Profiles
Immediately after graduating from the College of St. Catherine — the future St. Catherine University – Judi Druke Teske ‘66 moved to Washington, D.C. to launch her career as a national leader in healthcare. That career would span several decades and touch the lives of many Americans, but Teske never forgot where she came from.
“St. Kate’s fit all the boxes for me,” says Teske. “I credit my education at St. Kate’s – and its emphasis on lifelong learning – for nurturing me as a young adult, and I want others to have that same opportunity.”
St. Kate’s mission as a Catholic women’s institution with excellent academic standing and a strong science department attracted Teske. As the first in her family to attend college, she needed the support of a University that fiercely believed in her potential while offering both the rigor and resources to launch her career in STEM. Thinking back, she says, “As a woman, as a lifelong Catholic, as a budding scientist, and as a true believer in the value of a liberal arts education, I was drawn to the College of St. Catherine. I have a strong sense of gratitude for the scholarships I received from St. Kate’s that allowed me to attend a top college – now University – that I grew to love.”
Despite relocating to Washington, D.C. — where she remains to this day —Teske did not say goodbye to St. Kate’s at graduation. She remains deeply connected to the University and its work, most notably through funding an endowed scholarship for biology students with high academic standing, strong leadership aspirations, and financial need.
“I love feeling a part of the University as it grows and evolves,” says Teske. “It keeps me focused on my roots in Minnesota and at St. Catherine University. Over the years, I have served from afar in various roles, including as chair of the School of Health’s advisory council. My entire career was in healthcare, so I want to see the University continue to educate science leaders for the future.”
Mary Kappel Burch ’79 credits her time at St. Kate’s not only with an empowering education, but enduring relationships and a vision of service that animates her life to this day. In her words, “St. Catherine University is built on the vision of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet [CSJs] in their love of God and of the dear neighbor. The Sisters’ work for social justice continues to be an inspiration to this day. Many of the Sisters I counted among my mentors, and, later in life, as my friends. They are among the finest people I have ever known; selfless and dedicated to doing good for others.”
The St. Kate’s impact of brilliant women committed to lives of meaning has resounded throughout Burch’s career. She found success and significance in her work conducting and teaching scientific research, steadily navigating the complexities of being a woman in STEM like many Katies. Beyond aptitude for the sciences, Burch shares something even more profound with many students, past, and present. As she describes it, “The Sisters’ mission of social justice is embodied at St. Kate’s by its students — who are primarily women, diverse, often first-generation — to attend college or university, and in need of financial support. This also described me as I attended St. Kate’s.”
Burch sees herself in today’s St. Kate’s students, and feels a deep responsibility to ensure that current students receive the support they need to access their own life-changing Katie experiences. “I want to give back to the University that provided me with financial aid and work-study opportunities when I needed them. I want to give as often and as much as I possibly can. This was true shortly after I graduated and is true today. St. Kate’s became and remains the most important philanthropic donation I make as I continue to endorse its mission. My professors, many of them CSJs, helped me realize my potential personally and professionally. That mission needs to continue so others may benefit.”
Mary Hurrle Bennett was the first in her family to graduate from college, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Nursing at St. Catherine University in 1978. After launching her career as a nurse, Bennett felt her education journey was not yet over, so she returned to school at the University of St. Thomas to obtain her MBA in 1986. Just as she forged a new path as a first-generation college student, Bennett pursued a unique application of her healthcare and business training by bringing her skills to work as a financial planner. Over the past several decades, Bennett has risen in her field to the rank of Senior Vice President and Wealth Advisor at a global wealth management firm where she has worked for over ten years. In her work, she serves healthcare professionals, private individuals, small business owners, senior executives, and her own employees. Her knowledge, animated by sincere understanding and service-oriented leadership, dedicates her to her colleagues, clients, and friends.
Throughout her career, Bennett has centered her decisions around service. To her, those choices were simple: “I believe each person should make life choices based on their priorities. Education improves the individual and individuals can improve the world. A life as a nurse and a financial planner are focused on service.” Bennett’s life-changing education experience motivates her to seek out opportunities to improve access to education for current and future Katies. Bennett found her voice through her education, and she continues to write her own story by influencing the future of her alma mater. “Legacy is important to me. None of us are promised tomorrow. Including St. Kate’s in my estate plan is a decision consistent with my priorities.”
Mary Jo Abler is a 1987 St. Catherine University alumna and current trustee. After earning a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from St. Kate’s, Abler achieved a master’s degree in chemistry from the University of Rochester in New York and a master’s in management of technology from the University of Minnesota. Abler has put her education to work at 3M, applying her expertise across multiple company divisions for 30 years. This includes three years as vice president and general manager of the communication markets division, which she successfully led through its divestiture from 3M. Abler’s last position before retiring from 3M in 2020 was vice president of new technologies and platforms.
Like many forward thinkers, Abler began building her legacy early in her career. “I first started donating to St. Kate’s shortly after I completed grad school and began working,” she says. Abler attributes her generosity to gratitude for “a built-in advantage of having been educated at St. Kate’s, compared to my colleagues. Confidence, leadership, collaboration, empathy, and integrity are all words that come to mind when I think about my education at St. Kate’s.”
Abler embodies one of the most distinctive characteristics of St. Kate’s history: women empowered not only to succeed, but lead in STEM fields. Part of her strategy to further advance the careers and innovations of women in STEM is by championing the Mendel science building renovation priority of St. Kate’s LEAD & INFLUENCE: The Campaign for the Next Level of Excellence.
Colleen Curran ’75 was a St. Catherine University trustee from 2004 to 2007 and currently serves on the Campaign Cabinet for LEAD & INFLUENCE: The Campaign for the Next Level of Excellence.
Curran’s role is the latest example of her active involvement at St. Kate’s, which also has included teaching as an adjunct professor of business law, participating on several advisory committees, one of which established the Alumnae Association, and another that spearheaded the name change to “University”, and serving as president of the Alumnae Association. All of this she accomplished while building her career in financial services; she retired from Ameriprise as vice president and legal counsel in 2012.
In addition to giving of her time and talents, Curran also has built a decades-long history of philanthropic support of the University based on her advocacy for the liberal arts. “My St. Catherine education honed my critical thinking and communication skills and gave me the confidence and love of learning that sustained me throughout my career and today in retirement,” she said.
Curran’s generosity to the campaign has come in the form of financial aid to students and support for Our Lady of Victory Chapel.
“When I heard that some St. Catherine students were invited to conferences to present research papers, but didn’t have the financial ability to pay for airfare and a hotel room, I knew I had to do something. I worked with Beth Carney [’82, vice president of development and alumni relations] in the Development Office to create the Margaret Reuder Sutton ’50 Travel Fund. Margaret Reuder Sutton was the first St. Catherine student to receive a Fulbright grant. She spent a year teaching and studying French in Paris, which is dear to my heart, since I was a French major, and I’m still studying French today,” said Curran.
Cathy Brennan is a 1970 St. Kate’s alumna and a member of University’s Campaign Cabinet. She majored in occupational therapy and has been engaged in the field for 51 years, recently retiring from multiple leadership roles at the Minnesota Occupational Therapy Association.
Brennan held many positions during her occupational therapy career, and many therapists and patients have benefited from her advocacy for the profession. She became engaged in both state and federal advocacy and developed the peer review system for the Minnesota Occupational Therapy Association, working with insurance companies to bring fairness to the review process. Brennan has received numerous awards in her field, was co-chair of the 2012 Opus Prize, which St. Catherine University spearheaded that year, and was honored to receive the St. Kate’s Alumni Award in 2013.
“I initially became engaged with students from St. Kate’s as they were completing their practice internships,” she said. “I found that St. Kate’s students were ‘a cut above’ in how they sought to further their education. They understood that therapy was more than just teaching daily living skills. The importance of becoming compassionate leaders with cultural competency in the growing field of occupational therapy was also a significant piece of their learning.” Brennan also served as an adjunct faculty member for the University, teaching courses when occupational therapy faculty members were on sabbatical. She also earned a master’s degree in instructional design from the University of St. Thomas.
“I began my first donations to St. Kate’s through the influence of my mother, Jane Keefe Clifford, who at the time was alumna fund director at St. Kate’s and an emerita member of the Board of Trustees. She was an ardent supporter and believed in giving back to the institution that enabled her and me to grow both in our professions and our faith. My sister and I decided to honor our mother by establishing the Jane Keefe Clifford Endowed Scholarship Fund for students majoring in Spanish (her major), and we continue to support it.”
Minda Suchan is a 1995 St. Catherine University alumna and a member of the University’s Board of Trustees. She is at the top of her professional field, serving as the executive officer and vice president of geointelligence for MDA, Canada’s largest space technology developer and manufacturer.
Suchan double-majored in chemistry and mathematics at St. Kate’s, then earned a doctoral degree in chemistry at the University of Southern California. “But it was my liberal arts background that best prepared me for the leadership challenges I face today,” she said, citing her Katie LEAD-team experience, her collaborative Honors course, and campus conversations about women in leadership as valuable foundational elements for her career.
“These unique St. Kate’s experiences positioned me for success, beyond just the need for academic knowledge, which is why I continue to support St. Catherine University today.”
A strong supporter of the Katie Fund priority of LEAD & INFLUENCE: The Campaign for the Next Level of Excellence, Suchan appreciates “the direct impact my campaign contributions can make on both students and the campus.” The wide range of support that the Katie Fund provides is important to her:
“I have been a recipient of St. Catherine alumnae scholarships, and I recognize how important this was to my ability to access higher education, as well as gain a global perspective. The faculty were very impactful on how I thought about leadership and my place in the world, and I will always remember St. Catherine’s beautiful campus being the true deciding factor in choosing which university to attend — the scent of lilacs still brings me back to campus. I still remember fondly Mendel Hall and the many science courses I took there, as well every Sunday playing flute in Our Lady of Victory Chapel. I am truly grateful for my experience at St. Catherine, which has brought me far in my career, and I find it very satisfying to be able to give back today.”
Morgan Batiste-Simms, a biochemistry major from Houston, Texas, transferred to St. Kate’s from Normandale Community College as a sophomore. She is currently president of the Chemistry Club and plans to apply to MD/PhD programs as she continues her path in science. Her goal is to earn a PhD in biochemistry and specialize in a surgical field.
Her goal — along with the goals of the 2,000-plus STEM students on campus — is why St. Kate’s is embracing an effort to develop more BIPOC women leaders in science. Titled “Expanding HERizons,” the goal is tied to the campaign priority of upgrading Mendel’s spaces and facilities. Batiste-Simms articulated the visible-yet-invisible obstacles she has faced already on her path at a Town Hall event that St. Kate’s hosted last fall: “ ... being in high school, in a co-ed class. I was extremely intimidated because I was one of the only girls in my chemistry class or in my physics class. In the back of my mind was always the fact that I'm female. Being at St. Kate’s, everyone is female ... so when I’m in lab, I'm focused on being a good scientist, not a good female scientist. It’s such a liberating feeling.”
Considering her own career prospects, Batiste-Simms would choose a path that would help minimize the obstacles that women of color in STEM fields face by working in the field of academic medicine. “While I would still be a practicing physician, being in academic medicine means I would be teaching, and thus influencing, students. Being in academic medicine means purposefully taking on a leadership/influential role,” she said. “It is my hope to influence colleagues and future students about the importance and awareness of social justice. It permeates all areas of life, especially healthcare. It is important to teach relatability, patience, and understanding in what tend to be the most vulnerable instances in people's lives.”