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As a student at St. Joseph’s Academy, Melanie Rose ’71 was so respected by her classmates that they named her the Outstanding Graduate of the Class of 1971. She would go on to Louisiana State University, where she was one of a handful of women to earn a degree in computer science. Melanie joined IBM Corporation in 1974, holding various positions in systems engineering, product development and product management. She wrote software for one of the first ATM installations, worked on a team that spearheaded IBM’s entry into internet banking and helped roll out new storage virtualization technology (the predecessor to cloud computing). After a stellar 31-year career as a pioneer and role model in the field of technology, Melanie retired in 2005 as a vice president of product management.

After serving as a consultant for two high-tech startups, Melanie retired in earnest in 2009, turning her focus and energies to philanthropy.

With the American Red Cross, Melanie served on the board of directors of the Connecticut/Rhode Island Chapter, worked as the coordinator of disaster volunteers for more than 300 people and served on the Disaster Action Team handling local fires, floods and snowstorms. After relocating to south Florida in 2015, she now serves as a disaster volunteer, instructor and shelter supervisor, deploying nationally following Hurricane Irma, Hurricane Ida, Hurricane Ian, the Miami building collapse and the school shooting at Sandy Hook.

Melanie co-founded Perna-Rose Foundation for Hope in 2009. She serves as president of the foundation, which supports organizations that provide food, clothing, shelter, healthcare, education and assistance for women in business. She is active with a number of the organizations Perna-Rose Foundation supports, including a nonprofit that assists the underserved in Nicaragua; Champions for Learning, where she serves on the Teacher Grant Review Committee and is a judge for the High School Entrepreneurial Program in the Collier County School District; Masaii Girls Education Foundation, which provides high school and college scholarships to Kenyan young women; Fostering Success, which supports nearly 1,000 children and young adults in foster care through tutoring, mentoring, school supplies and enrichment programs; and Grace Place, teaching digital literacy to adults.

Melanie is also passionate about animal welfare. She is an avid supporter of Everglades Angels, which rescues dogs that have been abandoned in the Florida Everglades. She also visited patients at the Naples Community Hospital with her dog, Rocco, with whom she partnered as a pet therapy team.

After graduating from St. Joseph’s Academy, Amy Cyrex Sins ’94 attended Loyola University New Orleans, earning a degree in communications in 1998. Twenty-five years later, Loyola would name her the recipient of its 2023 Integritas Vitae Award, one of the highest honors the university bestows. The accolade recognizes those living a “life of integrity.”

Among the defining moments of Amy’s life took place as Hurricane Katrina barreled ashore in south Louisiana. When the levees around New Orleans failed, Amy lost everything to the flood waters. In the days and weeks that followed, as she was often helped by strangers, Amy became determined to “pay it forward.” She developed a plan for quick and effective disaster relief and eventually founded Fill the Needs, a nonprofit which mobilizes a network of partners and volunteers to assess and coordinate resources to immediately impact the lives of people facing natural and man-made disasters. Fill the Needs then supports ongoing relief efforts through funding, supplies and support.

In the months following Hurricane Katrina, Amy wrote Ruby Slippers Cookbook to chronical life in her beloved New Orleans. She also began to focus on what she wanted to do with her life. Reading the story of Madame Langlois, who cooked for the French governor of Louisiana in the early 1700s, Amy decided to leave her sales and marketing career to pursue her passion for cooking, teaching and entertaining. She renovated an 1860s building in the Marigny and opened Langlois in 2012. The restaurant/cooking school was billed as an “interactive Cajun and Creole dining experience.”

With its success, Amy decided to evolve past Langlois’ brick-and-mortar confines and, with her team, take the show on the road, hosting interactive demonstrations and corporate teambuilding VIP events. Amy is a sought-after inspirational speaker, known for her compelling talks on leadership, problem-solving and disaster relief. Drawing from her personal experiences and extensive work in disaster management, Amy inspires business groups to lead with resilience and creativity.

Amy is also a Louisiana culinary historian and radio show host. In addition to Fill the Needs, she is involved with several New Orleans charities, including Son of a Saint and Second Harvest Food Bank. She has been honored as a “Southerner of the Year” by Southern Living magazine, a Les Dames D'Escoffier Woman of Purpose nominee, a Global New Orleans Citizen Diplomat of the Year and a 2023 State of Louisiana Champion of Service Award winner.