P. Gay Baughman ’81 recalls how she and other women were treated differently than male students.��

“I’d be the only female taking a particular oral exam, and the professor would ask me all the questions,” she said. “I dealt with what seemed like unfairness by changing my personality. I became very quiet, because if you became small maybe they wouldn’t notice you as much.”  

Upon graduation, Baughman said she found her voice again as a business owner, setting up a dental practice in Louisville’s Fairdale community and, as someone who loves learning, participating in numerous continuing education courses. Throughout her career, Baughman found support through the Kentucky Association of Women Dentists.  

“My son was born in 1986. I had no family nearby and my husband traveled. Through this organization, we would share with one another about how to manage the challenges of being both a dental professional and a mother,” she said. “Women carry the weight and responsibilities of parenthood differently than men. Even among dental students who become parents while in school, it is more difficult for women.”  

After 28 successful years in private practice, Baughman joined the School of Dentistry faculty in 2007, determined to give female dental students a better experience than her own. Baughman has helped female students gain a sense of belonging in part by launching a student chapter of the .��

Third-year dental student Nikki Sanders is president of UofL’s AAWD chapter.��

“I have always been a huge advocate of women supporting women,” Sanders said. “We provide an outlet for discussions about the gender disparities that still exist in our profession, advocate for more equality for all women and take part in efforts to support women outside the profession through outreach, including clothing drives for the Center for Women and Families.” 

Sanders says she’s grateful for the lifelong friends in AAWD and for Baughman, whom she considers a mentor. In return, Baughman hopes female dental students now have an easier path forward and she is glad to be a part of their lives.��

“I get up every day and say ‘I’m going to dental school!’ – I love these kids,” she said. “I hope I am half as good for them as they are for me.” 

UofL President Neeli Bendapudi is included on its list of 25 women.��

The 10th annual special edition highlights “women who have made a difference in the academy by tackling some of higher education’s toughest challenges, exhibiting extraordinary leadership skills and making a positive difference in their respective communities.” 

In 2020, President Bendapudi led UofL’s operational shift to online and hybrid classes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Also under her leadership, and despite the crisis, UofL achieved a number of milestones in 2020, including a record-breaking year for research, the launch of health care cybersecurity curriculum thanks to a $6.3M funding round from the NSA, and the pediatric integration of UofL and Norton Healthcare.

In July, President Bendapudi announced a plan for UofL to become the “.” The university has since made a number of key hires and added programming to support that goal.

She joins 24 other women in Diverse’s 2021 class, including (alphabetically): 

• Venessa A. Brown, associate chancellor and chief diversity officer, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
• Karen Carey, chancellor, University of Alaska Southeast
• Laurie Carter, president, Shippensburg University
• Robin R. Means Coleman, associate provost for diversity and inclusion and chief diversity officer, Northwestern University 
• Karlyn Crowley, provost, Ohio Wesleyan University
• Linda Darling-Hammond, professor of education emeritus and founding president of the Learning Policy Institute, Stanford University
• Carol Fierke, provost and executive vice president, Brandeis University
• Angelica Garcia, president, Berkeley City College
• Ayanna Howard, dean of the college of engineering, Ohio State University 
• Parneshia Jones, director, Northwestern University Press
• Caroline Laguerre-Brown, vice provost for diversity, equity and community engagement, George Washington University
• Cynthia Lindquist, president, Cankdeska Cikana Community College
• Felicia McGinty, executive vice chancellor of administration and planning, Rutgers University 
• Tracey Meares, Walton Hale Hamilton professor of law and founding director of the Justice Collaboratory, Yale Law School
• Traci Morris, director of the American Indian Policy Institute, Arizona State University 
• Erica Muhl, president, Berklee College of Music
• Maureen Murphy, president, College of Southern Maryland
• Madeline Pumariega, president, Miami Dade College
• Desiree Reed-Francois, athletic director, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
• Jeanne Craig Sinkford, dean emerita, College of Dentistry, Howard University
• Raquel Tamez, CEO, Society of Hispanic Engineers
• Nancy Jean Tubbs, director, LGBT Resource Center, University of California, Riverside
• Tara VanDerveer, head women’s basketball coach, Stanford University
• Geraldine Young, chief diversity and inclusion officer, Frontier Nursing University