Mavra was born in Brooklyn, NY, the daughter of Regina Vogel and Harry Steinberg. Because her parents divorced, her childhood was spent between Brooklyn and Miami Beach, Florida. Her father, a business owner, and her mother, who held a variety of jobs, were both immigrants to the United States in their teens. Mavra's family was Orthodox Jewish.
After high school she first enrolled in Brooklyn College; then attended NYU for one term. She earned her batchelors degree from Hunter in 1966; majoring in speech and theater and minoring in education. Mavra began work on her Masters in theater at Brooklyn College and took all her courses but left before writing her thesis because her thesis advisor was making advances.
Mavra was a lifelong advocate for women's rights and civil rights. She worked to create opportunities and support systems for women and families. In Brooklyn, she started a free daycare center that she successfully persuaded the City of New York to fund.
She served as President of the Morris County chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW), where she worked to advance gender equality and support women's rights at the local level. Mavra also created and produced a local television show in New Jersey called New Directions for Women, which focused on issues affecting women and gave voice to topics often overlooked in mainstream media.
Mavra was married to Robert DeRise for 32 years; and together they raised two daughters,
Victoria Maria DeFrancesco Soto was born in 1978 to Victoria and Joseph DeFrancesco in Southern Arizona on the U.S.- Mexico border and that is where she grew up. She is of Italian, Jewish and Mexican descent.
She describes herself as a student council nerd beginning in middle school who, by the time she reached college, realized how much she enjoyed political science and that she could, in fact, do this as a profession.
DeFrancesco Soto earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Arizona's W.A. Franke Honors College. Then she applied to and was accepted by Duke University as a graduate student. She graduated in 2007 with a Ph.D. in political science under the mentorship of Dr. John Aldrich and Dr. Paula McClain.
While completing a postdoctoral fellowship at Rutgers University and an assistant professorship at Northwestern University, she discovered a passion for applied careers in political science. In particular, Victoria became deeply interested and involved in civic engagement and bridging the community and university realms. She was appointed assistant dean at the Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin, while serving as a contributor at NBC News and Telemundo. Following her time at the LBJ School of Public Service, she became dean of the Clinton School of Public Service at the University of Arkansas. Victoria is the first Latina dean at a presidential institution and is a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administrators.
An award-winning professor, Victoria is deeply passionate about the intersection of curricular and community-based learning and cultivating dynamic classroom environments that are responsive to our real-world context. As the dean of the Clinton School, Victoria grounds her passion to support the next generation of public service leaders in the expansion of diversity, equity and inclusion inside and outside the classroom.
Victoria has served on the board of Mi Familia en Acción and Forward Arkansas, and she has been active in the Volcker Alliance Dean’s Summit. She was recognized as one the 100 Women of Impact by the Arkansas Women’s Foundation and received the Las Primeras Award by MANA.
She enjoys sharing her experiences in careers in political science and mentoring the next generation of scholars.
Hispanic culture, foods and art are woven into the very fabric of our nation. So it is appropriate that we show our love for these by celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. The National Museum of the American Latino offers more information plus access to a wonderful virtual musical journey.
Hispanic Heritage Month is a month-long celebration of Hispanic and Latino history and culture. While we celebrate Hispanic and Latino communites beyond this month, from September 15 to October 15 we give extra recognition to the many contributions made to the history and culture of the United States, including important advocacy work, vibrant art, popular and traditional foods, and much more.
Hispanic Heritage Month provides an additional opportunity to explore the incredible impact Latinas and Latinos have had on the United States for generations. The Latino presence in America spans centuries, predating Spain’s colonization of what is now part of the United States, and they have been an integral part of shaping our nation since the Revolutionary War. Through the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and the Treaty of Paris that followed the Mexican-American and Spanish-American wars, the United States gained territories in the Southwest and Puerto Rico. This incorporated the people of this area into the United States and further expanded the presence of Hispanic Americans.
Today, the Latino population in the United States today is over 60 million, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. This makes up 18.9% of the total population and is the largest racial or ethnic group. Latinos continue to help fuel our economy and enrich our nation as entrepreneurs, athletes, artists, entertainers, scientists, public servants, and much more.
Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated each year from September 15 to October 15. It began as a week-long celebration in 1968 under President Johnson and was expanded to a month by President Reagan 20 years later in 1988. The month-long celebration provides more time to properly recognize the significant contributions Hispanic/Latino Americans have made in the United States.
Hispanic Heritage Month does not cover one single month but instead begins in the middle of September and ends in the middle of October. The timeframe of this month is significant because many Central American countries celebrate their independence days within these dates, beginning on September 15 with Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. By aligning with these independence dates, Hispanic Heritage Month honors the resilience and determination of the Hispanic community. Key Independence Days celebrated within Hispanic Heritage Month include:
September 15 - Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua
September 16 – Mexico
September 18 – Chile
September 21 - Beliz
Latinas and Latinos have always held significant roles throughout our country’s history, dating all the way back to the American Revolution. Hispanic Heritage Month is important because it provides an opportunity to celebrate the integral part the Hispanic/Latino community has had in growing and strengthening our democracy.
Representation matters. Latinos and Latinas continue to shape our nation as business owners, activists, artists, public servants, and more. From serving in the U.S. military to being champions in the fight for civil rights, Latinas and Latinos remain strong leaders and changemakers.
It’s crucial to make sure that the contributions of the Latino community are showcased, and that Latinas and Latinos have a voice. According to 2020 data from the U.S. Census Bureau, one in every four children in the United States is Hispanic/Latino. A recent study found that Latino history is largely left out in high school textbooks that are used across the United States, despite the increasing percentage of Latina and Latino students. This also comes at a time when the economic output of American Latinos would rank fifth in the world if the community were an independent country. As the country continues to increase in diversity, it’s necessary for all citizens to learn more about American Latino experiences to recognize and value the many contributions Latinas and Latinos have made.
Hispanic Heritage Month is an opportunity to shine a spotlight on the unique voices and experiences of Hispanic/Latino Americans and recognize their history, journeys, and achievements. Through these celebrations, we can all help to inspire younger generations and bring communities together.
Hispanic Heritage Month also provides opportunities to showcase the cultural influences the Latino community has had on the United States. From entertainment and sports to business and science, Latinas and Latinos enrich our society.
As athletes, Latinas and Latinos have been game changers. For example, over the years, the Latino community has helped to shape America’s favorite pastime—baseball. As of opening day in 2023, about 30 percent of Major League Baseball players are Hispanic/Latino. With the accomplishments of past players like Roberto Clemente and present ones such as Francisco Lindor and Javier Báez leading the way, the sport will continue to evolve.
Latinas have also shaped baseball history, serving as players, broadcasters, and team owners. In the 1990s, Linda Alvarado purchased the Colorado Rockies and made history as the first woman to ever win a bid to buy a team. This purchase also resulted in her becoming the first Hispanic MLB team owner. The contributions of Latinas like Alvarado and others, such as baseball player Margaret "Marge" Villa and sportscaster Jessica Mendoza, have forever transformed the game of baseball.
Content courtesy of the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino
Stephanie Pitcher approaches legislation like a chess game — methodical, precise and several steps ahead. She passed more bills than any other Democrat in the Republican-controlled legislature this year.
In 2009, Stephanie Pitcher, then the director of the Utah State Women’s Chess Tournament, told The Salt Lake Tribune that she’d spent much of her chess career trying to avoid being boxed in.
Already a five-time chess champion at age 22, Pitcher said she’d taken a break from playing chess for three years during middle school because she “didn’t want to be seen as the nerd.” The game was full of stereotypes, she added, like “chess is nerdy” and “chess is a boys’ game.” She hoped that women would resist those labels.
Now, 16 years and three more chess championships later, Pitcher is a senator representing parts of Salt Lake County, and though she no longer plays much competitive chess, the game has informed her work as one of Utah’s few Democratic lawmakers — and the most successful Democrat during the 2025 legislative session.
This year, she passed 14 bills, more than any other Democrat in the Legislature, and more than all but four Republicans in either chamber. It was a remarkably successful run for a minority party member, which she attributes to her first-hand experience as a prosecutor and defense attorney and her openness to working across the aisle.
“It’s kind of funny,” said Ogden Republican Rep. Ryan Wilcox, who frequently cosponsors legislation with Pitcher. “She runs a lot of small bills, but she’s done her homework enough on them that I can see where she’s going. I can see the end game. It is several steps ahead. It’s exactly like chess with Stephanie.”
‘I don’t run legislation I can’t win’
A week after the 2025 legislative session ended, on a snowy March afternoon, Pitcher and I sat down in her office at the Capitol to play chessand discuss the recent session. The walls of her office were mostly bare — the decor limited largely to a giant chess pawn, a paper sculpture handcrafted by her daughter and a dying cactus — but she was quick to produce a big bag of chess gear.
Pitcher heads up the Capitol Chess Club with Rep. Nelson Abbott, R-Orem, who has the distinction of being the only lawmaker in the state to have beaten Pitcher in a game. He beat her online, she said, after she had gotten “a little cocky.”
“People like to challenge me, of course, so I told [my colleagues] that if they beat me, I would go to conservative caucus,” she said with a smile. Now, she owes them a visit.
“It’s actually worse that they meet at 7 a.m. than the fact that it’s the conservative caucus,” the Senate Democrat said. “That’s just a horrible time for me.”
Republicans make up the majority of Pitcher’s colleagues.
In both the Utah House and Senate, the GOP holds supermajorities and controls the powerful Rules Committees — meaning not only do Republicans not need a single vote from Democrats to pass any given piece of legislation during the 45-day session, but Republicans in each Rules Committee could, theoretically, also prevent any Democrat-sponsored bill from ever getting a vote.
“We all approach our job differently,” Pitcher said. “Generally speaking… I don’t run legislation that I can’t win. I’m never going to win on reproductive rights up here. I’m never going to win on gun control. And so I just decided I’m going to focus on areas where there’s actually an opportunity to improve policy in that space.”
‘My role is to pass good legislation‘
Pitcher attributes some of her success to a numbers game: “There’s definitely benefit to being in the Senate just from the standpoint of there’s fewer of us,” she said.
But a lot of it requires quick and constant strategic thinking. She plans, she explained, where she can compromise and where she can’t, considers how much her bills will — or, more importantly, won’t — cost and assesses how to most effectively present her ideas to her colleagues on the other side of the aisle.
And she hasn’t shied away from sponsoring bills with Republicans who also run legislation she votes against, including Rep. Jordan Teuscher, who sponsored what was likely the session’s most controversial bill — a ban on collective bargaining for public employees — and Reps. Nicholeen Peck and Stephanie Gricius, who have both been the subject of ire from LGBTQ+ groups.
Teuscher, Peck and Gricius did not respond to interview requests for this story.
Part of her reasoning for building such unlikely coalitions, Pitcher said, is principled. “I see the opportunity to work on a bill with one of my colleagues as the opportunity to build a relationship with them and get to know them better and to invest in each other’s ideas,” she said.
And while she hopes colleagues on both sides of the aisle will support her policy work, Pitcher said she doesn’t see the collaborations as an effort to build the left wing in the state.
“Maybe this isn’t the popular thing to say, but I just don’t see it as my role to increase the Democratic makeup of the state of Utah,” she said. “I’m here to pass good legislation on behalf of the people that I represent, and I happen to be a Democrat, but I’m not the flag bearer for the Democratic Party. We have a party for that, and a party chair for that and elected party officials for that role. My role is to pass good legislation.”
Wilcox, who is among Pitcher’s frequent GOP collaborators, said in a recent interview that he was indeed initially skeptical of her. He originally served in the Legislature from 2009 through 2014, and then returned in 2021, when he became the chair of the House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice committee. Wilcox took on the role a year after Pitcher successfully passed bail reform legislation aimed at focusing the state on risk, rather than ability to pay, when setting bail.
In his new role as chair, Wilcox said he had been hearing frequent complaints from law enforcement officials about bail reform. “My initial take on the whole thing,” he said, “was she was just a hard-left-wing person, and that’s why she was pushing this stuff.”
Pitcher’s bail reform law was repealed in 2021, and a compromise bill emerged from a special session later that year. Several months later, as lawmakers considered a DNA collection bill, Wilcox and Pitcher found themselves sharing similar concerns, Wilcox said.
“It was just fun,” he remembered. “It was fun to realize that, even as a prosecutor, she wasn’t locked into her in-the-box ideology.”
Wilcox began to see then, he said, that Pitcher was not as he first imagined.
“She’s crazy smart,” Wilcox said. “On the strategic side, on the legislative side — that’s why it’s fun. That’s why I enjoy working with Stephanie, because she understands it’s not about a temporary win.”
Rep. Anthony Loubet, R-Kearns, with whom Pitcher has also cosponsored legislation, shared a similar assessment.
“She’s a great person to work with,” he said. “She obviously has Democrat political views and is able to represent those, but she also understands the legal and the political landscape, so she does a good job of building up relationships and finding common ground.”
And Juliette Osguthorpe, who worked as a staffer for Wilcox during the recent session, said Pitcher’s success made her a topic of conversation among one of the Capitol’s most observant and most frequently overlooked groups: the interns.
“We were talking about kind of the two Democratic strategies in a majority red state,” she said of the interns. “You can either go the route of, ‘My job is to kind of antagonize and make everyone else look bad and force Republicans to respond to all these issues,’ or you can take the route Senator Pitcher has adopted, work on policy and focus on policy and do what you can to make a difference.”
“I think obviously one of those is more effective on the legislative scale,” Osguthorpe added, “and I think you see that with Senator Pitcher.”
‘Knowing where you’re going is the first step’
Asked about Wilcox’s assessment that she makes policy the way she plays chess, Pitcher said she felt he was giving her too much credit. “I want to be part of making good policy, impactful policy,” she said. “I think everything I did run this year, none of it was system shifting… but it is really good policy.”
Her ultimate goal, she said, is to “be able to run hard things.”
Another favorite bill from the recent session, she said, was SB194, which she cosponsored with Republican Rep. Tyler Clancy, who serves as a Provo police officer when he’s not at the Capitol. The legislation allows for inmates in county jails to have better access to evidence in their own cases, an idea born between sessions when Pitcher was trying to visit a client in the Utah County Jail and ended up having to play a video from her laptop through a mail slot for her client.
It was the sort of legislation that has become her specialty: nonpartisan and inexpensive, with a practical fix. It passed both chambers without garnering a single vote against and was signed into law by the governor last month — as was every other bill Pitcher shepherded through the Legislature in 2025.
In her office, after we’d talked for an hour about the recent legislative session, Pitcher set up a board and taught me a lesson: how to checkmate an opponent with two rooks.
“The goal is to find the edge of the board that the king is closest to and where it makes sense for your pieces to start pushing him in that direction,” she explained. “Knowing where you’re going is the first step.”
But I never even had the chance to try using it against her. Later, when we played a game, I exposed my queen early, and she beat me immediately. She knew where she was going all along.
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For more stories of remarkable women, see HERSTORY on womensvoicesmedia.org
Annie Jump Cannon was a pioneering astronomer who specializesd in the classification of stellar spectra.
Born in 1863, she was the eldest daughter of Deleware State Senator Wilson Cannon and Mary. Annie Cannon was inspired by her mother to pursue science. They would often open the trapdoor to the roof of their home so they could watch the stars in the small observatory the two of them had built.
One of the first women from Delaware to attend college, she was her class valedictorian when she graduated from Wellesley College, where she studied physics and astronomy despite the fact she experienced progressive hearing loss starting at a young age.
In 1896, she was hired as a “woman computer” at the Harvard College Observatory, along with another prominent deaf astronomer, Henrietta Swan Leavitt.
The work involved looking at photos of stars and calculating their brightness, position, and color. Unfortunately the two were paid between 25 and 50 cents an hour—half the rate paid to men doing similar work. This, however, did not stop Cannon from making major scientific discoveries.
In a catalog of 1,122 stars published in 1901 Cannon drastically simplified classifying stars. It was soon recognized that Cannon was actually classifying stars according to their temperature and her spectral classifications were universally adopted. In 1922 the International Astronomical Union adopted Cannon's method as the official spectral classification system.
She eventually obtained and classified spectra for more than 225,000 stars. Her work was published in nine volumes as the Henry Draper Catalogue (1918-24).
In addition to her scientific work, Cannon also worked for women’s rights. She was dedicated to fighting for women’s suffrage and was a member of the National Women’s Party. In 1923, Cannon was voted one of the 12 greatest living women in America by the National League of Women Voters.
After decades of hard work, Cannon was finally appointed a permanent faculty position at the Harvard College Observatory in 1938. Although she officially retired two years later, Cannon worked in the observatory all the way up until her death in 1941.
Annie Jump Cannon died in April of 1941 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She was seventy-seven years old.
For more stories of remarkable women, see HERSTORY on womensvoicesmedia.org
