Meet Bridget Hennessey
Town & Country and a Houston Native
The Texas drawl may lead you to believe that your conversation will be light and airy, full of stories of her youth splitting time between town and country (horses and malls) and the joys of fundraising. While this is the case, she is intentional. Bridget believes in leading with compassion.
The 5th Generation Texan was born and raised with one foot in the city and one foot in the country, attending school in Houston while being based in Richmond, TX, mostly dirt roads at the time. Her upbringing is juxtaposed to her northern-reared father by way of Boston and her mother, a native Texan. Encouraged to pursue a calling that "was interesting to her," Bridget has carved out a rewarding career as a Head of Advancement for her alma mater, St. Agnes Academy, a diverse, all-girls Catholic school that encourages young women to develop intellectual curiosity, to work for social justice and to act with integrity and compassion.
This Texas A&M University alum found her way to development and fundraising after a stint as a student-teacher. Deciding that teaching was not her path, she was drawn to mission-based organizations, not understanding what non-profit work was. Early in her career, she was presented with a life-changing opportunity to become St. Francis Episcopal School's first communications director and serve on the admin team. She found her firm footing in communications, fundraising, and independent school administration with some incredible mentors - help that she tries to pay forward anytime she can.
Bridget's commitment to education is apparent. After an initial exchange of niceties, Bridget begins to tell you how much St. Agnes was fundamental to her development and her desire to build the support the school needs to continue its path of excellence. She understands and embraces the pivotal role an institution such as SAA plays in the community by developing young women leaders with strong inner cores.
On a personal level, no one has escaped the COVID year without lessons and priority resets, and Bridget is no exception. She has strengthened her ability to walk in uncertainty, grieving life paths that were not meant to be while embracing new beginnings. Her focus is on the present and doing things that bring her joy, such as yoga, long walks with friends, time with her family (especially her two nieces and nephew), reading, and hiking (she has checked the challenging Chilkoot Trail between the US and Canada from her bucket list).
Bridget says the best and most enduring gift she's given herself was running the Houston Marathon for her 30thbirthday. "I couldn't even jog a mile, but the challenge profoundly called to me. Over the weeks and months, I found myself pushing further and further than I thought possible, learning about my body, and loving the process! I've made some of my best friends over the years of training. Crossing my first finish line gave me the deep, deep knowledge that I can do almost anything that I set my mind on and work for."
