The Ciocca Center’s third CrossTalks event took place in Seelos Theater on November 1st during Family Weekend, bringing students, families, and alumni together. Cassie Gevry, associate director of the Ciocca Center, welcomed the audience to hear from three distinguished alumni who continue to apply their Jesuit liberal arts education as leaders across diverse industries. This event featured Jonathan White ’96, Eileen Hornor ’89, and Kurt Sanger ’93 discussing how technology, entrepreneurship, and cura personalis shape the manner in which they work and interact with the world.
Jonathan White ’96, Classics and History double major, is an estate planning attorney with over 25 years of experience and a Boston Magazine Top Lawyer for Trusts and Estates. Jonathan spoke candidly about his transformation from a controlling boss who lost five great employees, to a servant leader whose focus is on empowering his team. The shift in his mentality came when he stopped asking, “How can I get more out of my people?” and started asking, “How can I give more to them?” His shift from control to care led to a 63% increase in revenue, while also building a culture of investment in each other’s growth.
Eileen Hornor ’89, an English major, is an entrepreneur and hospitality consultant and owner of OneSixtyFive, an award-winning historic inn and restaurant in Maine. Her non-linear path included teaching, training at The Greenbrier Resort, catering, and finally to owning an inn. When she discovered the Brunswick Inn, the advice she received was that it might be a risky investment. But Holy Cross taught her to move through uncertainty with discernment, to ask deeper questions of herself than simple yes/no ones. Throughout her journey she dug deep into the resilience her education fostered and found opportunity for growth.
Kurt Sanger ’93, a political science major, is a cybersecurity attorney and retired Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel who served at U.S. Cyber Command. Kurt challenged assumptions about liberal arts graduates in technology fields, arguing they’re essential to tech’s future. Drawing from his experience handling ransomware incidents, Kurt revealed that beyond technical expertise, what cyber attack victims need most is someone to help them through the devastating human impact of these crises. His Holy Cross education taught him to see that “these are not solely technical events. They are human events.”
Each of the speakers showed how a Holy Cross education equipped them to engage not just in careers but in leadership for service. Whether it was transforming law firms through servant leadership, building community through hospitality, or humanizing technology with compassion, all three epitomized the Holy Cross mission in developing leaders who measure success by their impact on others. “I felt connected to each speaker’s story and meaningful journey,” shares attendee Blair Micthell ‘29, “ as if I were part of it. I gained valuable insights into both their professional and personal lessons. By the end, I realized how Holy Cross truly cultivates leaders and people of service across all fields and walks of life.”
Watch CrossTalks episodes on the College’s YouTube channel. If you’re interested or know someone who might be great at sharing their story, we encourage alumni to apply to be a CrossTalks speaker and inspire others with the connections you have made between your studies and the value you bring to the business world.