This series recognizes distinguished Holy Cross alumni/ae who exemplify the College's dedication to the integration of faith and learning. The alumni are invited to speak about their own profession, vocation, and the ethical opportunities and challenges faced there.
McFarland Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture at Holy Cross
College of the Holy Cross alumnus Broderick Johnson '78 returns to campus to speak about his work in the White House as Assistant to President Obama, Cabinet Secretary and Chair of the My Brother's Keeper Task Force, which creates educational and mentoring opportunities for boys and young men of color. A panel of students — Greyson Ford ’16, Jewel Duberry-Douglas ’18, Lance Madden ’18, Isaiah Baker ’16, and Marcellis Perkins ’19 — prepared questions for Mr. Johnson ranging from educational policy and STEM to criminal justice reform.
A graduate of the Holy Cross Class of 1958, James J. O'Connor is the retired chairman and CEO of Commonwealth Edison, Illinois' largest utility company, and is co-chairman of the Big Shoulders Fund, a charity that supports 93 Catholic schools and 24,000 students in inner-city Chicago. He reflects on his Holy Cross days, lessons learned in the corporate world, and the importance of giving back.
Mark Shriver '86 is senior vice president of U.S. programs for Save the Children and author of the 2012 memoir "A Good Man: Rediscovering My Father, Sargent Shriver." In this talk, he tells personal stories about his dad, who is known for founding the Peace Corps, Jobs Corps, VISTA and Head Start, and directing the War on Poverty in the 1960s. Rev. Anthony Kuzniewski, S.J., professor of history at Holy Cross, offers a historical account of Sargent Shriver's life.
Past president and CEO of OFI Investments, Inc., a subsidiary of Oppenheimer Funds, Donna Winn '76 talks about perseverance in the face of adversity. She was a member of the first co-ed class to graduate Holy Cross, she became a pioneer in the male-dominated finance industry, she survived the 9-11 attacks on the World Trade Center, and she is battling ovarian cancer. Winn is a member of the Holy Cross Board of Trustees.
In the Thomas More Lecture on Work, Faith and Civic Life, Maria Eugenia Ferré Rangel '89 explains how her family history and Holy Cross experience gave her the ethical foundation and business acumen to successfully lead Puerto Rico's largest daily newspaper, El Nuevo Dia, and to find ways to serve the greater good.
Dennis Golden '63 talks about his path from Holy Cross student-athlete to president of Fontbonne University and offers advice for students exploring vocation.
Philanthropist and capital venture investor B.J. Cassin '55 gives the Thomas More Lecture on Faith, Work and Civic Life, September 24, 2009.
Chief Justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court, John T. Broderick, Jr., a member of the Holy Cross Class of 1969, shares lessons learned on his life's path.