Welcome back to our 2025-2026

WELCOME to FWC's NOVEMBER 2025 General Meeting (via zoom) with our guest speaker

Professor Una Makris, MD, MSc

Dr. Makris is clinical professor of internal medicine in the division of Rheumatology, Autoimmunity and Inflammation at UC San Diego, and Section Chief at the VA San Diego
This webinar on November 18th has been recorded.
You can all find it HERE.

This is the first time we have recorded FWC's General Meeting

~~~~~~~~~~~

MEET FWC's 2025 Woman of Distinction, Betty L. Nordwind, Esq. at our 1st General Meeting

"BUILDING and GROWING The HARRIETT BUHAI CENTER for FAMILY LAW, 

A Cornerstone of FREE LEGAL AID for WOMEN in Los Angeles" 

Betty Nordwind was joined by Stacy Horth-Neubert, Executive Director of the Center and 

Rebecca Fischer, Managing Director of Legal Programs

Harriett Buhai Center for Family Law

Zorana Ercegovac, FWC Vice President Programs. introduced the
2025 FWC Woman of Distinction BETTY L. NORDWIND

Betty L. Nordwind, Esq., was honored at the UCLA's 
Faculty Women's Club as the FWC 2025 WOMAN OF DISTINCTION

Betty L. Nordwind was joined by: 
Stacy Horth-Neubert, Executive Director, and
Rebecca L. Fischer, Managing Director of Legal Programs 

Ways you can give: HBCFL or hbcfl.org/donate
Your contribution will enable:
More clients served
Earlier intervention in court
Reduced homelessness from DV
Strengthened continuity of care
More pro bono opportunities

Stacy Horth-Neobert, Executive Director of the
HARRIETT BUHAI Center

Rebecca Fischer, Managing Director of Legal Programs

Visit with FWC's Section Chairs, and meet & greet friends in-person at the University Club.

See our UPDATE for details on all current sections: special interest groups, our leaders, and dates.

More photos and stories will be added to this post as they become available. 

WELCOME TO FWC'S SPRING LUNCHEON

Spring Luncheon, our 5th General Meeting, was on Tuesday, May 20th, 2025.

Details about the invited speaker Na Shen, MD, and the topic of her presentation are here 

Our special guest was Felicia Marie Knaul, PhD, the Associate of the Chancellor Dr. Julio Frenk. Chancellor Julio Frenk's inaugural address, here, title "An extraordinary university at an extraordinary time," outlined a three-prong aspiration for the UCLA leadership as a path forward: to be CONNECTIVE, IMPACTFUL and to be EXEMPLARY. He closed his address:

                Together. And always inspired by the Bruin spirit. We are ONE UCLA.

Dr. Knaul is internationally recognized for her transformative and translational research
in global health, health systems and health economics.

  We welcome the opportunity to meet Dr. Knaul at the FWC Spring Luncheon 2025.

From left: Anne-Marie Spataru and her guest, Zorana Ercegovac, FWC Outstanding Member 2025
Felicia Marie Knaul, Associate of the Chancellor Frenk
Helene DesRuisseaux, Dr. Na Shen, and Jo Knopoff 

    Dr Shen, associate Professor of endocrinology at UCLA, is the founder and medical director  of the Program for Reducing Obesity (PRO).

The FWC 2025 Spring Luncheon and General Meeting also honored: 

                             Outstanding Member Zorana Ercegovac

Zorana Ercegovac, FWC Outstanding Member 2025 receives a crystal award
with Jo Knopoff (second from left) who nominated her, and
Marjorie Friedlander and Dianne Homsher, co-chairs of the Past Presidents Panel 2025.

                                       The Event recognized FWC Past Presidents

FWC Past Presidents were recognized with yellow roses
From left: Patti, Penny, Rochelle, Jo, Shirley, Dianne, Sandy, Marianne, Marjorie,
Helene, Zorana, and Anne-Marie
Photo credit: Milos Ercegovac

Section leaders of special interest groups, aka Sections, have been recognized with irises.

From left: Rochelle, Marianne, Zorana, Danielle, Dianne, Shirley, Dagmar, Michaelynn, Helene,
Sandy, Monique, Eileen, and Katie
Photo credit: Jo Knopoff

These 14 ladies work tirelessly for the Sections that are at the heart of the Faculty Women's Club. Each chair/co-chair is presented with an iris for their many contributions to the Club.

FWC 4th General and Business Meeting

                          April 15, 2025 is our 4th General and Business Meeting, via zoom

Our Business meeting will have the opportunity to vote on the slate of the election of Officers:

FWC's WOMAN of DISTINCTION and Scholarship Recipients

 Faculty Women's Club honored Carol Block, our Woman of Distinction at the 3rd General Meeting and Scholarship Dinner. A lively conversation with Carol Block was moderated by FWC's president Anne-Marie Spataru (photo below). The event was well attended, and many of us were happy to meet old friends after the Los Angeles devastating fires of January 2025.

Carol Block (right) is the recipient of the FWC's Woman
of Distinction Award 2024
Photo credits: Zorana Ercegovac

The event was held at the Faculty Club. Here's a short video which captured the vibes of the evening.

In addition, the program featured recipients of the Scholarship Programs, some of whom are photographed in an informal group discussion with Scholarship co-chairs Marianne Afifi and Kele Kircshenbaum.

 A subset of FWC's amazing scholarship recipients,
photographed in an informal setting with co-chairs Marianne and Kele
Photo credits: Zorana Ercegovac

Former UCLA's Chancellor Gene Block with his wife Carol Block
Anne-Marie Spataru, FWC President, nominated Mrs. Block as
FWC's 2024 Woman of Distinction
Photo credits: Zorana Ercegovac, February 4, 2025