They span the state, but their influence spans the globe.
Eleven women whose contributions have impacted a range of professional fields will be honored today as the latest Distinguished Daughters of Pennsylvania.
They include a medical doctor, a nurse, scientists, a Nobel Prize winner, a judge, a religious sister, business and community leaders, and nonprofit executives.
Among the group’s 2024 inductees are two women whose work has been particularly impactful in Northeast Pennsylvania.
Their accomplishments will be celebrated at the Governor’s Residence in Harrisburg during a luncheon hosted by Gov. Josh Shapiro and First Lady Lori Shapiro.
“Since its inception, the Distinguished Daughters has been honoring extraordinary women for their outstanding service and contributions to our Commonwealth,” Gov. Shapiro said of the group, which was founded in 1949.
Since its founding, a total of 566 extraordinary women from across the state have been recognized for their professional and volunteer accomplishments.
“The women we recognize bring an incredible wealth of experience and knowledge, are leaders in their respective fields and have showcased extraordinary professionalism in all aspects of their careers,” Shapiro said.
“The Commonwealth is proud to claim each of the Distinguished Daughters as our own, as each of their stories reflect Pennsylvania’s rich past and herald the promise of a bright future through collaborative service,” he added.
As described in their induction biographies, the 2024 Daughters of Pennsylvania are:
Andrea M. Baldeck, M.D.
A Pennsylvanian since 1966, Andrea Baldeck graduated from Vassar College with an AB in music, Phi Beta Kappa, and was valedictorian of her class. She obtained her M.D. with honors from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and completed two residencies, becoming board certified in internal medicine and anesthesia.
She practiced anesthesia at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and its satellites in Philadelphia, and volunteered her services in the developing world on multiple trips to Haiti and Grenada.
A lifelong interest in photography led her to prefer the darkroom to the operating room, producing to date eight books and forty solo shows.
Retired from the practice of medicine, she continues to travel and photograph widely, and when at home in Philadelphia, to serve on multiple nonprofit boards.
Susan L. Brantley, Ph.D.
Susan L. Brantley is Evan Pugh University Professor and Hubert and Mary Barnes Professor of Geosciences at Pennsylvania State University, where she also served as director of the Earth and Environmental Systems Institute until 2022.
Brantley has published more than 300 scientific papers aimed at understanding what controls the chemistry of natural water and how water interacts with the rocks through which it flows. Her recent work has focused on environmental impacts related to the use of hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) in natural gas and oil extraction.
She earned her Ph.D in geological and geophysical sciences at Princeton University.
Brantley lives with her geologist husband in State College, where she watches from afar the scientific careers of her two geologist daughters.
Gemma Del Duca, SC
Sister Gemma R. Del Duca has spent her 92 years traveling the world in pursuit of knowledge but always returned to her hometown of Greensburg to make a difference.
A Sister of Charity of Seton Hill, Sister Gemma resided in Israel for more than three decades and collaborated with Yad Vashem, the official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust in Jerusalem.
Her experiences led her in 1987 to help found the National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education at Seton Hill University to promote the teaching of the Holocaust at all levels of education and to enhance Catholic-Jewish relations.
Sister Gemma has received the Spirit of Anne Frank Award from the United Jewish Federation Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh and was the first non-Israeli to receive the Yad Vashem Excellence in Holocaust Education Award and is a Distinguished Alumna of Seton Hill.
Susan Peikes Gantman, J.D.
A Pennsylvanian since birth, Judge Susan Peikes Gantman graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and Villanova School of Law.
Gantman was elected to a ten-year term on the Superior Court of Pennsylvania, a statewide appellate court commencing in January 2004. She won retention in 2013. Judge Gantman was elected by her peers as President Judge of the Superior Court. (2014-2019).
For decades prior to her election to the bench, Gantman was a child advocate and worked with non-profits to protect the rights of victims.
Gantman was an assistant district attorney in Montgomery County. She served as solicitor to the Office of Children and Youth and Housing and Community Development.
She is a prominent civic leader providing her expertise as a lecturer to bar associations and the police academy.
Gantman is the recipient of numerous recognitions including The Anne X. Alpern Award from the Pennsylvania Bar Association, Commission on Women and the Brandeis Law Society Jewish Law Day Award.
Recently, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania appointed her to the Judicial Conduct Board. She serves on the JCB Executive Committee.
Kathy Wilson Humphrey, Ph.D.
Kathy Wilson Humphrey, Ph.D., serves as the 11th president of Carlow University. With more than 35 years in higher education, she is revered as a transformative and effective pioneering leader.
Humphrey serves on the Board of Gwen’s Girls, The Forbes Funds, the Federal Reserve Board of Cleveland, River Life, United Way, Pittsburgh Symphony and UPMC. She is an active member of Macedonia Church on the Hill.
Humphrey holds a B.S. from the University of Central Missouri, an M.A. from the University of Missouri, Kansas City and a Ph.D. from Saint Louis University. She also holds executive certificates from Harvard Kennedy School and INSEAD in Fontainebleau, France.
She has been married to Lyle Humphrey for 39 years and is the mother to two sons, David (daughter-in-law Natalie) and Daniel; and grandmother to Elijah David Humphrey. She has 11 siblings and 108 nieces and nephews.
Katalin Karikó, Ph.D.
Katalin Karikó is a professor at University of Szeged and adjunct professor at the University of Pennsylvania.
From 2013 to 2022, she was a senior vice president at BioNTech. Prior to BioNTech, she worked for 24 years at the University of Pennsylvania.
For decades, her research has been focusing on RNA-mediated mechanisms with the goal of developing in vitro-transcribed mRNA for therapy.
She co-founded and served as CEO of RNARx. Her patents co-invented with Drew Weissman on nucleoside-modified uridines in mRNA were used to create the FDA-approved COVID-19 mRNA vaccines by BioNTech/Pfizer and Moderna.
For her achievement, Karikó received many prestigious awards, including the 2023 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine.
Sharmain Matlock-Turner
Sharmain Matlock-Turner has served as CEO of the Urban Affairs Coalition since 1999 and was the first woman to be appointed to the role.
The Coalition’s work focuses on improving life chances for youth and young adults, building wealth in low-income communities, forging strategic partnerships across the city, and strengthening the city’s nonprofit sector.
One of Philadelphia’s most prominent and trusted civic leaders and an advocate for its most underserved communities, Matlock-Turner also co-founded and is chair emeritus of the West Oak Lane Charter School.
Among other current appointments, she serves as deputy chair of The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, and is co-founder of the Civic Coalition to Save Lives.
Matlock-Turner has received numerous recognitions including The Philadelphia Award (2023).
Carla McCabe
Carla McCabe serves as President and CEO of WVIA, the PBS and NPR affiliate covering 22-counties of Northeast and Central Pennsylvania.
McCabe has led the creation of WVIA News, an initiative bringing balanced, critically needed local reporting to the region against the backdrop of shrinking newsrooms and increased media polarization. McCabe currently is leading WVIA’s $10 million capital campaign.
Born and raised in Belfast, Northern Ireland, McCabe held leadership roles at BBC, as Head of Production at UK-based Tern Television Productions Ltd., and following her move to the United States, as the Chief Operating Officer at Kansas City PBS. Her start at the BBC provided vital insight into the mission and values of PBS.
McCabe serves on multiple boards for regional and national organizations including the executive committee for the board of the National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA), the board of directors for the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, and the advisory board for the Pennsylvania-based Institute for Public Policy & Economic Advancement. She recently was elected to the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) Board of Directors. McCabe will serve as the only new board member elected and sole representative from Pennsylvania.
These experiences have provided a depth of insight into public media, non-profit organizations and commercial businesses.
Karen Murphy, Ph.D., RN
Karen M. Murphy currently serves as Senior Advisor to the President of Risant. Previously, she served as EVP/Chief Innovation and Digital Transformation Officer at Geisinger.
Prior to Geisinger, Murphy served as Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Health, the State’s highest-ranking health official and a member of the Governor’s cabinet.
Among other positions, Murphy also served as the Director of the State Innovation Models Initiative at CMMI and President and CEO of Moses Taylor Health System.
Murphy is affiliated with several health care organizations, including the Healthcare Innovations Professional Society, Node Health Global Advisory Council, Health Velocity Capital and the University of Pennsylvania Leonard Davis Institute for Economics.
She is a member of the board of directors for WVIA, Scranton and MTM, St. Louis. Karen holds a Ph.D in Business Administration from Temple University and a B.S. from the University of Scranton, as well as an MBA, RN, and Clinical Faculty in Medicine appointment at Geisinger.
Murphy’s numerous awards for her groundbreaking achievements including Top 25 Women Leaders in Healthcare, Sharp Index Innovation Leader Award, Women Power Players in Health IT, 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives, and Changemaker in Healthcare Information and Management Society.
Geovette E. Washington, J.D.
Geovette E. Washington is the Senior Vice Chancellor and Chief Legal Officer at the University of Pittsburgh.
Prior to joining the university, Washington served as general counsel and senior policy advisor for the Office of Management and Budget and deputy general counsel at the U.S. Department of Commerce. She led the Biden-Harris transition Department of Commerce Review Team.
Active in civic and professional organizations, Washington serves as chair of the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh Board of Trustees and is a member of the Executive Committee of the International Women’s Forum of Pittsburgh, The Hear Foundation Board of Directors, the Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts Board of Advisors, and the Pittsburgh Chapter of The Links Incorporated.
She also is a co-chair of the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy Spring Hat Luncheon.
Doris Carson Williams
Doris Carson Williams is the Chief Executive Officer of the African American Chamber of Commerce of Western Pennsylvania.
She is a board member of Highmark, and vice chair of Highmark Foundation. Williams served as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland and is immediate past President of the Pennsylvania Court of Judicial Discipline. Williams co-chaired the 2014 G-20 summit in Pittsburgh. She is a member of the International Women’s Forum.
Williams graduated from the University of Hartford, Fairfield University-banking and finance, the Katz School Management Program for Executives, and holds an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Carlow University.
She resides in Pittsburgh, has one son, James III, and is the proud grandparent of James Vaughan and Jade Marie Williams.
