Community Awards Spotlight: Joe '84 and Katy Harris, Susan Hayes Gordon '77

February 26, 2025

The annual Cretin-Derham Hall Community Awards celebrate several alumni and friends from Cretin, Derham Hall, and Cretin-Derham Hall, honoring their significant achievements and contributions.

Each month, we will spotlight one or two of these award recipients. The full list of 2024 Community Award winners can be found on our website. Please consider nominating members of our community for a 2025 Community Award. To learn more about the criteria for each award and the previous recipients, please visit our Awards page. 

Joe '84 and Katy Harris (click for video)

After attending Cretin High School, Joe Harris '84 attended school at the University of Minnesota while working at Midwest Vending, eventually purchasing the company. Joe enjoyed data collection, which helped develop better technology for vending machines. He notes that developing people from within the company is important to him. The sense of belonging came from his experiences at Cretin.

The sense of community and belonging was special for the Harris family, especially when their daughter Shannon graduated in 2010 from Cretin-Derham Hall. Shannon suffered from Cystic Fibrosis and was in the hospital often. The CDH community and prayers helped carry Shannon and the Harris family through very difficult times. 

The community support they received has inspired them to give back to others. Joe and Katy established “The Shannon Open,” a golf tournament named for their daughter, who lost her fight with Cystic Fibrosis in 2017. The Open is dedicated to continuing the fight to find a cure and they have raised over $700,000 toward that goal.

In addition to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, proceeds raised from this event are also donated to the Cretin-Derham Hall Shannon Harris Scholarship Fund – which provides significant financial support for students with a chronic illness, or to students with a family member with chronic illness.

Eugene and Mary Frey Community Award

Joe and Katy received the Eugene and Mary Frey Award in 2024. Instituted in 1999 in recognition of the tremendous commitment Eugene ‘48 and Mary Frost Frey ‘52 have demonstrated to Cretin-Derham Hall and the larger community, this award is presented to individuals who reflect the mission and values of Cretin-Derham Hall through deep connection and involvement with Cretin-Derham Hall and other community interests.

Susan Hayes Gordon '77 (click for video)

Susan Hayes Gordon '77 attended Marquette University, earning a degree in Political Science and French. Currently, Susan is the Senior Vice President and Chief External Affairs Officer at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. For more than three decades there, she has participated in the deliberations and decisions of the Executive Leadership Team, bringing the lens of external stakeholders, the developing needs of the community, and changing trends in healthcare policy. She serves as Lurie Children’s ambassador with external stakeholders in Washington, D.C., Springfield, Illinois, Chicago and the Midwest.

Lurie Children’s is the single largest provider of care to low-income children in Illinois. Susan and her team advocate to protect and enhance essential government funding to ensure that children have access to mental and physical health care and to improve their health and safety. Susan is proud of Lurie Children’s relentless pursuit of cures and healthier futures for children.

Along with her husband Tom, Susan’s greatest accomplishment and joy in life has been
raising four children: Annie, Jack, Pat and Matt.

Carondelet Award

Susan received the Carondelet Award in 2024. This award is presented annually to a distinguished woman who is reflective of the charisms of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet and Derham Hall. Women who receive this award have attained eminence in their particular field of endeavor.