ALUMNI OF THE YEAR AWARDS

Many alumni took part in the Alumni & Friends School Reunion on Friday, August 19th. Festivities began Friday evening at Dominican which included catching up with old friends, viewing yearbooks, and enjoying drinks and appetizers. The evening concluded with the 2022 Young Alum and Distinguished Alum Awards ceremony. Individual class reunions took place at various locations on Saturday, and a record number of alumni participated in the 39th Bill Crowley Scholarship Golf Outing on Monday, wrapping up a fun-filled weekend!

Distinguished Alum of the Year: Brian Conole ’73

Brian’s enthusiasm for Dominican has stood out for many years. He was the perfect choice for the 2022 Distinguished Alum Award because of his continued presence at Dominican, volunteering his time and talents to many committees and alumni events.

Brian has shared his leadership skills with Dominican’s Board of Directors, serving as Board Chair, Finance Chair and currently as Corporate Treasurer. He created the Arizona Alumni & Friends event which is now in its 4th year, helps with yearly recruitment for the annual Chicago Alumni & Friends event, has been a Career Day speaker and assists the Advancement team during Reunion Weekend. Last spring, Brian served as Dominican’s Assistant Boys Tennis Coach for the Spring season, and is currently the Head Girls Tennis Coach!

Brian recently retired as a Senior Vice President at Bank of America Business Capital where he found the greatest impact in his profession building relationships with his customers and their businesses. His friendships have had such a positive affect on so many. As one of his friends put it, “There is no one who has higher integrity than Brian. He also has an incredible sense of humor.” Brian truly is one of our school’s biggest advocates and models the Dominican core values of Truth, Compassion, Justice, Community and Partnership.

Young Alum of the Year: Andrew O'Connell ’04

Andy has been giving back to the Dominican community ever since he graduated in 2004 and has been a glowing example of the Dominican High School mission, making him the perfect choice for the 2022 Young Alum Award.

Andy earned a Finance degree at Marquette University and is the Managing Director at Robert W Baird. He has been a speaker for Dominican’s Annual Career Day sharing his work experience with the students. For over a decade he has been an employee participant in Baird’s Dominican auction sponsorship, attending every auction and donating consistently to both the auction and KnightWalk. He also served as a keynote speaker for Dominican’s Knight Vision 2.0 kick-off event and spoke about the importance of Catholic education.

Andy volunteers at Holy Family, serving as a School Board member and liaison to the Finance Committee, and is a co-chair for both their auction and golf outing. He also volunteers as a basketball and Little League coach for his children. One of Andy’s friends had this to say about him, “Andy is awesome, he has the best personality and is a great husband and father. I feel lucky to call him friend.”

When asked how Dominican impacted him, Brian said, "Dominican has had an important affect on my life in many ways. Specifically, excellent academic preparation for college and professional career, meeting lifelong friends and a foundation of Catholic values. Receiving the Distinguished Alumnus award is an important honor for me and a continued purpose to help Dominican thrive in the future.” When asked what this award meant to him, Andy said, “It was an honor to receive the Young Alumni of the Year award and celebrate with family. It provided me an opportunity to reflect on the positive impact Dominican has had on my life as well as the impact Dominican will have on current and future students.”

NOMINATE DOMINICAN ALUMNI FOR THE 2023 AWARDS

Dominican is now accepting nominations for the following distinctions. Nominations are due by April 1, 2023.

Distinguished Alum of the Year: Recognizes a graduate who embodies the Dominican mission and five core values through professional, leadership, or service achievements as well as through commitment to and support of the Dominican community. Young Alum of the Year: Recognizes a graduate age 35 or younger who embodies the Dominican mission and five core values through professional, leadership, or service achievements, as well as through commitment to and support of the Dominican community. Please visit www.dominicanhighschool.com for additional details and nomination forms. The award winners will be announced in June 2023.