Catharine J. Brennan
Catharine J. Brennan is the Director of CP Mentors. Cathy has worked in secondary and college education since 1976. She has served as an Admissions Officer at Dartmouth College, Director of Career Planning and Placement at Lake Forest College, and worked in development and admissions at Bryn Mawr College. She also worked as a college guidance counselor at Merion Mercy Academy outside of Philadelphia, and was the founding director of College Perspectives, a private education consulting practice.
Cathy received her A.B. from Dartmouth College and her Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She is a trustee emeritus of the Academic and Student Life Committee of Cristo Rey Boston High School, a former trustee and active member of the Founders Circle initiative of the United Way of the Cape and Islands, and is a founding director of Radnor Children’s Foundation.
John J. Brennan
John J. Brennan is the Chairman of the Board of CP Mentors. Jack is chairman emeritus and senior advisor of Vanguard; a director of Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, American Express Company, and Rockefeller Capital Management; chairman of the board of trustees of the University of Notre Dame; a founding trustee of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST); chairman of Vanguard Charitable; co-founder and Chair of Catholic Investment Services; a member of the Pennsylvania Early Learning Investment Commission and Co-chairman of ReadyNation’s CEO Task Force on Early Childhood. He is a judge for the Templeton Prize. He is past chairman of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the Financial Accounting Foundation, and the Investment Company Institute. He is the 2017 recipient of the Alumni Achievement Award from Harvard Business School.
Jack graduated from Dartmouth College and earned a master’s degree in business administration from the Harvard Business School. He has received honorary degrees from Mount Aloysius College, Curry College, and Drexel University.
Kathleen Norden
Kathleen Norden is the Treasurer and the Associate Director of CP Mentors. Kathy started her career at Arthur Andersen & Co. in New York City. She then worked at WPP Group in the corporate finance group, and most recently was the Treasurer of College Perspectives, a private education consulting practice. Kathy was also the Treasurer of Radnor, A Better Chance, Inc, a non-profit organization which helps economically disadvantaged high school students of color achieve their academic potential.
Kathy is a Certified Public Accountant and graduated from Lehigh University with a degree in accounting. In addition to her work at CP Mentors, Kathy also volunteers at Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital.
Kara Brennan
Kara Brennan is a consultant for CP Mentors. She works primarily in development and mentor recruitment for recent college graduates and graduate students, in addition to working directly with the students at Cristo Rey. Outside of CP Mentors, Kara is an Educational Consultant and Social Media Producer for the film production company Walden Media. She is also a Teaching Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and consults with the Career Center at the University of Notre Dame as the Regional Engagement Coordinator. She was previously a producer for The History Channel, and worked in production for HBO and Fox Films. In her spare time she has also been a volunteer mentor for high school students for the past ten years.
Kara graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a Bachelors degree in Film, Television and Theater, and received her Master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in Technology, Innovation, and Education. She also holds a Graduate Certificate in childhood literacy from Boston University.
