Madison, Wis. (September 27, 2024) – Edgewood College recently announced the six remarkable alumni who were honored at this year’s Alumni Awards celebration. Their stories, while rich and varied, are all marked by a commitment to service and a commitment to creating a more just and compassionate world.
Distinguished Alumni Award recipients are Eileen Harrington ’77, and Mark Lowry ’77. This award acknowledges the accomplishments of an alum who has achieved excellence in their professional career and has demonstrated a commitment to ethical leadership, service, and search for truth.
The Dominican Mission Award recipients are Christina Heltsley, O.P. ’81, and Peggy Weber ’90, MSN ’07. The Dominican Mission Award recognizes an alum who has shown a commitment to social justice or a history of extraordinary volunteer service in the community, country or the world.
This year’s Promise Award recipients are Mathias Lemos Castillo ’18, and Emily (Ciha) Jacobson ’07. The Promise Award recognizes an alum, 40 years of age or younger, who is a gifted leader and has achieved a high level of success through professional accomplishments and service to the College, or to their community.
Eileen Harrington is a lifelong advocate for justice. A Madison native, Eileen grew up two miles from the Edgewood campus and was educated by Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters at Our Lady Queen of Peace, Edgewood High School, and Edgewood College, where she earned her B.A. summa cum laude in History and Social Sciences. Following college, Eileen moved to Washington, D.C., where she earned her law degree and pursued a career in public service.
Eileen spent 33 years serving the public as an attorney, leader, and senior executive. At the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), she enforced consumer protection laws and wrote rules to regulate franchisors, funeral homes, telemarketing, advertising, financial services, commercial email, and online commerce. In 1992, she was promoted into the Federal Senior Executive Service, and over the following 20 years held the most senior positions at the FTC, including Deputy Director and Director of its Bureau of Consumer Protection, and as the FTC’s Executive Director. In 2009-2010, Eileen deployed to the U.S. Small Business Administration as its Chief Operating Officer to help capital-starved small businesses recover from the Great Recession.
President Clinton conferred on Eileen the highest recognition given to U.S. civil servants, the rank of Distinguished Executive. Eileen also received the Service to America Medal for creating the federal Do-Not-Call regime. While living in Washington, D.C., Eileen served on the board of the YWCA, supporting its work to empower women and end racism; served as a volunteer and board member of the DC Coalition to End Homelessness; and volunteered at a shelter for women and children victimized by domestic violence.
Eileen and her wife, Nadya Aswad, moved to Madison in late 2012. Eileen has taught public policy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Edgewood College, and has been a law professor at the University of Arizona College of Law. Eileen served the City of Madison as Chair of the Taskforce on Government Structure and has volunteered for the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County. She also is a very active member of the Northside Action Team, which works to register voters and support progressive candidates and issues.
Mark Lowry is the Founder and President of the National Golf Player Development Foundation, inspiring young people of color to become purpose-driven players in the game of golf.
Mark’s background includes a twenty-year career as part of the executive team at The First Tee, a division of The World Golf Foundation. At the internationally recognized youth development and golf organization, Mark held various ascending management and leadership positions retiring as VP of Network Management. In his role, Mark managed a team of regional directors responsible for chapter development and organizational support for 140 chapters of The First Tee in every United States region. He was a founding employee and ultimately played a key role in developing multiple organizational strategic initiatives over two decades. Mark operates VOSMCS, LLC, a multipurpose company that focuses on customized youth sports development programs including, but not limited to, golf, strategic planning, and management solutions for businesses, LLCs, LLPs, nonprofits, and for-profit organizations and companies.
Mark has held several management positions in both the public and private sector including Chicago Public Schools (CPS), Chicago Housing Authority, the City of Chicago, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, and Baxter Laboratories. The development of sports marketing programs and a multifaceted junior golf program at CPS led to his leadership role with The First Tee.
He is a past Board Director of Aspiring Youth of Chicago and served for nine years on the Board of Trustees of Edgewood College. In 1993, Mark was inducted into his alma mater’s Athletics Hall of Fame. Thirty years later, in 2023, Mark was inducted into the African American Golf Hall of Fame.
Mark serves on the American Golf Industry Coalition’s Diversity Task Force, Player Growth and Development Committee, and on the Education and Skill Development Committee. He also serves on the United States National Golf Development Team Task Force.
Christina Heltsley, O.P. was elected in 2023 to serve on the Sinsinawa Dominican Leadership team as Prioress. She earned her BS in Religious Studies degree at Edgewood College. She later went on to receive an MA in Educational Technology from University of San Francisco and an MA in Administration and Supervision from University of Dayton. She earned a doctoral degree in Administration and Leadership from University of San Francisco. In May 2024, she received an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters and delivered the commencement address for the University of San Francisco School of Education.
Sr. Christina has ministered in Illinois, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and California, since professing vows in 1979. Her home parish is St. Pius in Redwood City, California. Christina’s ministry has been dedicated to nonprofit work, and she has devoted herself to a life in service to others.
For more than 20 years, Sr. Christina served as Executive Director at St. Francis Center in Redwood City. Her work there focused on all aspects of the center’s operations that supported the mission of helping families in need to live in dignity and become self-supportive members of the community. This included providing housing, food, and clothing services, which addressed clients’ short-term needs, along with education programs.
Seeing families in need of job skills, English language skills, and high school diplomas, she developed GED and ESL programs in 2007. The following year, she opened the doors of a brand new, environmentally friendly LEED Silver-rated building, which expanded the ability to serve the community. Classroom space was doubled along with a new computer room, increased area for adult learning, and additional low-income housing units. Additionally, as an outcome of her involvement in the Koshland Fellow’s program in 2009, the North Fair Oaks Youth Initiative was developed to train youth, aged 14-22, with leadership skills. Thereafter, she turned her efforts to creating the Siena Youth Center in 2013 which included activities and programs for high school students and adults. In 2014, she purchased two more blighted apartment complexes for renovation, adding 15 more units of desperately needed low-income housing for families.
Her work was recognized in 2009 when she was honored as Redwood City’s “Citizen of the Year,” and in 2015, when she was inducted into San Mateo County’s “Women’s Hall of Fame.”
Peggy Weber’s commitment to nursing started at St. Mary’s Hospital School of Nursing in 1966, when she, along with 51 other nursing students, walked along the shore of Lake Wingra to attend Edgewood College. Peggy graduated in 1969 with a nursing diploma from St. Mary’s and began her nursing career, always with a commitment to the principles of Dominican Catholic Social Teaching.
Peggy was a staff nurse in Psychiatry before transferring to Oncology in 1977 where her lifelong interest in cancer care education began. As part of the cancer team for the hospital, she facilitated the eight-week I Can Cope cancer education groups. Realizing the need for more health and nursing education, she went back to Edgewood College to obtain her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. Professor Nancy Nelson’s Child Development class required three weekly hours of observation of children playing. Peggy asked if she could meet the requirement by developing a cancer children’s support group. Nelson was supportive of the Human Issues Project that applied towards Peggy’s graduation in 1990. The eight-week curriculum, developed for high schoolers, supported three students her children went to school with who were battling cancer. The project eventually launched Kids Can Cope, a St. Mary’s outreach program.
Peggy went on to develop other age-appropriate curriculums for cancer and grief, facilitating children’s groups throughout Dane County. The program received two National Oncology Nursing Society Awards for Excellence in Patient Public Education. The Wisconsin Nurses Association also named Peggy the Psychiatric Nurse of the Year. In 1997, Peggy attended Marquette University to pursue the Parish Nursing Program. She spent 17 years as a parish nurse for St. Mary’s, including service at St. Patrick’s and St. Bernard’s parishes. Peggy later re-enrolled at Edgewood College for an advanced degree and developed several programs and retreats, implementing critical nursing strategies.
As a mental health advocate for patients, she also educated staff with a focus on end-of-life issues, new life-threatening diagnoses, and communication/conflict issues.
After 45 years of nursing at St. Mary’s, Peggy retired. She continues to volunteer, serve on nonprofit boards, and make herself available to countless friends going through grief and difficult times.
Mathias Lemos Castillo is a seasoned consultant dedicated to effective and culturally relevant community engagement. Born and raised in Uruguay, Mathias brings a unique perspective to his work. In January 2022, he founded MLC Consulting, LLC, an organization that focuses on helping individuals and organizations achieve their goals through intentional community engagement.
Prior to founding MLC Consulting, Mathias held leadership positions with various local and national organizations, including the Local Voices Network at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In these roles, he refined his skills as a conversation facilitator and community builder, gaining the ability to effectively convene community members, work with diverse audiences, and ensure exceptional partner satisfaction.
His community-oriented background is a valuable asset in his consulting work. As a goal-driven consultant with strong problem-solving and organizational skills, Mathias has a proven track record of generating meaningful engagement for measurable results. Mathias has experience working with people, communities, and entities at both local and national levels. His fluency in Spanish and English enables him to communicate effectively with a wide range of audiences.
In addition to his consulting work, Mathias serves as the Board Chair of the Latino Professionals Association of Greater Madison and serves on the Madison Public Library board.
Last Fall, Mathias was recognized as one of Wisconsin’s 40 Most Influential Latino Leaders and in January, received the MLK Humanitarian Award, which recognizes community leaders who reflect the values of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Emily (Ciha) Jacobson was raised in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where she developed a strong connection to her community. Emily pursued higher education at Edgewood College, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Performing Arts with a concentration in Musical Theatre. Her academic background laid the foundation for her future career as a doula and community advocate.
Since 2011, Emily has been a dedicated labor and postpartum doula, providing essential support to families during the childbearing years. In 2015, she founded Green Bay Doulas, a business focused on offering unbiased and judgment-free assistance to expectant mothers before, during, and after childbirth. Her extensive experience also includes working as a nanny, respite provider, and ABA behavioral therapist for over eight years, particularly with children with special needs and spectrum disorders.
Emily serves as the Executive Director of the Wisconsin Doulas Association, where she founded events such as the Green Bay Parenting Expo. Additionally, she is an active member of the board of directors for NeighborWorks Green Bay, contributing to affordable housing options. Her dedication to social causes led her to establish Diaper Green Bay, an annual diaper drive in partnership with House of Hope aimed at supporting families in need.
In 2020, Emily was elected as a supervisor on the Brown County Board where she continues to advocate for health outcomes and community welfare. Her political experience includes serving on committees such as the Criminal Justice Coordinating Board and as Chairwoman of the Human Services Committee.
Emily’s leadership qualities have earned her several accolades including the 2023 Greater Green Bay Chamber’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
Outside of her professional commitments, Emily enjoys spending time with her husband and daughters. An outdoor enthusiast at heart, she loves exploring nature and hosting bonfires in her backyard.
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