From the origins of health and human sciences at Colorado State University to evolving women’s empowerment and advocacy today, two new inductees into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame demonstrate the historic and present impact of women in the College of Health and Human Sciences. Theodosia Grace Ammons and Susanne Jalbert (M.Ed., ’97; Ph.D., ’99) were included among 17 women celebrated at the March 15 Induction Gala. Both women embody the college’s priority to optimize human health and well-being in all aspects of the human experience.
Gala celebration
CSU President Amy Parsons joined College of Health and Human Sciences Dean Lise Youngblade and other leaders at the gala to honor Jalbert and Ammons. Anne Trujillo, anchor with Denver7 news, emceed the event which celebrated inductees on stage, via video tributes, and in a portrait gallery with the more than 180 women in the Colorado Women Hall of Fame who have shaped Colorado through their leadership and advocacy.
Members of the hall represent a diverse range of backgrounds, educations, careers, political philosophies, and religious beliefs. The common thread among inductees is their outstanding contributions to society.
“The lives of these extraordinary women are shining examples of what can be achieved with passion, commitment, spirit, and the willingness to stand tall in the face of obstacles,” notes the Women in the Hall web page. “They are trailblazers, visionaries, women of courage, glass-ceiling breakers, innovators, and rule changers in all walks of life. Their contributions span Colorado’s colorful and storied history, reach to its four corners, and have spread to touch our nation and our world.”
Susanne Jalbert: Global gender equity advocate
Jalbert has leveraged her two graduate degrees from CSU’s School of Education – an M.Ed. in vocational education and a Ph.D. in education and human resource studies – into an international career of significant impact. She currently serves as the Chief of Party of the United States Agency of International Development (USAID)-Iraq Durable Communities and Economic Opportunities project implemented by Chemonics International. Over the past 30 years, she has shared her expertise in economic development in more than 50 countries to empower women in creating more equitable, safe lives for themselves, their families, and their communities.
“A veteran gender justice activist, her international work has focused on countries broken by war, political transition, and instability,” her profile noted. Her career has included ground-breaking research to address human trafficking and strengthen women entrepreneurs, with notable leadership assignments in Afghanistan, Moldova, and more.
Watch Jalbert in a video by the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame on the Denver7 YouTube channel.
“I am blessed beyond measure for the sheer honor to be recognized for meaningful global work that we ALL do, and to be trusted both here in Colorado and internationally as we strive for equitable justice,” Jalbert said. In Colorado, Jalbert mentors and collaborates with fellow activists who share her passion for peace and security through economic development and gender equity.
“I am humbled, honored, and privileged by the 50 years of support by my husband, my stalwart corps of friends and colleagues, and by my Chemonics International special team,” Jalbert said. “Truly, I hope that the legacy of my work will contribute to equitable empowerment and gender justice and that the next generation will test themselves in an international arena to produce even better results for a fair, safe, secure world.”
Acknowledging the impact of her work, CSU’s Alumni Association named Jalbert the College of Applied Human Sciences (now Health and Human Sciences) 2011 Honor Alumna.
Theodosia Ammons: Trailblazer for women’s education at CSU
In 1895, Ammons co-established the Department of Domestic Economy at Colorado State University with Eliza Routt, a member of the State Board of Agriculture. Ammons began her career at the college as an instructor, was elevated to faculty status by 1900, and was named the dean of woman’s work in 1902. She holds the dual distinctions of being the first faculty member in the department and the first female dean of Colorado State University.
Good company
Ammons and Jalbert are in good company among other CSU inductees in the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame. Notable members include:
- Eliza Routt was the first female member of the State Board of Agriculture. She was instrumental in hiring Ammons to lead the Department of Domestic Economy in 1895. Routt obtained the funds to build CSU’s Guggenheim Hall of the Household Arts (now the home of the Department of Construction Management) which opened in 1910. Routt Hall on campus is named for her and she is memorialized along with Ammons in the stained glass windows in Guggenheim.
- Polly Baca (’62) is a current member of CSU System Board of Governors.
- Ellie Gilfoyle (L.H.D., ’77) served CSU from 1981-2000 in roles including professor and department head, Occupational Therapy; dean, College of Health and Human Sciences; and was CSU’s first female Provost/Academic Vice President.
- Temple Grandin is a CSU professor of animal sciences and world-renowned expert in both animal welfare and autism. She was named to the Time 100 list of people who most affect our world.
- Dorothy Horrell (’73, ’78, ’92) is a former member of CSU System Board of Governors.
- Diana Wall is a University Distinguished Professor in biology and director of CSU’s School of Global Environmental Sustainability; she formerly served as director of Natural Renewable Energy Laboratory and Provost/Academic Vice President.
Today, Ammons’s legacy in the fields represented in so-called “women’s work” shape human health and wellbeing across the lifespan through the education, research, and outreach in CSU’s College of Health and Human Sciences. The college conducts ground-breaking research and prepares students for impactful careers in the fields of human development and family studies; nutrition and food science; physical, mental, and behavioral health; education; apparel and merchandising; hospitality management; fermentation science and technology; family and consumer sciences; interior architecture and design; occupational therapy; social work; and more.
Beyond CSU, Ammons is remembered as an advocate for women’s suffrage and for her leadership in developing the model cottage at the Colorado Chautauqua in Boulder.
Ammons has been celebrated as a trailblazer for the fields and people she championed. Ammons and other women leaders who shaped the College of Health and Human Sciences were included in a history and video commemorating CSU’s sesquicentennial in 2020. Watch a video about Ammons by the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame on the Denver7 YouTube channel.
The Papers of Theodosia Ammons are held by the CSU Libraries and have been digitized and are available in the online digital repository, Mountain Scholar. “It’s very exciting to know that her papers will be accessible to a much wider audience,” said Vicky Lopez-Terrill, with Archives and Special Collections at CSU Libraries.
“As was typical throughout her life,” her Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame Profile notes, “Ammons broke barriers with her independent acquisition of knowledge, professional achievements, activism, and leadership.”
CSU’s College of Health and Human Sciences is proud to feature alumni stories. Keep in touch through social media, and share your personal and career updates.