Faith Leaders Creating Change

Impact Executives are dedicated to creating real and lasting social impact through pushing boundaries. They come from varying industries and organizations and use innovation and courage to solve the world’s most pressing challenges.

This month, Handshake is proud to highlight faith leaders who have shown time and again their commitment to solving the pandemic through unique solutions. From convening the private sector to leading the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, these faith leaders embody what it means to be an Impact Executive.  

Sr. Pat Murray, IBVM, UISG Executive Secretary 

Meet Sister Pat Murray, the Executive Director of the International Union of Superiors General (the organization of women’s religious institutes) in Rome. Through her role and work, she has helped the collaborative rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine to underserved and high-risk communities.

She exemplifies the quality of leadership needed to be an Impact Executive. Sr. Pat Murray’s previous work includes Founding Executive Director of Solidarity with South Sudan. There, she fostered the collaboration of public and private groups working to rebuild the newly independent South Sudan’s educational, medical, agricultural, and pastoral infrastructure.

Read more about Sister Pat Murray here

Sister Jane Wakahiu, LSOSF, Ph.D., Little Sisters of Saint Francis, Kenya.

Meet Sister Jane Wakahiu; she provides leadership at the Hilton Foundation and oversees the planning, development, implementation, and evaluation of the Catholic Sisters Initiative. Through her roles, she advances capacity building with collaboration between the public and private sectors, enabling sisters to contribute more to sustainable human development.

Previously, Sister Jane Wakahiu was the executive director of the African Sisters Education Collaborative (ASEC). She implemented many programs by working closely with leadership conferences, significant superiors, religious congregations, and institutes, twenty-three partner colleges and universities in the United States and Africa, and major foundations.

Read more about Sister Jane Wakahiu here