Faith & Service Networking Event Inspires Young Alumni

10/20/2017

On Wednesday, October 18, the Faith & Service Committee of the President's Leadership Council (PLC) hosted “Staying Grounded: Your Career,” a faith-based professional networking event for young alumni at Luxbar in Chicago. A panel of accomplished Loyola community members from various industries discussed how they have made faith an integral part of their everyday life.

The evening began with a welcome from Director of Alumni Relations Meghan Huffman Brennan ’07. After Brennan thanked guests and the PLC Faith & Service committee, Loyola Academy President Rev. Patrick E. McGrath, SJ, reminded alumni and panelists about the common values shared by members of the Loyola community—namely, to seek to be and do more in all our endeavors.

Panelists included:

Phil Kenny, Jr. '96, vice president, Midwest Construction Practice at Willis Towers Watson
Steve King, current parent, Loyola Academy Board of Trustee and founding partner at Prairie Capital
Nancy Paridy, current parent, Loyola Academy Board of Trustee and SVP, Chief Administrative Officer at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
Dr. Phil Sheridan ’78, current parent and founder of Mobile Care Chicago
Katie Lawler, current parent and SVP, Chief Human Resources Officer at ITW

The program was moderated by Saly Sebastian ’06, who posed questions such as “How do you stay grounded in your fast-paced, often stressful work environments?” and “How do you practice and give voice to your faith?”

Next, Sebastian introduced a round table format and asked panelists to rotate between tables among the crowd. In this more intimate format, panelists discussed the consistency of their faith lives, social responsibility in business, career fulfillment and “contemplatives in action,” a Jesuit phrase used to describe those who utilize prayerful reflection to guide their actions.

Before the conclusion of the night, panelists advised young alumni to stay focused early in their careers, to explore their potential and to take their faith with them when they leave for work.

A special thank you to PLC Faith & Service Committee Volunteers:

Rory Kenny ’06, PLC Chairman
Saly Sebastian ’06, PLC Executive Board Member - Moderator and Lead for event
Ali Wehmer ’07, PLC Committee Faith & Service Committee Member
Brian Daly ’10, Rose Broccolo ’11, Biz Kearney ’06 - PLC Committee Faith & Service Committee Members
Estelle Pappas ’11, PLC Committee Faith & Service Committee Member