Project Sycamore :: About the Project

Concerned about patterns of secularization persisting on campus, a group of Notre Dame Alumni have established Project Sycamore as a charitable organization recognized under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code to help preserve the University's Catholic identity. Officers and Directors of the Board are listed below with email addresses (where available) to encourage dialogue within the Notre Dame family. Please feel free to contact these members directly by clicking on the email addresses listed under their names. To send a general message to Project Sycamore, click on

OFFICERS

William H. Dempsey ('52)
President

Bachelor of Arts 1952, University of Notre Dame (Class Valedictorian)
Doctor of Jurisprudence 1955, Yale Law School
Law Clerk to Judge Charles Fahy, U. S. Court of Appeals
Chief Law Clerk to Chief Justice Earl Warren, U.S. Supreme Court
Partner, Shea & Gardner, Washington D.C.
Chairman, National Railway Labor Conference (chief labor negotiator for nation's railroads)
President & CEO, Association of American Railroads
Charter Sycamore Trust Board Member.

Joseph A. Reich, Jr. ('57)
Vice President

Bachelor of Science 1957 Commerce, University of Notre Dame
United States Navy active duty 1957-1960
Naval Reserve 1960-1988, Retired Captain
Stock Broker Newman & Co. 1960-1963
Commercial Real Estate Broker/Developer various projects 1964-1982
President and Broker The Reich Company, Inc. 1982-Present
Commercial Investment Real Estate Designation CCIM
Notre Dame Alumni Board 1984-1988
President Notre Dame Alumni Association and Notre Dame Trustee 1986-1988
Past Chair of Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce, Military Affairs Council, and Economic Development Council
Charter Sycamore Trust Board Member.

George L. Heidkamp ('52)
Treasurer & Secretary

Bachelor of Science 1952 Commerce, University of Notre Dame
Master of Business Administration 1957, University of Chicago
Master of Science in Health Administration 1960, Northwestern University
Hospital CEO/COO 1960-1988
Commissioned Officer, USMC/USMCR USA and Korea 1952-1960
Former Chairman, Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council (Chicago Hospital Council)
Former Chairman, Illinois Hospital Association
Former Delegate, American Hospital Association
Charter Sycamore Trust Board Member.

DIRECTORS

Edmund J. Adams ('63)

Doctor of Jurisprudence 1963, University of Notre Dame
Frost, Brown, Todd, LLC, Of Counsel, former Managing Partner
Ohio Board of Regents, former Chairman and member
Notre Dame Club of Greater Cincinnati, Award of the Year 2004 and former President
Governor's Commission on Higher Education and the Economy, former member
International lecturer, bankruptcy law
Numerous charitable and civic orgnizations

David P. Bender, Jr ('78)

Doctor of Jurisprudence, Southwestern University, Associate Editor, Law Review.
Bachelor of Arts 1978, University of Notre Dame.
Managing Partner, Wood & Bender LLP.
Author of author of the guide, Corporate Policyholders' 50-State Guide: The Right to Independent Counsel and numerous articles on insurance coverage.
Frequent speaker on insurance policy enforcement matters.
Vice chairman, Holy Cross College Board of Trustees.
Past president, Notre Dame student council.
Board Member, Ventura County Boy Scouts and Gold Coast Veteran Foundation.
Member, Legatus.
Sycamore Trust Board Member since March 9, 2011.

Timothy M. Dempsey ('89)

Bachelor of Arts 1989, English, University of Notre Dame
Master of Arts 1993, English Language and Literature, Catholic University of America
Master of Business Administration 2004, University of Tennessee
Dismas House Chattanooga Founding Director
Chattanooga Endeavors, Inc., Founder and CEO
Tennessee Community Resource Board, Chairman
Hamilton County Prisoner Reentry Consortium, Chairman
Scenic Land School, Trustee
Notre Dame Alumni Club of Chattanooga, Past President
Charter Sycamore Trust Board Member.

Arina O. Grossu ('06)

Bachelor of Arts 2006, Philosophy, University of Notre Dame
Master of Arts 2008, Theology, Dominican House of Studies
Certified in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
Intern, Production Assistant, EWTN, The World Over Live
Best Undergraduate Business Plan 2006, Gigot Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, Mendoza College of Business, University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame Right to Life President, 2005-2006
Founded Annual Collegiate Conference 2005 (now called Motherhood Resource Committee)
Co-Founder, Vice-President, Orestes Brownson Council on Catholicism and American Politics, Notre Dame, 2004-2005
Co-Founder, Managing Editor of Advocata Nostra, The Catholic Publication of Notre Dame, 2004-2005.

Dr. Thomas S. Hibbs (’83, ’87)

M.M.A ('83) and Ph.D ('87) in Medieval Studies from University of Notre Dame
Served on faculty of Thomas Aquinas College
Served for thirteen years on the faculty of Boston College as full professor and Chair of the Philosophy Department
Currently Dean of the Honors College and Distinguished Professor of Ethics & Culture at Baylor University
Author of scholarly books on St. Thomas Aquinas
Frequent contributor to numerous publications including First Things, National Review Online, and Catholic World Report
Frequent lecturer and radio commentator on scholarly and cultural issues

Elizabeth Kirk ('96)

Notre Dame Law (’96)
Fund for the Protection of Human Life, Board member
Center for Ethics and Culture, Fellow and Advisory Board member
Law clerk to Judge Daniel Manion of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals
Catholic University and Ave Maria , Law School Faculty
ND RTL & Identity Project, Faculty Advisor Bachelor of Arts
Sycamore TrustBoard Member since December 15, 2010

Daniel McInerny (’86)

Bachelor of Arts, English, University of Notre Dame (1986)
PhD, Philosophy, The Catholic University of America (1994)
Department of Philosophy, University of St. Thomas, Houston (1994-2000)
Director, Center for Thomistic Studies, and Chair, Department of Philosophy, University of St. Thomas, Houston (2000-02)
Associate Director, Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture (2003-2009)
Great Texts Program, Baylor University (2009-11)
Author, The Difficult Good: A Thomistic Approach to Moral Conflict and Human Happiness
Author, “High Concepts” blog at danielmcinerny.blogspot.com
Founder, Daniel McInerny Productions, LLC (2011-present).

MyNotreDame Profile

Rev. John J. Raphael, SSJ (’89)

Bachelor of Arts 1989 Philosophy, University of Notre Dame
Master of Arts 1995 Theology DeSales School of Theology, Washington, D.C.
Master in Catholic Educational Leadership 2009, University of San Francisco
Ordained Priest of St. Joseph's Society of the Sacred Heart (The Josephites) May 20, 1995
Assistant Pastor, Our Mother of Mercy Church, Beaumont, TX 1995 – 1999
Roman Catholic Chaplain, Howard University, Washington, DC 1999– 2004
Member, Administrative Team, Hurricane Katrina Merged School (M.A.X), New Orleans, 2006
Principal, St. Augustine High School, New Orleans, 2006 – 2010
President, St. Augustine High School, New Orleans, 2010 – present
Chairman, Josephite Pro-Chastity, Pro-Marriage, Pro-Life Committee
Member, Admissions Advisory Board, University of Notre Dame, 2008 – present

Lisa Scapellati ('81)

Bachelor of Arts 1981, University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame Club of Cape Cod, President
Cape CARES Central American Relief Efforts, Administrator
Pro-life leader in her community
Council for the public school system
Sycamore TrustBoard Member since December 15, 2010

MyNotreDame Profile

Robert Schmiege (’63, ’66)

Bachelor of Arts 1963, University of Notre Dame
Doctor of Jurisprudence 1966, Notre Dame Law School
Chicago & North Western Railway, past Chairman, President & CEO
Director, RailAmerica, Inc.
Notre Dame Law School Advisory Board, past Member
Notre Dame High School For Boys (C.S.C.), past Board Chairman
Regina Dominican High School, past Board Chairman
Sycamore Trust Board Member since July 18, 2011

MyNotreDame Profile

Dr. Susan Biddle Shearer ('88)

Bachelor of Arts 1972, Purdue University.
Master of Public Affiars 1980, Indiana University at South Bend.
Doctorate of Philosophy 1988 Government & International Studies, University of Notre Dame.
Former Senior Market Research Analyst, MicroSwitch Division of Honeywell.
Dissertation (The Domestic Economics and International Politics of U.S. Foreign Trade Policy:1945-1980) published by Garland Press in 1988 in its series of best political economy analyses of the year.
Adjunct Professor Political Science, Valparaiso University, 1988 to present.
Teach classes in the following areas: Comparative Politics, International Relations, International Law, U.S. Foreign Policy, Faith, Conflict and War.
Expertise in Middle Eastern politics and terrorism.
Charter Sycamore Trust Board Member.