March 26, 2018
Ursuline College will host the former CEO of Catholic Relief Services Carolyn Yauyan Woo for a free, public lecture on April 12 at 7 p.m. The talk takes place in the Chapel of the Most Holy Trinity in the Motherhouse of the Ursuline Sisters of Cleveland, 2600 Lander Road, Pepper Pike.
Dr. Woo comes to Ursuline as the College’s final Global Perspectives lecturer of the year. She had a distinguished career in academia – including a 14-year stint as dean of the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business – before taking the reins of CRS, the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States.
Familiar to millions of American Catholics as the organization behind the annual Lenten fundraising drive, Operation Rice Bowl, CRS was founded in 1943 by the Catholic Bishops of the United States to serve World War II survivors in Europe. Since then, this nonprofit organization has expanded in size to reach more than 120 million people in more than 100 countries on five continents. More information about CRS is found here.
Dr Woo was CRS president and CEO from 2011 until 2016. She now serves as Distinguished President’s Fellow for Global Development at Purdue University. She is author of the book, "Working for a Better World." Her presentation at Ursuline is titled “God is speaking. Are you listening?”
“We are very honored that Dr. Carolyn Woo will be joining us at Ursuline College,” said Sister Christine De Vinne, OSU, Ph.D., president of the College. “In her leadership role at Catholic Relief Services, Dr. Woo used her strong intellect and compassionate heart to bring hope to countless people. We look forward to hearing her views on international justice.”
Ursuline’s Global Perspectives: Inspiring Tomorrow's Women Leaders series brings current female thought leaders to campus to inspire the next generation of women leaders. The series is an outgrowth of the College’s 2017-2020 strategic plan, which calls for a renewed emphasis on women's leadership development.
Dr. Woo was born and raised in Hong Kong and immigrated to the United States to attend Purdue, where she received her bachelor’s degree in economics, her master’s degree in industrial administration and her doctorate in strategic management.
