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Kathleen Hilton, SNJM

Sister Kathleen has brought her passion for the mission of education, love of history, appreciation of international exchanges and a strong conviction that formal and informal education can enrich individuals and communities to multiple settings.

Her early education included a year of university study abroad, followed by an overland trip across Asia and Europe, prior to finishing her undergraduate degree at Seattle University. Immediately following graduation, she taught primary grades for Seattle Public Schools; she later taught at both St. Paschal’s Elementary School in the Spokane Valley and at Holy Names Academy in Seattle. After several years of teaching at HNA, she enrolled in Carnegie Mellon University’s graduate program where she earned a Ph.D. in History.

Her university teaching experience spanned 25 years in the history departments of Virginia Tech and UNC Pembroke where she later moved into roles of Dean of the Graduate School and Associate Provost for Academic Affairs. Her research and writing have explored dimensions of U.S. female socialization patterns and rural women’s history. In her teaching, and administrative roles at UNC Pembroke, Kathleen focused on developing innovative, excellent programs which would create possibilities for the enrolled students and, ultimately, ensure stronger K-12 social studies programs for subsequent generations. She left her work in North Carolina when selected to be a member of the second Leadership Team of the U.S.-Ontario Province in 2011.

Since 2016 Kathleen has provided ESL instruction and support for international graduate students. She continues to contribute to educational institutions by serving as immediate past Chair of the Board of Directors for Heritage University in Toppenish, WA, and on the boards of SNJM Sponsored Ministries in Tampa, FL, and Portland, OR, where she currently lives.