Women in Leadership Lunch

To mark 50 years of coeducation, Mannix College launched the Women in Leadership Scholarship — a commitment to ensure women at Mannix don’t just participate in College life, but lead, shape, and transform it.

In September 2025, the College hosted its first Women in Leadership Lunch, bringing together generations of Mannix women who have defined and continue to drive the College’s culture of leadership and inclusion. Around the table were alumnae, staff, and current students whose stories reflected the evolution of women’s leadership across five decades.

Among the guests were Heather (Tweddle) Coughlin, the College’s first female MCSS President (1979), and Polly Lewis, the current MCSS President (2025) — two women, 46 years apart, united by their shared experience of leading the Mannix community. Their meeting captured the essence of the event: celebrating continuity, courage, and connection across generations.

“Being around other Mannixians always feels like coming home,” said alumna Alice Draffin (MCSS President 2012). “Having past generations of Mannix women join current students in support of the future of women in leadership at the College was a pretty special moment.”

The inaugural Lunch also honoured the leadership of Gabrielle McMullen (one of the first women residents and later Dean), Barbara Shae (Dean 2000–2014), and Alice Draffin — each contributing to the story of women shaping Mannix’s identity.

For current students, the event was both inspirational and personal. Phoebe Rankin, the College’s first Women in Leadership Scholar, reflected:

“I will forever be grateful that I got to share a table with so many incredible women! It didn’t even feel like time existed because I was enjoying all the awesome conversations being had.”

The Women in Leadership Scholarship has already begun opening doors for emerging leaders at Mannix. To ensure its lasting impact, ongoing support from alumni and friends is essential — helping future generations of Mannix women continue to thrive as leaders in their fields and communities.

If you’d like to learn more or support the Scholarship, please get in touch with us or click here.

Pictured: our first female MCSS President, Heather Coughlin (1979), met our current President, Polly Lewis (2025).