Cardinal Perspectives with President of the Alumni Association Mary Card Mina, B.A. 1993, J.D. 1996

On this episode of Cardinal Perspectives, Mary Card Mina, president of Catholic University’s Alumni Association, joins Dan Curtin, senior associate director, career development and professional networking at Catholic University, to discuss her Cardinal journey.

Retired Lt. Col. Mary Card Mina is a proud double-Cardinal, earning both her Juris Doctor and her Bachelor of Arts in political science with a minor in philosophy from The Catholic University of America. She also holds a Master of Military Arts and Sciences from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, and an LL.M. in military law from The Judge Advocate General’s School, U.S. Army.

Mary served our country for 22 years as an Army judge advocate on active duty. In her final assignment, she served as an assistant legal advisor within the Department of Defense’s Office of Military Commissions and the Office of the Convening Authority. After her time in the Army, she served the public for five years as a supervisory attorney at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where she received the Office of General Counsel Leadership Award.

Mary has received numerous honors and recognition throughout her military career. Mary is a recipient of the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, and several campaign and service medals recognizing her time in Iraq, Kosovo, Korea, and beyond. She has also been awarded the President’s Volunteer Service Medal and is a proud member of the Military Order of Saint Barbara.

In addition to her military service, Mary is licensed in the state of Connecticut, several federal courts and is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States.

Mary currently serves as senior assistant general counsel and deputy designated ethics official at the Defense Contracting Audit Agency.

Mary and her husband Jim live in Virginia with their adult son, James.

Dan Curtin 
Welcome to Cardinal Perspectives. I'm Dan Curtin, and I'm joined by Mary Card Mina, the Alumni Association president. Mary, you're a double cardinal. What brought you to Catholic University, and why did you decide to attend Catholic Law after obtaining your bachelor’s degree?

Mary Card Mina
I'm super happy to be here to talk about my experience as an alumna.

As a high school student, I actually attended a program called Close Up, which was a governmental studies program. We had a session held at Catholic University, I believe it was in Maloney Hall. I remember walking across campus and everyone was super friendly. I just fell in love with it!

I applied to other schools, but I knew that this was where I wanted to be. I chose to stay here for law school because I saw law as a way to serve others, and my undergraduate experience here was certainly all about service.

I was super inspired by Campus Ministry and all of the volunteer work that they did. One of the things I especially loved about the law school was its Families and the Law Clinic, which helps survivors of domestic violence. That particular clinic was actually one of the main reasons that I wanted to go to law school here.

Dan Curtin
The word that I kept hearing through your statement was, “serve.” I think we're going to see that theme quite a number of times throughout our conversation, which speaks to not only the culture that we've built on campus, but also who you are as a person.

Getting into that a little bit, I believe that you applied for active duty military service during your time at Catholic Law. What inspired you to do such?

Mary Card Mina
My interest in the military is due to my experience here at Catholic University. I didn't come from a military family, but I would see ROTC students walking across campus in their uniforms and the respect that was given to them by both students and faculty alike. I also became friends with many of the ROTC cadets. I was so inspired and full of admiration for what they were doing.

I never thought about it for myself or as a career until I went to law school. I remember seeing a poster depicting a castle in Europe and referencing a summer internship experience with the Army. The military recruiters did on-campus interviews, and I was selected for the internship!

During that summer, my classmates and I were researching, writing, and putting in our hours, but I got to do it overseas. I went to Paris and fell in love with travel.

The people I met through the military also made a profound impact. In fact, the military recruiter who interviewed me for the internship and active duty became a mentor, and we're still in touch today.

My military service was truly inspired at Catholic University.

Dan Curtin
I'm curious if there's something that you learned in the classroom that influenced or prepared you for your time in the military?

Mary Card Mina
I had a professor – Professor Noone – who talked a lot about his experience as an Air Force JAG. It really appealed to me.

The Families and the Law Clinic was, again, really influential. One of my first jobs was as a prosecutor, so I was able to use my knowledge of domestic violence and the training that I received in the law school. I also assisted with Domestic Violence Awareness month during the month of October – a direct reflection on what I learned from the Families and the Law Clinic. That theme continued throughout my time in the military.

Also, in every military community I’ve been a part of, I was able to find somewhere to volunteer. That encouraging and welcoming tradition of service is something that is so evident here at Catholic University.

Dan Curtin
As a military brat myself, I thank you for your service and appreciate what you've done for our country and for our University.

Speaking of service, can you tell us a little bit about what first sparked your interest in getting involved with the Catholic University Alumni Association?

Mary Card Mina 
Military children and families serve as well, so thank you for that service.

I joined active duty when I left law school, and in 22 years I was deployed twice and moved to 12 different duty stations. I certainly stayed in touch with friends and with faculty at Catholic University, but it wasn't until I returned back to the D.C. area that I really got involved.

It was a personal encouragement from the Alumni Association president that inspired me to apply to be a member of the Board of Directors. That was in 2017, and now I am entering into my last year of service on the Alumni Association board.

The personal invitation is truly what brought me back, so that's what I try to do now, when I meet or reconnect with alumni that want to get engaged. Even if you've left for a while, Catholic University is still home. It’s always great to come back.

Dan Curtin
How can alumni get involved in making an impact at the University?

Mary Card Mina
One of the things that we – the Alumni Association Board of Directors – have been focusing on is more direct involvement recruiting new students to Catholic University. It led us to the creation of the Cardinal Ambassador program, which we’ll talk about a little bit later.

As for the Alumni Association board, we are a diverse group of Cardinals from different places, class years, and majors. Some of us were athletes, some were involved with Campus Ministry. Over my time on the board, I have seen all of us bring to light the different experiences that we've had at the University.

We created a Veterans Committee with the Alumni Association that helps facilitate connection between alumni and current students that have or had military service. We also partner with the University's Sister Thea Bowman Committee in order to foster and encourage inclusion for all.

Recently, we added three amazing clergy members to our board: Brother Dan, Father Jim, and Father Alex. They really highlight the incredible, unique contribution of our clergy alumni. We've worked with the Office of Diocesan Engagement in terms of programming and ways to reconnect and engage with our clergy.

It's the thoughts and the ideas of the members of the alumni board, in partnership with the Office of Alumni Engagement and the University as a whole, that lead to the creation of these things.  If I could sum up our mission in one sentence, it would be “to connect or reconnect Catholic University alumni worldwide.”

Dan Curtin
It's great to see the impact of alumni initiatives – especially when it comes to recruiting. I'm curious to learn more about your goals as Alumni Association president. How do they align with President Kilpatrick’s vision for the University?

Mary Card Mina
That's a great question. First and foremost, we've been asked to assist with both recruiting and fundraising. Those are two overarching general themes.

We are waiting for the University to publish its goals and we'll make sure that our goals are fully nested with the University’s. As the Alumni Association, we do a lot of work through our committees, so my personal goals really are aligned with the committees at this moment.

To share a little bit more about our Veterans Committee, one of my major goals for the last number of years is to refurbish the Veterans Memorial on campus.

The Veterans Memorial is located across from McMahon Hall and it definitely is in need of an upgrade. Our committees will continue to strive to make it what it should be. We're also working on a wreath laying at Arlington National Cemetery with representatives of Catholic University.

We also have a great Career Committee. We'd like to have five programs, including podcasts like this, with our alumni. Our alumni can certainly help each other, as well as current students, who are thinking about starting a new career or going through a transition. I’m really looking forward to that.

Our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee supports the Sister Thea Bowman Committee with meaningful engagement, and that absolutely nests with the University's goals.

For admissions, a personal goal is that 100% of our board serve as Cardinal Ambassadors. It's really important that we lead the way when it comes to growing our numbers. I’d also like 100% of our Fundraising Committee to keep with our board charter by donating, in addition to finding a sponsor or fundraising for a graduation toast in May 2026. That's something that I was fortunate to be a part of in May 2024.

My sights are also set on having 25% of the board host a Cardinals Around the Table event, which we'll talk about later. And then finally, in the area of governance, I’d like for the nominations process to continue to be refined, updated, and streamlined.

In a nutshell, that's where we would like to be as a board.

Dan Curtin
That's wonderful. And for any alumni reading this interview, I hope that you all have been able to pick up on the fact that whatever it is that you're interested in, we have an opportunity for you to give back to the University. It could be encouraging high school students to come here, it could be getting involved in community service, it could be fundraising related, or helping to mobilize your friends to support the University. Even things like hosting gatherings with your Catholic University buddies bring connectivity back to campus.

We hope people get involved and follow up with myself or Mary as things progress. One of the things that you had mentioned is Cardinals Around the Table. Would you mind sharing more about this new initiative and how alumni can participate?

Mary Card Mina
Absolutely, although to follow up on your comment, in terms of engagement, we welcome all alumni back to give time, talent, and/or treasure.

All of those are equally important. To be able to give back to the University that gave so much to me, it's just an amazing experience. I would encourage everyone listening to think about ways you can give back through time, talent, and treasure.

But, to talk about Cardinals Around the Table, this is one way that alumni can reengage with fellow Cardinals, including those just in their area. I'll talk about a Cardinals Around the Table that I'm currently working on, to give a flavor of what it is or what it can be.

I am co-hosting a dinner with a dear friend who is also a double Cardinal. We both went to Catholic University for undergrad and law school, and both live in Northern Virginia. We selected a location and have invited law school alums – many are also double Cardinals. Some of them are really involved, some of them have not been as involved, but we just curated a list of our friends and colleagues, and we're going to bring them together for a dinner.

As part of that experience, we will have a representative from the law school who will share some updates about the law school currently, including the law school's skyrocketing standings in U.S. News & World Report, so we can all learn more about our alma mater.

I think it's gonna be a great way to connect and certainly we'll talk about ways that we can help current students, especially with jobs. The job market is definitely difficult, so that's one of the sub conversations that I plan to have as I meet or reconnect with people that are there.

These events don't have to be anything super involved or fancy. It could be a meet-up at a coffee shop, it could be organizing a happy hour, it could be hosting something in your home… anything to get some fellow Cardinals together, and then working with the Office of Alumni Engagement to see if someone from the University could also attend and give information about what’s happening at Catholic University today.

Dan Curtin
That's great. And, again, for any of the alumni or parents – anyone who is interested in gathering a group of your Catholic University community together – please reach out to myself, Dan Curtin.

If you have a group of friends or coworkers who might be interested in reconnecting with the University, learning more about it, or finding ways to get involved, a great way to do that is through Cardinals Around the Table. We're happy to help organize, find a venue, and help you get connected. It's really a great way to give back to the community and build connectivity.

So, Mary, thank you for hosting one. We're excited to hear how it goes.

When it comes to the Alumni Association Board of Directors, you are the expert. I'd be curious to hear a little bit about what it takes to be a really good board member, and also how interested folks can apply and get involved.

Mary Card Mina
I'll just hit the highlights in terms of Board of Directors criteria and expectations. Any former student who has received a degree from the University and any former student who was enrolled for at least two consecutive semesters and is in good standing is eligible for nomination.

Board members serve a two-year term, and may serve up to three consecutive two-year terms, so for a total of six years.

We have two in-person meetings. One in the fall, typically in conjunction with Cardinal Weekend, and then one in the spring. We try to align that one with an admissions event. And then we have virtual committee meetings throughout the year. We ask that all of our board members serve on at least one of the board committees, but you can certainly serve on more if you would like.

We ask our members to donate to the University's annual fundraising goals. We ask that our members serve as Cardinal Ambassadors and that they attend at least one signature, non-athletic University event. I also have issued a challenge to the board this year, that they attend one athletic event as well.

Essentially, service on the board is really serving as a Catholic University champion, promoting the University to prospective students as well as their families, recruiting fellow alumni to attend programming, and then encouraging alumni and friends to volunteer in the categories of time, talent, and treasure.

In terms of the logistics, we open nominations in the fall. You can self-nominate, but certainly if you know someone that you think would be excellent at this role, encourage them or reach out to me or to the alumni engagement office. Let us know their name and we can reach out and see if it would be a good fit.

Our board currently has 43 members, which is rather large, but we always have openings because people are rolling on and off. There's always an opportunity to join us.

So after nominations in the fall, we make selections, and then new members are brought on at the spring meeting. We're looking forward to that. We will be admitting some new members to the board in the fall of this year, and we're looking forward to welcoming them.

Dan Curtin 
As a person that gets to interact with a lot of the board members, the University could not execute on the initiatives, ideas, and fun plans we have without them.

Pivoting a little bit, Cardinal Weekend is our homecoming event. We try to bring all of the alumni back in their reunion years and celebrate them. It's our “Super Bowl” when it comes to our alumni engagement team and a lot of folks on the board. Could you tell us more about this celebration, why it's so important, and why alumni who are out of the state or even out of the country should return and have a good time?

Mary Card Mina
To follow up on one thing you said about our work as alumni and our committees, we would not be able to do it without the support of the Office of Alumni Engagement and of you personally, as well as your team. That's something that I really encourage everyone to think about too.

You're not serving alone. We have partners that are part of the Catholic University family that help bring our ideas to life. So it's so much fun and it would not exist without the partnership of your great office. And speaking of your great office, yes, Cardinal Weekend is certainly the “Super Bowl” for all alumni.

I absolutely encourage anyone who graduated with a year ending in zero or five to attend. Those are the reunion classes that we will celebrate. Mark your calendars for Friday, October 17, which kicks off Cardinal Weekend (and is also the day of our Alumni Association board meeting).

The weekend continues on to Saturday and Sunday. It's a great time to just reconnect and see all of the changes that have taken place on campus. To support Catholic University Athletics, there's the football game on Saturday, after the Pregame Tent Party. There's also the reunion class receptions and then the Golden Cardinals dinner.

We have a member on our board who is a Golden Cardinal. And it's amazing to see her at all of the events. I feel like it gives us something to strive for, to still be connected. And this year we'll celebrate the Class of 1975, which is amazing. So congratulations in advance to all of those Golden Cardinals celebrating their reunion.

Dan Curtin
For anybody that's interested, the Golden Cardinals 50th reunion dinner is one of the coolest things that I get to be a part of every year. Hearing the stories from people who graduated 50 years ago and understanding what life was like in general, socially, around the world, but then also here on campus, how buildings and culture has evolved.

I hope anybody who is in the Class of 1975, or even older classes, will come back and enjoy the Golden Cardinals event with us. Along those lines, are there other initiatives that you are especially excited about or that people should have on the radar?

Mary Card Mina
I encourage all alumni to look at the website. There's a list of events that are constantly being updated. Some of them are virtual, some of them are in person. Some of the events that I would love to highlight are coming up.  One of the events is Wreaths Across America, and we work with the Alumni Engagement Office in six regional areas: Baltimore, New York, Northern Virginia, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, and Boston.

Mark your calendars: December 13, 2025. Wreaths Across America is a great event to volunteer to place wreaths on the graves of veterans. It's an opportunity for alumni to meet at that event and to work together. We've had great turnouts thus far and we're looking forward to keeping those going and expanding to new areas.

Speaking of regional events, there are events occurring in, again, Baltimore, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C. So especially if you're in those areas, please connect with the Office of Alumni Engagement and they can direct you to how you can be even more involved.

There's also always the annual Christmas party in the D.C. area. If you're local, that's a can't-miss event. And then looking ahead to graduation, I always encourage alums to come back for graduation in special alumni seating. It's just a lot of fun to celebrate the newest members of our Alumni Association as they cross the stage.

In terms of other things to look forward to, there are a lot of affinity groups that are being formed. I encourage you to look at the website to check those out as well. For example, if you were involved in baseball or football, men's rugby, rowing, there are LinkedIn or Facebook groups, or ways that you can connect with other alums, even just virtually.

Dan Curtin
Mary, one of the ways that alumni can really help out and volunteer for the University is through a program called Cardinal Ambassadors. Would you mind telling us a little bit about your experience as a Cardinal Ambassador, what that program's all about, and why people should get involved?

Mary Card Mina
Yeah! There are two aspects of Cardinal Ambassadors right now. The first is to serve as an admissions representative, working with the admissions team to help with recruiting, typically at college fairs. The second part of the Cardinal Ambassador program is part of The National Collection, which occurs once a year.

So whether you're more drawn to the admission side or to The National Collection side, you can do just one or both.

To go into what it looks like and what people would be getting into, there is training that you can sign up for through the website. All of this information that I'll be mentioning is online, by the way, so I encourage those that are listening to look at that website.

On the website, you'll go to training, you'll learn about Catholic University. You'll get some talking points, and then you'll be put on a list. Admissions and recruiting happens all year round, but it's more concentrated in the fall in particular, as well as the spring.

I've personally done two events now, both college fairs. Both were super close to my home, and that's something else about this program – it's meant to be very easy, very fun, and convenient.

Someone from the admissions office will reach out and give you advanced notice that there's a college fair. Sometimes they're at night, sometimes they're during the workday, sometimes they're on weekends, and it's whatever you're able to commit to. If you're not able to help with a specific one, you'll still remain on the list, and they'll ask again for additional opportunities. Again, it's meant to be convenient.

On the day of the fair, typically there is a representative, a professional staff member, from the admissions office. You'll just be there to supplement. Both times that I was there, the admissions professional talked about the nuts and bolts about the process and recruiting and financial aid, and I talked more about my experience as a student.

I also gravitated toward the parents. And was able to answer questions they had in mind. At one of the events, I actually reconnected with a fellow alum. There were two of us supporting the event, and I had not seen them in decades. It was such a great way to reconnect not only with the University and to meet prospective students, but to meet a friend and get in touch with them.

The National Collection has a separate training, and that is more specific. That's for the once-a-year collection that parishes take up throughout the U.S. and ways that you can be involved there. This program is ongoing and developing, and a lot of it will depend on your particular parish.

I've already reached out to my parish to ask if I could make either quick remarks after Mass about The National Collection and how it supports Catholic University, or perhaps if I could do something with the Knights of Columbus. Again, great ways to be involved.

Dan Curtin
Thank you, Mary. It's wonderful to sit down with you and learn more about the work that you do here on campus. Thank you for your service. That word is applicable to you as a person to our community and we thank you very much for it.

Mary Card Mina
Thank you.