Sacred Heart Academy will honor Ellen Hesen as its the 2015 Alumna of the Year during the school’s 25th annual Alumnae Awards Celebration on Feb. 3 at the Mellwood Arts Center.
Hesen, a 1976 graduate of Sacred Heart, is the chief of staff for Louisville Metro Mayor Greg Fischer.
“As a graduate of Sacred Heart Academy, her outstanding accomplishments bring distinction to the school and the strong foundation it fosters in young women,” the school said in a statement.
Hesen has served as general counsel for Gov. Steve Beshear and as the chief legal advisor to the secretary of the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, the release from the school said.
Sacred Heart also will honor several others during the alumnae event.
- The school’s Heart Award will be presented to Colleen Clines, class of 2003; Deepa Iyer, class of 1990; and Dr. Timothy Feger.
Clines is the co-founder of Anchal, a project that trains women in India to sew quilts.
Feger was a regular volunteer while his three daughters attended Sacred Heart. He and his wife, Michelle, also an alumna, are donors to the annual fund and were leaders in the Ursuline United Capital Campaign.
Deepa Iyer, who immigrated to the United States from India when she was 12, is a professor at the University of Maryland. She is writing a book about “the changing racial landscape in America.”
- Honorary diplomas, presented to “a non-graduate whose devotion to Sacred Heart Academy is equal to completing the requirements for a diploma,” will be given to Ursuline Sister Brendan Conlon and Dr. Dan VanMeter, the release said.
Sister Conlon taught at Sacred Heart from 1956-1967. In the 1980’s, she joined the staff of Christian Help, Inc. in Morgantown, W.V., which assisted people in need. In 1994, she established Christian Help of Mingo County in Kermit, W.V., and partnered with Sacred Heart to establish a toy drive which today delivers more than 3,000 toys to Christian Help in Kermit.Dr. VanMeter, a Spanish teacher at Sacred Heart, has taught at Sacred Heart for 17 years.
- Four people will be inducted into Valkyrie Athletic Hall of Fame: Patsy O’Toole Keating, Crystal Kelly, Ellen Heintzman McInerney and Meghan Kelly Westenhofer.
Patsy O’Toole Keating, class of 1982, was a member of the swimming and diving team that won four consecutive state championships.
Crystal Kelly, class of 2004, led Sacred Heart to three consecutive state basketball championships and was named Ms. Basketball in 2004. Kelly also played in the WNBA and played professional basketball in Europe.
Ellen Heintzman McInerney, class of 2004, led Sacred Heart to its first state volleyball championship. She was selected as the Most Valuable Player of the 2004 KHSAA state tournament.
Meghan Kelly Westenhofer, class of 1987, lettered in volleyball, basketball, field hockey and track. She was also a member of the Junior Olympic volleyball team that won a bronze medal in 1984.
- The Ursuline Teaching Legacy Award, given to an alumna who has dedicated 20 or more years to teaching, will be presented to Marcia Nevitt Cassady, class of 1970.
Cassady, who retired in 2012, taught math to high school and middle school students in Edmonson County, Ky.
