On Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, a lively crowd gathered in Fairfield University’s Kelley Center to witness the presentation of the annual Lucy Katz Award—and to celebrate the remarkable woman named as the 2026 Lucy Katz Person of the Year, Carey Mack Weber.
Lucy Katz, JD, former professor of business law and holder of the Robert C. Wright Professorship in Business Law, Ethics, and Dispute Resolution, was a renowned scholar who co-founded the Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies (WGSS) program at Fairfield. Dr. Katz joined the University faculty in 1983 and retired in 2008.
In 1994, Dr. Katz and founding co-director Johanna Garvey, PhD, associate professor of English, established a WGSS award to annually recognize a person on campus who has made outstanding contributions to the identity and visibility of gender and sexual minorities in our immediate and larger communities. It was later renamed the Lucy Katz Award in Dr. Katz's honor.
This year, Carey Mack Weber—Frank and Clara Meditz Executive Director of the Fairfield University Art Museum—became the latest member of the Fairfield community to be recognized with this award.
Niall Brennan, PhD, director of WGSS, welcomed gathered friends, family members, and colleagues to the ceremony, before introducing Provost Christine Siegel, PhD, who shared remarks on why she feels Weber is such a worthy recipient, describing her as someone who always brings “energy, enthusiasm, and passion for the work that she does.”
Dr. Siegel also highlighted Weber’s role in the University’s America250: The Promise and Paradox initiative, sharing that she was a leader and “the visionary behind the America250 project at Fairfield—not only is she running a museum, but she is helping to lead the University.”
Artist Emily Eveleth, a longtime friend and colleague, highlighted Weber’s “deep and broad art historical knowledge,” and spoke of the many museum exhibitions in which Weber has introduced the Fairfield community to women artists and has led the way at the intersection of disciplines.
In a particularly touching moment, Weber’s daughters, Charlotte and Emily Weber, shared their admiration for their mother in a video that recounted how she led by example in their home, paving the way as a proud feminist. Emily also surprised Weber by showing up in person, making the trip to Fairfield to support her mother on her special night.
Michelle DiMarzo ’07, PhD, assistant professor of art history & visual culture and curator of education and academic engagement for the Fairfield University Art Museum, reminded attendees that Weber has been at Fairfield since before the museum doors even opened. Dr. DiMarzo emphasized that in her work as director, Weber has always made a point to “prioritize women artists and diverse voices.”
Dr. DiMarzo also shared how Weber has grown the museum’s collection, with a focus on diversifying the permanent artwork owned by the museum. With resources from the Black Art Fund, the collection has grown to include another 88 works by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) artists, 69 of whom are BIPOC women. The collection of artworks by women has also grown from 39 to 491, with one by a nonbinary artist.
Marice Rose ’92, PhD, professor of visual and performing arts, described Weber as a “visionary leader” and noted how her exhibitions always “speak to the current moment.”
Many of the speakers—including Dr. Rose—noted that Weber started in the Slide Library and highlighted the lasting impact she has made as she has grown and evolved in her roles at the University.
In her closing remarks, Weber thanked the team that has supported her and noted that Fairfield’s identity as a private, Jesuit university—committed to “open, thoughtful discourse, even when it’s messy”—has enabled much of the work she is known for. She reminded her audience that “museums are not neutral,” and left attendees with the closing thoughts that “we want every student and visitor to see themselves reflected on our walls. Museums matter, women’s voices matter, and together, we can make sure they’re heard.”
