What's Happening

August 15, 2019, Adrian, Michigan – Experts in building a sustainable resilient community are sharing their knowledge during a symposium Monday, September 16, 2019. “Growing Resiliency: A Forum on Building a Sustainable Resilient Community,” is from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Weber Retreat and Conference Center.

The program, developed by the Adrian Dominican Sisters Offices of Resilient Communities and Sustainability, advances the Congregation’s commitment to mitigate its impact on climate change and to partner to create resilient communities. This symposium will explore practical means toward building environmental sustainability.

Nancy Tuchman, PhD, Founding Dean of the Institute of Environmental Sustainability at the Loyola University-Chicago, leads participants in their exploration of the current health of Earth and in discovering new ways to live in communion with Earth. Her vision is to raise public awareness of the unsustainable consumption of Earth’s natural resources and, in doing so, to transform behavior, develop policy, and inspire the next generation of science-based environmental leaders.

Dr. Tuchman will be joined by Marcia Caton Campbell, Hedi Rudd, and Sarah Karlson of Madison, Wisconsin.  Marcia is Executive Director of the Center for Resilient Cities, which cultivates robust and thriving urban communities that are healthy, just, economically viable and environmentally sound. Hedi and Sarah work together at the Badger Rock Center, where Hedi is Director of the Neighborhood Center and Sarah is Farm Manager and Garden Educator.

Registration is $30 and includes lunch. Register online at www.webercenter.org (click on "Programs") or contact Weber Center at 517-266-4000 or webercenter@adriandominicans.org. 

Event Flyer (PDF)

August 14, 2019, Morris Plains, New Jersey – For the fourth year in a row, Sister Donna Markham, OP, PhD, first woman President and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, has been named one of the The NonProfit Times’ (NPT) Power and Influence Top 50 executives.

The selection of Sister Donna this year is part of a trend among nonprofit organizations to “push for 360-degree services,” offering shelter, food, and healthcare as a “bundle,” according to an article by Paul Clolery. Sister Donna foretold the immigration crisis at the border of the United States and Mexico, “and was among the first to jump into action, pushing other nonprofits to follow her lead,” The NonProfit Times notes. “It makes sense that the organization [Catholic Charities USA] moves into affordable housing, given the volume of those who make it across the border and Americans who need assistance.”

The nonprofit executives on the Top 50 list were chosen from 300 of their peers by a committee made up of NPT staff members, executives, and contributors. Honorees are recognized for their contributions in the past 12 months.

Sister Donna and the 49 others on the Top 50 list will be recognized in September at the NPT Power & Influence Top 50 Gala at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

Sister Donna, Prioress of the Adrian Dominican Congregation from 2004 to 2010, has been leading Catholic Charities USA since 2015. A clinical psychologist, Sister Donna also served as founding director of the Dominican Consultation Center in Detroit from 1980 to 1986 and, from 1993 to 2003, as President and CEO of the Southdown Institute, a residential treatment program based in Ontario, Canada, for priests and women and men religious dealing with addictions or other psychological issues.