Dr. Mary McCourt, Jada Pierce Honored for Empowering Women

Dr. Mary McCourt, professor of chemistry at Niagara University, and Jada Pierce, head coach of the Niagara women's basketball program, are among the outstanding women being honored by the YWCA of the Niagara Frontier at its 2024 Niagara Awards: A Tribute to Women, Oct. 22, 2024.

Dr. McCourt, a well-known and respected scientist with extensive experience in the medical research field, is being honored in the Health and Human Services category. A member of Niagara's faculty since 1999, she has inspired and mentored students who collaborate with her in groundbreaking research.

Dr. McCourt holds 14 patents for the Cholestosome^TM technology, which is moving toward commercialization. Her critical expert areas include computational chemistry and molecular modeling, cancer-targeted drug design, and structural biology with emphasis on lipids. Her main areas of research are the development of Cholestosome^TM technology and urine-based biomarker analysis for diagnostic screens focused on breast cancer and Alzheimer's disease. Dr. McCourt was the recipient of the Schoellkopf Medal in 2020 and is the holder of the Michael, '60, and Aimee Kakos Endowed Chair of Chemistry.

Jada Pierce is being recognized in the Education category for her dedication to coaching and developing her student-­athletes to be as successful off the court as they are on it. Now in her 10^th season as coach, Pierce has risen the program to a new level, leading the Purple Eagles to their first two Division I postseason appearances and first-ever D1 postseason win in the first round of the 2024 WNIT.

Pierce has built a reputation as a dynamic player developer while creating effective defensive schemes throughout her coaching career, with stops as an assistant at programs in the Atlantic 10, Patriot League, Northeast Conference, MAAC, and America East, as well as head coaching experience at the Division II level. She has coached 30 all-conference players, one Player of the Year, three Defensive Players of the Year, one Sixth Player of the Year, 53 all-academic honorees, two WNBA players and assisted four programs to five NCAA Tournament berths.

The Niagara Awards program was created in 1997 to recognize women who have made significant contributions to Niagara and Erie counties specific to the YWCA's mission of empowering women, eliminating racism, and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all.