On May 5, the Notre Dame Board of Trustees announced Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, former CEO of Feeding America, and Adm. Christopher Grady, 12th vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as the body’s newest members.
Fr. Patrick Neary, bishop of Saint Cloud, Minn., and Paulita Pike, managing partner of Ropes & Gray LLP Chicago office, were elected to the Board of Fellows. Neary and Pike previously served as a Trustees and will continue in their roles ex officio.
“Composed of six laywomen and laymen and six priests of the Congregation of Holy Cross, the Board of Fellows is the University’s highest governing body. The Fellows elect the Trustees, adopt and amend the bylaws and are specifically charged with maintaining Notre Dame’s Catholic character,” the release stated.
The appointments will take effect on July 1.
“The election of these exceptionally talented leaders further strengthens our Board of Trustees and Board of Fellows. Their diverse experiences and deep commitment to Notre Dame’s unique Catholic character will provide essential perspective as we navigate the opportunities and challenges ahead. On behalf of the entire Board, I welcome our new colleagues and thank them for their dedication to Our Lady’s University,” Board of Trustees chair John Veihmeyer commented in the release.
“We are profoundly grateful to Claire, Chris, Bishop Pat and Paulita for their willingness to serve the University of Notre Dame in these vitally important governance roles,” University President Fr. Robert Dowd commented in the release.
Babineaux-Fontenot was executive vice president of finance and global treasurer at Walmart as well as the 2024 recipient of the Laetare Medal. She is a graduate of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and holds a law degree from Southern University Law Center and a Master of Laws from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law.
Grady served the U.S. Navy for 41 years. For the last four years of his service, he was the longest-serving surface warfare officer on active duty. He is a Notre Dame graduate with a bachelors in history and participated in the Naval ROTC program. During his master’s degree at Georgetown, Grady was a fellow in foreign service at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service and the National War College.
Neary was named as the 10th bishop of Saint Cloud in 2022. He worked in leadership of the Congregation of Holy Cross seminary in Kenya for eight years, as well as serving as district superior of Holy Cross in East Africa. He is the chair of the board of Catholic Relief Services, a graduate of Notre Dame and the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, California.
Pike has served on the Board of Trustees since 2022. She is a graduate of Notre Dame for both her bachelor’s and law degrees and teaches at Notre Dame Law School and the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law.
