now Nestlé Purina) in 1993, Nina Leigh has served in a variety of marketing roles and shortly after being named the Chief Marketing Officer in 2015, she was promoted to President of Nestlé Purina U.S. in April of 2016.

As only the second female in history to hold the title of President of a major car company, Laura is leading Aston Martin Americas into its second 100 years with the same grit and determination that helped her win two state singles tennis championships during her time at SHA

After graduating from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, Laura moved to our nation’s capital working in The White House for two Presidents as a Special Assistant to the President, Deputy Press Secretary and Assistant Press Secretary. From D.C., Laura moved to New York, New York, where she worked as VP of Public Relations for R.H. Macy & Co. before returning to Louisville in 1995 when she began working for PepsiCo/KFC as VP of Public Relations.