Staff

Michele A. Goldfarb - Director

Michele Goldfarb returns to the heart of campus to assume the role of Director of the Penn Women’s Center after taking last year to teach full time at Penn Law School in the law school’s litigation clinic. Until recently, she was the director of the Office of Student Conduct at the University of Pennsylvania, a position she held for eleven years. During this time and today, she continuously has maintained her connection with Penn Law’s Clinical Programs as an adjunct professor, co-teaching in the Mediation Clinic.

Michele has served on many University Committees charged with the creation and implementation of policy in a broad range of areas including academic integrity, substance abuse, confidentiality of student records, hazing and sexual assault. She has led numerous workshops and trainings on academic integrity, ethical issues, conflict resolution and mediation. Michele is currently working on a project involving the interplay between changes in institutions of higher education in recent decades and the societal factors influencing those changes.

Recently, Michele has developed an interest in the political and ethical issues surrounding the welfare and legal status of animals and the production and consumption of food. Previously she served as an Assistant District Attorney in Philadelphia and Assistant U.S. Attorney in Washington, D.C. where she prosecuted a wide variety of criminal offenses. As a full time supervisor and faculty member at the law school’s litigation clinic in the early 1990’s, Michele gained extensive experience as an advocate for families, women, children and victims of abuse and other violence. She held clerkships with the Hon. Stanley S. Harris, District of Columbia Court of Appeals and the Hon. Phyllis W. Beck, Superior Court of Pennsylvania (the first female appellate judge in the Commonwealth). She is a proud graduate of Oberlin College.

E-mail: goldfarm@pobox.upenn.edu

Gloria M. Gay, MSW

Gloria M. Gay has over 25 years of experience in working with corporation and human service agencies on issues such as organization of department, human relations and equity. Ms. Gay is the Associate Director of the Penn Women’s Center and an adjunct instructor in human sexuality education in the Graduate School of Social Work at the University of Pennsylvania. Ms. Gay has also developed and taught courses in adolescent sexuality, counseling and domestic violence. She was one of the recipients of the 1996 City of Philadelphia Human Relations Commission Award.

She has served on the Sexual Harassment Committee for several years and has implemented numerous sexual harassment training programs throughout the University for faculty, staff and students. Ms. Gay is also a primary trainer for the educational training team that provides training for the Philadelphia School System for teachers, principals, counselors and other members of the Philadelphia School System Community. This training has been implemented yearly for the past ten years and has been focused primarily around diversity issues. The Program entitled “Equity in the Era of Diversity” has reached hundreds since its inception in 1985.

Ms. Gay received her Master’s in Social Work from the School of Social Work at the University of Pennsylvania. She is certified as a sex education counselor by AASECT.

E-mail: gay@pobox.upenn.edu

Donna P. Gladstone - Administrative Assistant

Donna Gladstone is our Administrative Assistant. Donna serves as liaison with faculty, staff, students and members of the community who need to utilize the Penn Women's Center and makes referrals as appropriate to the staff of the
Women's Center and other University resources including crisis intervention. She also provides support for programs, events, and special projects undertaken by the staff of the Penn Women's Center as well as organizations based at PWC.

A Philadelphia native, Donna graduated from West Philadelphia High School and went on to earn a degree in Office Management from Pierce Business College. When not at work, Donna enjoys theatre, dining and travel and is active in her local Baptist church. Donna is an active advocate for the rights of single mothers, abused women and underprivileged teens.

E-mail: dpg@pobox.upenn.edu

Felicity H. Paxton, PhD.

Born and raised in the United Kingdom, Litty Paxton received a BA in English and American Literature from the University of East Anglia. She earned a Ph.D. in American Civilization and a Graduate Certificate in Women’s Studies from Penn. Litty previously taught at the University of East Anglia and at Emory University, where she served as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for Myth and Ritual in American Life. She has received fellowships from the Fulbright Commission, the British Academy, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Radcliffe Institute at Harvard and the Thouron Award.

Litty’s dissertation examined the cultural history and significance of the American High School Prom and her teaching and research interests include American Culture and Literature, Ritual Studies, Women’s Studies, and Creative
Non-Fiction. She has written for The American Journal of Sociology, the St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture, and the Philadelphia Inquirer. She has also appeared on film for Michael Moore Live, on air for National Public Radio,
and on stage, most recently, in Penn’s 2007 production of The Vagina Monologues.

In addition to serving as the Assistant Director of the Penn Women's Center, Litty teaches part-time for Penn’s English Department, Women’s Studies Program, Annenberg School for Communication, and Center for Programs in Contemporary
Writing. She was the recipient of a Distinguished Service Teaching Award in 2006. Litty also serves as Faculty Fellow for Stouffer College House. A founding member of Penn Faculty-Staff Against War on Iraq, she is also engaged in ongoing campaigns for peace and justice. In her free time :-) she likes to walk her dog, cycle, and enjoy Philadelphia.

E-mail: fpaxton@sas.upenn.edu