Table for Eight: Dine with Davidson Women
We鈥檙e delighted to introduce Table for Eight: Dine with Davidson Women, a series of alumnae-hosted dinners designed to bring Davidson women together for conversation, connection and community building.
Table for Eight brings together Davidson women across generations for a shared meal and meaningful dialogue around personal experiences, mentorship, career journeys and life within and beyond our Davidson connections.
Eight women. One table. Countless insights.
Opportunities to participate will be posted on this webpage and pushed out via email to alums in each event鈥檚 respective area.
鈥淭able for Eight provides a warm and welcoming opportunity to create connections across generations of Davidson women.鈥 Here's what others had to say:
鈥淭here is something about Davidson that attracts genuine, thoughtful and compassionate people. I loved hearing inter-generational stories of other women's experiences while attending Davidson and felt immediately connected to my group. This type of intimate gathering is so special ... and so needed right now!鈥
鈥淚 felt so much synergy and warmth from just women sharing space. Even through our varied life paths, we still found so much connection, shared experiences and shared laughs about our time at Davidson and life after. I am so honored I got to attend and the experience will stay with me forever.鈥
鈥淚 really enjoyed getting to connect with Davidson women across multiple generations. It was fun to hear about everyone's Davidson experience and talk about life phases, careers paths, family, and more. A wonderful experience!鈥
鈥淓ight women gathered around a shared table鈥 By the end, there was a sense of something both new and familiar taking shape鈥 an unmistakable feeling that this connection was worth tending, that friendships could grow here, and that the conversation was only just beginning.鈥
鈥淛oining Davidson women of all ages through the Table for Eight program was such a treasure. It provided the opportunity to step back and reflect upon the value of my Davidson experience鈥 I left the dinner excited to reconnect further with Davidson and so thankful for the opportunity to connect with other Davidson women in the Hampton Roads community.鈥
鈥淩emember those conversations with your girlfriends sitting in the hallway of Belk or over the dinner table at Rusk? The ones that laid the foundation for what would become group chats and wedding parties and the relationships you treasure to this day鈥 Table for Eight is the best grown up version of that 鈥 with the added benefit of collective decades of wisdom and stories and generosity (and better wine).鈥
鈥淭his was a wonderful opportunity and all of the women were extremely welcoming and vulnerable which made for a very meaningful connection and conversation.鈥
Want to Host?
If you are interested in hosting a Table for Eight event in your area, please email Deidra Smith, senior director of alumni & family engagement, at desmith1@davidson.edu or Marya Howell 鈥91, senior major gifts officer, women鈥檚 philanthropy, at mahowell@davidson.edu.
Please note: Due to the intimate, small size of each dinner, attendees will be selected at random from all who express interest. This process helps us ensure a rich mix of class years and backgrounds is represented at the table. Everyone who expresses interest will be notified of their selection status.
The Table for Eight series is co-hosted by the Office of Alumni & Family Engagement and Women ACT.
Past Events
- Lake Norman, NC (Davidson): 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, hosted by Eleanor Cross Young 鈥01 and Ginny Newell 鈥78 (two separate dinners). Both events were full.
- San Francisco, CA: 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 26, 2026, hosted by Alison Hall Mauze 鈥84
and Olivia Ware 鈥79. This event is full. - Washington, DC: 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, hosted by Elizabeth Franklin Keeler 鈥89
and Annabelle Ross 鈥24. This event is full. - Charlotte, NC: 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, one hosted by Ameesha Pandya Kansupada 鈥89 and Mary Margaret Cochrane Porter 鈥98 and one hosted by Berkeley Harris Gardner '91. Both events are full.
- Atlanta, GA: 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, one hosted by Judy Harris 鈥80 and Allie Hay '24 and one hosted by Patti Phillips Clark '77. Both events are full.
- Norfolk, VA: 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, hosted by Gigi Cooke Tysinger 鈥91 and Mary Chester Wasko 鈥79. This event is full.