Three Tulanians honored for leadership and service

The Tulane Emeritus Club celebrated a trio of distinguished alumni whose lives of service, leadership and dedication to the university reflect the very best of Tulane.

At the Emeritus Club’s 50th Reunion & Awards Ceremony, the club presented the Outstanding Emeritus Alumni/ae Award to Hon. Victoria Reggie Kennedy (NC ’76, L ’79) and Mark Oswald (A&S ’76), while Jimmy Nieset (A&S ’64, L ’67) received the Dan Hurley Emeritus Award.

The awards recognize alumni for their professional accomplishments and commitment to Tulane.

The honorees were recognized on May 14, during the 50th Reunion & Emeritus Club Induction Cocktail Party and Dinner at the Audubon Tea Room.

Hon. Victoria Reggie Kennedy’s (NC ’76, L ’79) journey from Newcomb College to international diplomacy, law and civic leadership began with professors who recognized her potential before she fully saw it herself.

She remembers one faculty member in particular, English Professor Gardner Taplin: “I wanted him to write a recommendation for me to go to graduate school in English. And he said no,” Kennedy said. “He said, ‘because I think you’re not thinking of all the possibilities.’ He said, ‘You should be a lawyer. You should look at law school, and it will open up these possibilities for you.’

“…I thought I could be anything, but I just hadn’t thought of everything I could be… You talk about a glass ceiling — I’d set my own. And Gardner Taplin told me to think bigger.”

Armed with her Newcomb and Tulane Law degrees, Kennedy has built a distinguished career as an attorney, advocate and diplomat. From 2022 to 2025, she served as United States ambassador to Austria. Before entering diplomatic service, she practiced corporate law, advised domestic and international clients, and helped establish the Edward M. Kennedy Institute and served as its board president.

Throughout her career, Kennedy has remained guided by a commitment to civic participation, democracy and expanding opportunity for others.

“I’m focused very much on issues of democracy and participation in the political process,” Kennedy said. “I remain focused on equal opportunity for everybody and to making sure everyone has a seat at the table.”

Receiving the Outstanding Emeritus Alumnae Award is especially meaningful for Kennedy as she returns for her 50th reunion and her induction into the Tulane Law Hall of Fame. “I’m deeply honored,” Kennedy said.

Mark Oswald (A&S ’76) arrived at Tulane planning to pursue pre-med. Instead, his future began to take shape in an unexpected place: his fraternity’s kitchen. As steward, he managed meals and operations for fellow students — a role that sparked an interest in hospitality he hadn’t anticipated. A job waiting tables in the French Quarter soon reinforced that instinct. “When I was graduating, I knew I wanted to open my own business.” 

Today, he and his wife, Nancy, are co-owners of Sizzling Steak Concepts, one of the largest domestic franchisees of Ruth’s Chris Steak House restaurants in the country. Together, they oversee 11 restaurants across the Southeast and developed the rooftop dining and cocktail concept UP on the Roof, building one of the region’s most successful hospitality portfolios.

Even as his career flourished, Oswald’s connection to Tulane remained constant. Over the decades, he has served on the Tulane University Associates Board, the A. B. Freeman School of Business Council and the Atlanta National Campaign Council. He is now chairing his 50th Reunion.

The Oswalds are also known for hosting Hello Wave events in Atlanta, welcoming incoming students and families. For many, those gatherings provide a first introduction to the Tulane community — and to the spirit of hospitality the Oswalds embody. Through the Oswald Endowed Entrepreneurial Hospitality Fund and support for the Freeman School’s Hospitality Management and Entrepreneurship Certificate, they have invested in future leaders.

“Giving is important to me,” Oswald said. “I think it’s the responsibility of a graduate to support the university that helped shape you.”

While Jimmy Nieset (A&S ’64, L ’67) meets the five-decade requirement for Emeritus membership, he’s been a Tulanian for much longer.

He recalls playing on Tulane’s uptown campus as a child while his father served as chair of the university’s biophysics program. And he never really left — to Tulane’s great benefit. Now, he is the recipient of the Dan Hurley Emeritus Award, which honors individuals who demonstrate exceptional dedication to the university.

Nieset earned his undergraduate degree in physics from Tulane before continuing to Tulane Law School. His family’s ties to the university span generations: his wife, Mercedes “Mercy” Plauché Nieset (NC ’66), is a Newcomb alumna, all four of their children are Tulane graduates and one grandson is now a student-athlete on the Green Wave football team.

“I feel a strong sense of ‘Thank you,’ and of paying it forward to Tulane. I have always wanted to be involved where I could be helpful,” said Nieset, who has long been a supportive donor to the university.

His impact has been profound. Over the years, he’s served on the President’s Council, the Law Dean’s Advisory Board, the Associates’ Board, as president of the Emeritus Club, and more than a dozen other boards that have touched every aspect of the university from financial guidance to sports to reunions — and everything in between. He was inducted this year into the Tulane Law Hall of Fame.

Today, Nieset continues to support Tulane through his volunteer work with the Tulane Institute on Water Resources Law and Policy, where he mentors students, contributes research and shares decades of legal expertise.

“I hope other retired alumni could help contribute to the educational mission of Tulane. It is one of my happiest experiences,” he said.

Together, Oswald, Kennedy and Nieset represent different paths, professions and generations of Tulanians — but all share a lifelong commitment to service, community and giving back.

Their recognition by the Emeritus Club reflects not only individual achievement but the enduring impact of alumni who continue to shape Tulane long after graduation.