Shayla Keough Rumely and Sara Martinez Tucker were elected fellows of the University by the Notre Dame Board of Trustees on May 3, the University announced in a press release Wednesday. It was also announced that John J. Brennan, the chair of the Board, was elected to a second three-year term and president-elect of the Alumni Association Kevin Buckley would join the Board in an ex officio capacity beginning July 1.
As fellows of the University — which consists of six lay peoples and six priests form the Congregation of Holy Cross — Rumely and Martinez Tucker will help elect members of the Board of Trustees and have the ability to “adopt and amend the bylaws” of the University, the release said. The fellows are also responsible for maintaining the Catholic character of the University.
Rumely, a graduate of Notre Dame who received her J.D. at Emory University, has served a member of the Board of Trustees since 2002. Rumely practiced law for seven years and has also worked as publisher of the Fulton County Daily Report, a daily newspaper serving the Atlanta legal community. Prior to becoming a fellow, Rumely had served on the Notre Dame Law School Advisory Council for a decade.
A graduate of the bachelor’s and master’s programs at the University of Texas at Austin, Martinez Tucker is a former U.S. under secretary of education, which made her the nation’s top higher education official. Martinez Tucker has also served as CEO of the National Math and Science Initiative, CEO and president of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund and chair of the University of Texas System board of regents.
