Honoring the Memory of Catarina Castruccio-Prince

1/4/2022

We were saddened to learn that our dear colleague, Catarina Castruccio-Prince, passed away on December 22, 2021. Catarina joined the Mullan Institute in early 2020 and quickly became a beloved member of our team. She is terribly missed by us all.

Please join us in sharing your stories and memories.

Catarina Heart Award

One of the ways we are honoring Catarina's memory is through the creation of the Catarina Heart Award. This award honors a team member who goes above and beyond to make the Mullan Institute a welcoming, collegial environment. While specific work duties are a critical part of the functioning of the Institute, this award seeks to celebrate the activities and attitude outside of those day-to-day professional accomplishments. Catarina embodied a spirit of support and enthusiasm for her colleagues, and the recipient of this award continues that legacy in their interactions with their colleagues and the larger community.

Awardees

2023 Awardees: Andrea Jenkins and Katie Webster
2022 Awardees: Randl Dent, Shadelle Yancey, and Margaret Ziemann

19 Comments

Clese Erikson

1/4/2022 04:17:13 pm

I was so shocked and saddened to learn that Catarina died. She brought such joie de vivre to her work and had an exceptional ability to connect with people. I have probably zoomed with her more than anyone else and it seems surprising that we have only met in person a handful of times. It would have been impossible to launch our SAMHSA grant without her and she made it so much fun for us all.

Polly Pittman

1/5/2022 02:05:29 pm

We are all still in shock and pain, after learning about our dear Catarina's death during the holiday break.

Catarina worked on three major Institute projects: the behavioral workforce project, the contraception and abortion workforce project, and the Residency Fellowship in Health Policy. In each she galvanized the project organization and quickly become beloved by her teammates. Despite the last two year of virtual work, Catarina managed to make deep connections with so many Institute staff.

In discussing ways we could honor her memory, the team proposed a Mullan Institute "Heart Award" in honor of Catarina's tremendous warmth and good will. The award will be given annually to an Institute member who has embodied this spirit, and will consist of a gift certificate for two people to one the restaurants on her long list of DC favorites.

We will miss Catarina's calm sense of purpose and her good cheer.

Our hearts go out to her husband Brendon and her family and friends.

Anne Markus

1/6/2022 12:39:13 pm

Catarina's passing is so tragic and incomprehensible. I didn't know Catarina very well but I do remember seeing her on zoom meetings with the department. We will miss her dearly.

Sending my warm felt condolences to Catarina's husband, her family, her close colleagues and her friends.

Toyese Oyeyemi

1/6/2022 03:12:41 pm

Catarina was a vibrant light and I immediately reflect on how her energy was so strong and influential. The time I spent with her was short but cherished and valued. We miss her already but she continues to live on through our memory of who she was in this world.

Candice Chen

1/6/2022 03:53:55 pm

Catarina had the most amazing ability to make connections and find joy in every day moments. One of the few times we were able to get together in person this past year, I brought homemade Magnolia Bakery banana pudding cups. She shared that she loved the Magnolia Bakery - she used to stop there on the regular going home from work - and she gave the recipe a thumbs up. So I'm sharing the recipe, which I will now always connect with Catarina and the joy that she brought to us and to every day.

https://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/magnolia-bakerys-famous-banana-pudding/

Randl Dent

1/7/2022 04:55:56 pm

The first word that comes to mind when I think of Catarina is: fun. She brought so much fun and joy to our work. She was the first to come up with fun zoom games for our team to get to know each other better and build camaraderie. I certainly will miss Catarina’s joyfulness and especially, her awesome laugh.

Sending my deepest sympathies to Catarina’s husband and the rest of her family.

Emily Bass

1/7/2022 08:39:21 pm

The thing I liked most about Catarina was that she was always doing something interesting. We were once talking about having pen pals when we were younger and she introduced me to Postcrossing (www.postcrossing.com/). It is a site where you can send postcards and receive postcards back from random people around the world. She had been doing this for years and it seemed really fun and like the grownup edition of pen pals to me.

Sharon White

1/10/2022 01:49:09 pm

I will always remember how much joy and light heartedness Catarina brought to work. And also how darn organized she was! She was the ClickUp guru and shared so many tips and tricks. She always had time to help you with any questions on how she was doing some new neat trick in ClickUp. She really enjoyed helping other people and having fun while doing it.

Sending heartfelt condolences to Catarina's husband and family.

Elena Wittman

1/10/2022 02:27:56 pm

I'm lost for words. I was just exchanging emails with Catarina on Dec.21st and I now find out she passed on 22nd. I did not know her personally but it was a pleasure to be working with her online. She was always so prompt and efficient... I really dont know what to say now... Deep condolences to her family...

Katherine Steele

1/10/2022 02:55:29 pm

May she rest in peace. My sympathy to her family and colleagues.

Victoria Schoebel

1/12/2022 06:11:45 pm

Catarina will be so greatly missed. Although I only briefly saw her every other week, it was enough to know that Catarina was an incredible person and colleague. I always looked forward to the positive and comforting energy she radiated. She was always on top of things and made Zoom meetings much more bearable. My heart aches over this news and I'm sending my deepest sympathies to her family and friends.

Jason Morgan

1/21/2022 07:02:24 pm

Sorry, I'm not part of the GW community, but I have to drop a note anyways. I knew Catarina quite well 10 years ago in Los Angeles. She is the *last* person I would've expected to pass away so young. I imagine she brought a lot to your workforce. I loved talking with her -- she was so lively. Rest in peace.

(Trecy) Sharon Spencer

1/26/2022 11:52:00 pm

This is such sad news. I knew her as a little baby girl as my mother worked for her family. My heart goes out to all her loved ones. Rest in peace Catarina. Love you always.

Kevin Harrell

1/28/2022 04:29:39 pm

I think about Cat every single day since hearing about her sudden passing. My husband Bryan and Cat worked together at the Getty, and of course, Cat became one of our closest friends. I'm going to miss her. RIP bright light.

Rachel Waple

2/1/2022 11:25:51 am

Just learning about this and in shock and sadden, she was a pleasure to work with. Sending thoughts, prayers and condolences to her family and friends.

Margaret (Maggie) Pruitt

2/6/2022 08:54:50 pm

Catarina was truly a delight to work with! She will be missed among the Residency Fellowship in Health Policy community. I would like to extend my heartfelt condolences to her family during this difficult time.

Karen Jennings Crooms

2/15/2022 02:14:13 pm

I am just seeing this. How? Very sad and shocking news... Catarina was a beautiful, kind and magnanimous soul; loved and adored by all in the school of business where we worked together. I will not forget her kindness, her stories, and her love for family. I will remember her penchant for organization and her innate ability and willingness to spread joy wherever she was. Rest in eternal love, my friend.

Julia Strasser

2/23/2022 01:36:49 pm

Catarina and I started our jobs at MI about a week apart and soon became friends over Zoom, chat, text, or any way we could connect. She always knew the right person, restaurant, city, event, or museum to recommend. I will always remember her fondly as someone who could make everything from the smallest events to major milestones feel special. She loved the cherry blossoms in DC, and as an Institute, we have adopted a cherry tree on the National Mall in her memory.

Drishti

3/21/2022 06:43:03 pm

Catarina and I both started working full time at Mullan at around the same time in early 2020. She was the project manager for one of the projects I was on and was such a bright and joyful presence to be around. We quickly connected on many levels; her NY Times pasta sauce recipe is still my go-to.... I left Mullan in early 2021 but continued to stay in touch with Catarina through the summer of 2021.... I'm just so shocked and heartbroken to learn of her passing. I will always miss Catarina and I wish her loved ones prayers and healing; please know that she made an impact on everyone she crossed paths with.

In Memory of Catarina Castruccio-Prince