Hope and Healing Speaker Series: Dr. Carolyn Woo

Hope and Healing Speaker Series 2025 – Dr. Carolyn Woo

The Reverend David T. Link Lecture Series | Co-sponsored by the Initiative on Restorative Justice and Healing

Resilience : Finding our Way Back to Hope

Carolyn Woo is the former president and CEO of Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the official humanitarian agency of the U.S. Catholic community. An expert in corporate strategy and management, Dr. Woo marshalled a comprehensive organizational restructure at CRS and prioritized internal leadership development, positioning the agency for long-term growth while strengthening its Catholic mission.

Dr. Woo took the helm of CRS in 2012 after a distinguished career in academia. For 14 years, she was dean of the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame. During her tenure, the College emerged as a leader in ethics education in business. Previously, she served as a faculty member and associate executive vice president at Purdue University, where she had earned three degrees, including a doctorate in strategic management. After retiring from CRS in 2016, she returned to Purdue as Distinguished President’s Fellow for Global Development and continues to promote business ethics and responsibility, serving on a number of corporate and nonprofit boards. Dr. Woo also co-coordinated the Energy Transition dialogues at the Vatican in 2018 and 2019 and holds an honorary degree from Wake Forest.

Wednesday, October 1 , 2025

5:00pm Reception Free of charge

6:00pm Presentation

Register

The Hope and Healing series is a new interdisciplinary lecture series in honor and memory of Reverend David T. Link, former dean of the Notre Dame Law School, founding dean of the St. Thomas School of Law, faithful husband, father, and, later in life, a Roman Catholic priest who, throughout, served compassionately those on the margins of society. Hope and Healing will bring together Catholic and non-Catholic scholars, leaders, and advocates to educate, inspire, foster dialogue, and propose practical solutions to the complex issues and challenges facing American society and the Catholic Church.

Co-sponsored by the Initiative on Restorative Justice and Healing

The Initiative on Restorative Justice and Healing (IRJH) was launched at the University of St. Thomas School of Law 2021 to teach law students, and the broader community, how to utilize restorative justice practices within our courts and communities to facilitate healing, build bridges and bring about a more just and inclusive society.