1) Please share some of your personal and professional background.
Personal Background
- Roots: Raised in Waukegan, IL; proud alumnus of Immaculate Conception school (now Most Blessed Trinity).
- Carmel Legacy: Youngest of 8 siblings who all graduated from Carmel Catholic High School.
- Family Tradition: Daughter of Jane Conarchy, who taught math at Carmel for 29 years; my return to Carmel marks the 51st consecutive year a Conarchy family member has been at the school.
- Current Family: Married to husband Joe for 15 years with two children: William (13, 8th grade) and Elizabeth (10, 5th grade). We are a goofy little bunch. We love the outdoors, music, good movies/TV shows and playing SkipBo. We also laugh together a lot.
- Community & Parish: Active parishioner at St. Gilbert Church in Grayslake, serving on both the School Board and the Parish Pastoral Council.
Professional Background:
- Education: Studied Religious Studies and Philosophy at St. Norbert College (De Pere, WI) and was an active member of the Leadership, Service and Involvement team. Both my undergraduate and graduate degrees in Organizational Development are from Dominican University.
- Social Justice & Service: Spent two foundational years living in community with The Catholic Worker in Goochland, VA.
- Corporate Experience: Spent the majority of my career specializing in operations and corporate strategy at the Walgreens corporate office in Deerfield.
- Higher Ed Ministry: Transitioned back into faith-based work at the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary.
2) Can you describe your experience in ministry and organizational leadership?
My approach to leadership bridges structured corporate strategy with a deep commitment to faith formation. After studying at St. Norbert College, my worldview was fundamentally shaped by spending two years living and working in community with the Catholic Worker movement in Goochland, VA. That immersive experience taught me how to anchor community care in dignity and solidarity. I then spent the bulk of my career at the Walgreens corporate office in Deerfield, focusing on Organizational Development. This background gave me robust, practical skills in team dynamics, strategic planning, and operational growth. When corporate layoffs prompted a return to ministry, I brought these strategic skills to the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary. Merging organizational development with pastoral ministry allows me to build structures that are both highly efficient and deeply supportive of spiritual formation.
3) What drew you back to Carmel? What have you observed about the school upon returning?
Returning to Carmel Catholic is a profound homecoming. My family’s roots here run incredibly deep—between my seven older siblings, my mother Jane Conarchy teaching math for 29 years, and my nieces and nephews attending, my new role marks the 51st consecutive year a Conarchy has been on campus. Next year, my son William will start here, continuing the tradition of "driving to school with mom" that my mother started decades ago.
As a student, Campus Ministry was the center of my formative experiences. I was trained here as a Eucharistic Minister—and even shared a memorable story with the Chicago Tribune about being an EM for a Mass celebrated by Joseph Cardinal Bernardin, shortly after his death. My own Kairos retreat was unforgettable. I was honored to serve as the rector for the very next retreat, and the bonds forged there remain so strong that I still meet regularly with my co-leaders. Seeing my nieces, nephews, and now the children of those former classmate co-leaders walk these halls feels beautifully full-circle. Fun fact: the woman who was the Carmel Campus Minister while I was a student has remained a lifelong friend and was instrumental in the planning of my wedding liturgy.
While the physical building has evolved, what impresses me most is how intentionally Carmel has preserved and deepened its connection to its founders. When I was a student, we absorbed the spirit of the Carmelites and the BVMs simply by being around the priests and sisters. Today, the school explicitly and beautifully teaches those unique charisms to students, ensuring our foundational traditions remain vibrant year after year.
4) What would you like students and families to know about your approach to Campus Ministry?
I want our students and families to know that Carmel is quite literally in my DNA, and my absolute priority is to ensure every single student knows they belong here. All are welcome and all belong. Our office, liturgies, and retreats are spaces of radical hospitality where gifts are celebrated and doubts can be safely explored.
I believe that faith is not passive; it requires concrete action and explicit service, particularly for those left behind or living on the margins of society. Because we are all beloved children of God, we are called to love all of God's children by taking active, tangible steps to build a better world. I look forward to partnering with our students to help them discover their unique, God-given gifts so that they can actively shape the future of our school and community.