Class of: 1984

Debra Michals

Debra Michals (COM’84) of Newburyport, Mass., published her first book, She’s the Boss: The Rise of Women’s Entrepreneurship since World War II (Rutgers University Press, 2025). “The book traces forces that have pushed and pulled women from the labor market into business ownership over the past 80 years, beginning with the end of World War II,” she writes. Debra is an associate professor and chair of humanities at Merrimack College.

From the Winter-Spring 2026 issue.