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Lobby |
The Judy Hendren Mello Lobby
The Judy Hendren Mello Lobby—the Center's only entrance to all parts of the building—is appropriately named after an alumna who provided a gateway for so many who otherwise would not have had access to educational, financial or professional resources. A leader in finance, international education and entrepreneurship, Judy Hendren Mello lived a life of advocacy, engagement and creativity.
A member of the Class of 1967, Mello was president and chief executive of World Learning Inc., a nonprofit organization that promotes international and intercultural understanding, social justice and economic development around the globe. She was also president and owner of the J. H. Mello Company, an investment banking and consulting business, and she was a founding member of the Committee of 200, a group of female corporate executives and entrepreneurs. A highlight of her career was as president and chief executive of the First Women's Bank in Manhattan. The bank, a creation of the feminist movement, was the first bank in the United States to be operated by women and for women, at a time when its founders said that women were given short shrift by other banks. Mello received a bachelor's degree from Muskingum College in Ohio, and her master's degree from SAIS in Washington, D.C. She later established the Judy Hendren Mello Fellowship to support M.A. candidates at the Bologna Center or in Latin American studies at the Washington campus. Mello also served as a member of the Bologna Center Advisory Council.
Peter and Pam Flaherty are the benefactors of the Judy Hendren Mello Lobby. Peter had met Judy in Bologna, and he and his future wife, Pam, were her classmates when the three attended SAIS Washington. They were lifelong friends until Judy's death in 2003.
"We wanted to honor her life here in Bologna," Pam Flaherty said. "Judy was a committed internationalist, and she loved every minute of her SAIS Bologna experience. It is fitting that we honor her here in the lobby of the new building because that is where students, professors, staff and visitors all pass through. Her SAIS education helped her succeed in a career full of interesting and challenging experiences. Most of all, it enriched her life as it has for so many". |
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