Sister Sheila Carney, a beloved mission leader and guide at Carlow University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, received the 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Catholic Higher Education Mission Officer Network (CHEMON) on Saturday, January 31. She was unable to attend the award ceremony, held at the chief mission officer pre-conference gathering of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU) in Washington, D.C., so Dr. Kathy Humphrey, president of Carlow University, accepted the award on her behalf.
For Sheila, who has served as the inaugural special assistant to the president of Carlow University since 2008, the award “is a blessing beyond expectation.” She reflects, “I thought mission work at Carlow was going to be a short, part-time ministry for me. Eighteen years later, I find myself enriched daily and inspired by the interactions and experiences that accompany this work.”
Carlow President Dr. Kathy Humphrey couldn’t be more pleased. “To educate is to transform lives, and Sister Sheila Carney has spent her life advancing education rooted in a deep compassion for the needs of others. She has helped generations of students understand that success is measured not only by achievement but by how we use our gifts to create a more just and merciful world.”
The Catholic Higher Education Mission Officer Network Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes “the contributions of a mission officer who has made a significant impact upon their campus or our profession.”
A proud alumna of Carlow University (formerly called Mount Mercy College), Sheila is a member of President Humphrey’s cabinet and oversees campus ministry and other programs through the Center for Mercy Heritage. Her dedication to Venerable Catherine McAuley led her to serve as vice postulator of Catherine’s cause for sainthood. She leads retreats and oversees special Mercy projects and has also served as chair of the board for Mercy International Association in Dublin, Ireland, a member of the Institute Leadership Team (ILT) and acting vice president of Mission Services at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, Maryland.