Faith, Family, and Philanthropy as Legacy: Frances ‘Kay’ Pitts ’96

This Alumni of Distinction profile was originally published in Universitas 2025-26, Notre Dame of Maryland University’s award-winning magazine.

“The world needs the best you, and Notre Dame helped bring that out in me.”

When Frances “Kay” Pitts ’96 looks back on her journey, she sees a life shaped by faith, resilience, and service. She spent a lifetime answering the call to serve. Her legacy is one of devotion — to her patients, her family, and her community.

Her path into nursing began through a community college work-study job that led her to pediatrics at Baltimore City Hospital (now Johns Hopkins Bayview). “I just loved nursing,” she recalled. Drawn to both the technical and personal sides of care, she later moved into labor and delivery and dreamed of
becoming a midwife.

While working in maternal and child health, Pitts became a vocal advocate for nurses’ rights, pushing for shared governance and representation. “I didn’t let up,” she said of the effort, a phrase that has echoed throughout her career. She later served on hospital planning committees, helping design new obstetric care facilities and ensuring nurses’ voices were part of the process.

The journey to becoming a midwife required perseverance. After years of balancing work, family, and caregiving responsibilities all while studying part-time at NDMU’s Weekend College, Pitts earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing. “I believe I was the best me I could have been at that point in my career,” she said. “Notre Dame helped me become the fearless leader I was meant to be.” With her husband Jim’s encouragement, she continued to Georgetown, became a certified nurse-midwife, and helped establish Mercy Medical Center’s inpatient midwifery program.

The most profound influence on Pitts’s life was her late son Michael, whose complex medical and developmental needs reshaped her understanding of advocacy. She became an early champion for children with disabilities, working to ensure access to education and services long before inclusion was common practice.

That advocacy evolved into lasting philanthropy. Through the Pitts Family Foundation, Kay and Jim Pitts have invested in organizations that reflect their guiding principles. “Our foundation is built around three hallmarks: religion, medicine, and education.” Pitts said. “Those guide everything we do.” Their support has strengthened nursing leadership, expanded educational opportunities, and improved care for individuals with disabilities.

Together, Kay and Jim Pitts have made a transformative impact at NDMU. As co-chairs of the University’s Go Beyond Campaign, they helped raise $50 million to advance NDMU’s mission. Their generosity is visible across campus, including The Gathering Place in the Knott Science and Innovation Center and the Frances Kay Pitts ’96 Endowed Chair for Nursing Leadership in Women and Children’s Health. The endowed chair has strengthened nursing scholarship at NDMU, enabling international research partnerships and innovative projects addressing intimate partner violence and human trafficking. That commitment reflects a belief that has stayed with Pitts throughout her life: “The world needs the best you,” Pitts said. “And Notre Dame helped bring that out in me.”

In addition to their work at NDMU, the Pitts Family Foundation has supported initiatives at Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC), where Pitts spent 27 years of unwavering dedication as a maternal and child health nurse. The hospital honored her with the Visionary Women award in 2025, which recognizes women whose contributions have significantly shaped GBMC with their leadership, innovation, and dedication to patient care. Additionally, the foundation’s philanthropy has also transformed services at Penn-Mar Human Services through the Career Ladders program, a nationally recognized workforce development model.

Pitts’s leadership has been widely recognized, including honors from Carroll Hospital Center’s Women in Philanthropy program and NDMU’s Service to Society Award. Through it all, Pitts has relied on her faith. “We believe the Lord has a path for our life, and He always intervenes to show us the way,” she said.

Guided by faith and grounded in service, Kay Pitts’s legacy can be seen in hospital hallways, college classrooms, and the lives of individuals with disabilities receiving compassionate care. It is a legacy built not only on generosity, courage, and advocacy, but on the enduring values of faith, family, and service — a true reflection of NDMU’s values and the power of an alumna who never stopped leading.

Established in 1895, Notre Dame of Maryland University (NDMU) is a private, Catholic institution in Baltimore, Maryland, with the mission to educate leaders to transform the world. Notre Dame has been named one of the best “Regional Universities North” by U.S. News & World Report.