Sister Sheila Carney, RSM

A Carlow alum, Sister Sheila has served for the past 18 years as the University’s Special Assistant to the President for Mercy Heritage & Service. In this role, she has been instrumental in advancing Mercy identity, deepening mission integration, and expanding community-engaged initiatives across campus. As a Sister of Mercy of the Americas for 58 years, she has served the Church and her community in a wide range of leadership, educational, and ministerial roles at the local, regional, national, and international levels.

Among her many contributions at Carlow, Sister Sheila founded The Purple Door, Carlow's Food Pantry, serving both the campus and the surrounding community, and secured grant funding from McAuley Ministries to establish The Braided Community, an intergroup dialogue initiative bringing together the Sisters of Mercy, Carlow community members, and West Oakland neighbors to foster understanding, shared learning, and meaningful engagement.

A native of Pittsburgh, Sister Sheila is a graduate of Our Lady of Mercy Academy, Mount Mercy College (now Carlow University), and Saint Vincent Seminary, with additional studies at the National University of Ireland, the ARC Program in Rome, and Duquesne University. Earlier this year, she was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Association of Catholic Colleges & Universities.