The Elite Eight: Three degrees from Neumann

Among the more than 17,500 people who are Neumann alumni, only eight have earned all three levels of their academic credentials here.

The Elite Eight, to borrow a term from March Madness, hold bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees

from their Franciscan alma mater. Members of this diverse group cite the deep personal connections they made here as a reason they kept coming back.

Three degrees of connection. It’s Neumann answer to six degrees of separation.

Six degrees of separation, of course, is the theory that all people are six or fewer social connections away from each other. As a result, a chain of "friend of a friend" statements can be made to connect any two people in a maximum of six steps.

Rather than an impersonal web of loose affiliations, Neumann emphasizes a tightly knit fabric of supportive relationships. That’s what generated three degrees for the elite eight.

Martrice Donaldson-Brown ’08 ’13 ’24

Sixteen years passed between Martrice Donaldson-Brown’s bachelor’s degree in 2008 and her EdD in 2024. “Neumann just felt like home,” she admits, and what she remembers about her academic home are the professors who were always available to help.

Donaldson-Brown started as a political science major. When she realized that pursuing a law degree was not what she wanted to do, she credits “this amazing professor, Dr. (Robert) McMonagle, for turning me on to education.”

Years later, she has high praise for Dr. Amanda Jones Layman, her EdD chair, methodologist and professor. “She was more of a therapist to me. I consider her a dear friend. She was the force behind me, but she was also gentle with me during a serious family illness. That’s what a family is like - guiding you, loving you, and being there for you when you didn’t even expect them to be.”

Today, Donaldson-Brown is a sixth-grade science and social studies teacher, the Title I coordinator, and equity champion at Castor Gardens Middle School in Philadelphia. Her professional goal is to be a principal.

Paul Hanson ’09 ’11 ’16

Across the country in Island Park, Idaho, Paul Hanson lives in a cozy log cabin with a corner fireplace and office loft. For the last 15 years, he has worked as an adjunct professor of history at Neumann.

He turned to education after a 21-year career with the U.S. Army and 18 years as director of tours and docent management with the Battleship New Jersey. He earned a BA in liberal arts as an adult student in 2009.

He recalls fondly the wise counsel he received from former registrar Larry Friedman, who guided Hanson through the degree-completion process, and Fr. Philip Lowe, “who gave me an appreciation for research in higher education.”

When the Department of Veterans Affairs, which funded Hanson’s bachelor’s and master’s degrees, expressed serious doubt about paying for his EdD, Fr. Lowe accompanied him to the VA office in Philadelphia and persuaded the department to fund the doctoral degree.

“The faculty at Neumann is more interested in students graduating than any other institution I ever took classes from,” Hanson explains. “It made me feel good. I was pushed and supported with help.”

He is now researching the Nez Perce tribe and Chief Joseph, who inhabited the area of Idaho where Hanson lives.

Jacqueline Simpkins ’97 ’09 ’20

Jacqueline Simpkins, a special education case manager with the School District of Philadelphia, admits that she didn’t have a career plan. Before starting a family, she was a Delaware County adult probation and parole officer. When her son was diagnosed with autism at age three, she decided to return to Neumann and earn a master’s degree in education.

She taught in West Philadelphia and Chester-Upland before moving to the Delaware County Intermediate Unit and then back in Philadelphia where she is “on the legal compliance side, training special ed teachers how to create legally defensible IEPs.”

Asked what kept her coming back to Neumann until she earned an EdD, Simpkins immediately lists names of her professors: Andrew DeSanto (“tough but very pro-student”), Fr. Philip Lowe, and Sr. Pat Hutchison.

“Sr. Pat was a mentor throughout my dissertation. She helped me cope with my father’s death from COVID and is now a friend. She’s a saint before and after writing a dissertation – not during,” she jokes.

Rachel Stunzi ’08 ’17 ’23

Rachel Stunzi also has vivid memories of her professors and a deep commitment to the Franciscan worldview, but her positive Neumann experience started with a phone call. In 2005, she was a married young mother of two who wanted to build on her associate degree and earn a BA.

“When I called Neumann, a woman in admissions was super friendly and invited me to come in and discuss my options. She said, ‘I think you’ll find that this is your home.’”

Neumann accepted her credits from Delaware County Community College, and Stunzi went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in early childhood/elementary education, special education certification, a master’s degree in education, and an EdD.

She worked briefly at Woods Services in Langhorne and has been with the Marple Newtown School District as a case manager and special education teacher since 2009.

She recalls her “wonderful instructors and mentors,” listing Sr. Pat Hutchison, Fr. Philip Lowe, Richard Cunningham as significant in her journey to a 2017 master’s degree. “They helped me blossom into the person I am today.”

Stunzi’s path to a doctoral degree was supported by Fr. Lowe, Aideen Murphy, Julie Lanzillo, and Jason James. “When your professors embody the Franciscan philosophy to serve others and exhibit compassion, Neumann becomes your second family.”

Linda Branco ’03 ’08 ’17

Linda Branco was in Neumann’s first PhD class, earning her doctorate in pastoral counseling 14 years after completing her bachelor’s degree in liberal studies. She is a national board-certified counselor and psychotherapist in private practice, who also provides lectures, retreats, and evenings of reflection and per diem hospice and bereavement work.

Branco came to Neumann as an adult to finish her degree. “I didn’t know what pastoral counseling was,” she confesses. “I thought I would continue in youth ministry but at a study group at Neumann, I saw a brochure, eventually met Sr. Suzanne (Mayer), and the rest is history.”

Like other members of the elite eight, she describes her professors as “intellectual powerhouses,” naming Sr. Suzanne, Joanne Conn, and Ed Hastings among her influences. She left her own mark, too, teaching at Neumann in 2008.

“My time as an adjunct professor in the Pastoral Care and Counseling department was a privilege, and I was honored to have Sr. Suzanne and Dr. Aideen Murphy as chair and methodologist for my dissertation committee.”

Branco even broadens the scope of Neumann’s tightly woven tapestry of relationships to include her peers. “I was drawn to Neumann because of the commitment of the faculty and my fellow students. There were faculty and students from every faith tradition, all committed to educate and to bring out the best in all of us.”

In the Franciscan tradition, she notes, all are welcome.

Editor’s Note: The other alumni with three degrees were not available to contribute to this article.

Mary Louise Alexia Inzerillo ’07, ’11, ’23

Ronaldo I. Tello-Marzol ’07, ’09, ’19

Irma Tetruashvily, ’98, ‘00 ’10