Six Women Honored at Mary A. Bruemmer Recognition Ceremony
04/24/2025
The Saint Louis University Women’s Commission added five new members to the long list of Mary A. Bruemmer Award winners and, for the first time, recognized the inaugural Mary A. Bruemmer Legacy Award.
The annual recognition luncheon took place on Tuesday, April 22, in the Busch Student Center’s Wool Ballrooms. A packed crowd gathered to honor the legacy of Bruemmer, SLU’s first dean of women and the founder of the Women’s Commission, and the latest group of honorees.
This year’s honorees were Asmira Alagic, Ph.D., assistant professor of chemistry; Janice Barnes, director of operations, student financial services; Jean Marie Cox, associate vice president and dean of admission; Katie Heiden-Rootes, Ph.D., assistant vice president of DICE and associate professor in medical family therapy; and Andrea Hitsman, director of visit admission events. Also honored was First Lady Fran Pestello, Ph.D., who received the inaugural Mary A. Bruemmer Legacy Award.
Fran Pestello, Ph.D.
Pestello was recognized for her tenure as SLU’s first First Lady. Pestello noted that Bruemmer was one of the first people she met when she came to SLU in 2014.
“Thank you so much for this honor,” she said. “I’m touched and I’m really humbled to receive an honor named after Mary Bruemmer. She was a great lady whom I had the privilege of knowing.”
Immediately after coming to SLU, Pestello joined the Women’s Commission. She helped the group work on various projects like mentoring, community and professional development and connection with students.
“She serves as a mentor to students and administrators alike, offering her advice about coursework or about a challenge in an office,” said her anonymous nominator. “She leads with grace and humility, always putting others first. And when she says she is here to serve the university, she truly means it; she is a woman for and with others. “
Asmira Alagic, Ph.D.
Alagic was recognized for her service and dedication to mentoring women and learners.
The Women’s Commission noted that her service at SLU is aimed at helping students. Alagic is devoted to student well-being. In 2019, she founded the STEM Wellness Initiative to help men and women develop wellness skills on a weekly basis. Through running, yoga, and visiting speakers, students become more aware of their mental health as they pursue degrees in the science disciplines.
In the community, Alagic helped establish the St. Louis Balkan American Connection, providing mentoring opportunities for members of the immigrant community in Saint Louis.
“Dr. Alagic is so encouraging to all her students but is especially uplifting to her female students,” said her nominator. “She encourages her students to seek out the opportunities they come across. She ensures that the chemistry community is connected and knowledgeable about the activities going around, emailing the students frequently to keep them updated.”
Janice Barnes
Barnes was recognized for her strong leadership skills and her dedication to uplifting those she supports.
Barnes is the Director of Operations in Student Financial Services and has spent 34 years at SLU. She has also served as the president of the Missouri Association of Student Financial Aid Personnel, where she received the organization’s Presidential Award for Outstanding Service, the Outstanding Service Award and the Committee of the Year Award.
Nominations for Barnes praised her dedication and mentorship.
“She fosters a sense of belonging and support within Student Financial Services and across campus,” one nominator wrote. “Her honesty, integrity, and genuine care for others make her not only a trusted colleague but also an inspiration. Her impact is immeasurable. She has made SLU a better place—both for the students she serves and the colleagues who have the privilege of working with her.”
Jean Marie Cox
Cox was recognized for her commitment to the SLU community.
Cox has 17 years at SLU and earned a reputation as a hard worker and a valued leader. She currently serves as a board member for Hobson’s Inc., as well as the National Association of College Admission Counseling and its Missouri and Illinois affiliates; NAFSA: Association of International Educators; Enrollment Planning Network and the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admission Counselors.
“Dedicating 17 years of service, Jean works tirelessly with an unparalleled ethic, leads a 50-member team; travels domestically and internationally to develop partnerships and recruit students; drives marketing for the Office of Admission; helps to ensure financial aid best practices and literacy; and serves on diverse committees that aim to increase enrollment and student success,” said a nominator. “Her colleagues consistently describe her as one of the hardest workers they know. This is what she does at SLU. Even more noteworthy, though, is who she is at SLU. Her focus is always outward — on the students and families she serves, and the colleagues who join her in this service.”
Katie Heiden-Rootes, Ph.D.
Heiden-Rootes was recognized for dedication to the service of others and to SLU.
Heiden-Rootes has earned a number of honors at SLU, including the 2023 Excellence in Campus Partners Award from the Division for Student Development, the 2022 Dr. Norman A. White Award for Engaged Scholarship in Service and the 2020 Faculty Success Program through the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity.
Heiden-Rootes was also appointed the inaugural Faculty Fellow for Equity Issues in 2021.
“It was through this fellowship that Katie began serving on the Faculty Gender Equity Committee, which is advancing critical initiatives related to pay equity, the overburdening of service commitments among women and people of color, and faculty support through an ombuds,” her nominator wrote. “This committee also created the Billiken Boost Program, which aimed to support equitable faculty scholarly achievement in the wake of COVID-19 when women and people of color were disproportionately impacted by caregiving responsibilities. In 2022, she joined DICE, where she supports the division’s mission to create a culture of belonging at SLU, provide a comprehensive and community-engaged approach to belonging that aligns with the Jesuit mission, and eliminate barriers preventing full participation in community life.”
Andrea Hitsman
Hitsman was recognized for her dedication to our students and our community.
She has spent 25 years at SLU and is a two-time alumna. She was named a 2018 YWCA Leader in the Workplace by the Women’s Commission. She has also led the citywide cycling club, devoted time to developing Sober@SLU, worked with SLU on the MOVE, and oversaw the selection of Martin Luther King Jr. scholars.
She was described as “no less than a mentor, leader, friend, and champion of what it means to be a Billiken.”
“Her passion for making marginalized voices heard is extremely apparent in her student worker force, which has the most diverse community of students that I have seen across many involvements at SLU,” her nominator said. “She’s been able to create a space for women, especially women of color, to step up into leadership roles.
Sister Shirley Kolmer Memorial Grants
Also recognized at the luncheon were the Sister Shirley Kolmer Memorial grant recipients. In 2016, the Saint Louis University Women’s Commission established the Sister Shirley Kolmer Memorial Grant to support the mission of the Women’s Commission, which is to educate, enrich and empower the women of SLU by providing funding to connect SLU women with opportunities that foster their personal and professional development.
The grant awardees were:
- Hayley Johnston, program manager with the Chaifetz School of Business, received a grant to become an Entrepreneurial Mindset Profile (EMP) certified practitioner to support her Ignite Seminar for the 2025-2026 academic year.
- Beatriz Jordá, adjunct professor at SLU-Madrid, received a grant to support her project “Navigating Feminism on Social Media: Young Spanish Women’s Perspectives.
- Elizabeth Salley, doctoral student in the College of Arts and Sciences, received a grant to support her project “Bridging the Gap: The Role of Third Sector Organizations in Refugee Resettlement in the U.S. and Spain.”