Sharon Brady Raimo ’69 ’94, CEO of St. Coletta of Greater Washington, to Speak at Trinity Commencement, Saturday, May 18, 2019

Sharon Brady Raimo ’69 ’94, CEO of St. Coletta of Greater Washington, to Speak at Trinity Commencement, Saturday, May 18, 2019

Sharon Brady RaimoTrinity Washington University will present an honorary doctor of letters to Sharon Brady Raimo ’69, ’94, at Commencement on Saturday, May 18, 2019, in recognition of her lifetime of achievement and her commitment to improving the lives of children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Sharon Brady Raimo earned her undergraduate degree from Trinity in 1969 and her graduate degree in education from Trinity in 1994. She is the CEO of St. Coletta of Greater Washington, a nonprofit organization with a mission to serve children and adults with intellectual disabilities and to support their families. Raimo will be the featured speaker at Trinity’s 116th Commencement. The ceremony begins at 4:00 pm and more than 250 undergraduate and graduate degrees will be awarded.

“Ms. Raimo is known throughout the Washington region as a passionate advocate for the students and families of St. Coletta’s, and for the leadership she exerted across the years to build the institution,” said President McGuire. “St. Coletta started in 1969 in Arlington, Virginia. When Ms. Raimo took the helm in 1993, she moved the school to a new location in Alexandria. Ten years later, she moved the school again to the District of Columbia and into a brand new building that she developed with the famous architect Michael Graves. St. Coletta also serves adult students in Rockville and Alexandria, and also operates Coletta Collections, that sell the crafts made by students.”

Raimo was named a Washingtonian of the Year by Washingtonian magazine in 2003 and was profiled again by the Washingtonian in 2013. She was profiled in a cover story in the TRINITY magazine in 2006: “Combining Tenacity and Whimsy to Create Something Extraordinary: The Story of St. Coletta and Sharon Brady Raimo ’69, ’94.”

President McGuire noted: “In honoring Ms. Raimo we are also honoring the Class of 1969, a group of Trinity Women who have exerted extraordinary leadership in their personal and professional lives, and also on behalf of Trinity. To mark the occasion of their 50th anniversary, this class chose a truly remarkable project — to raise money to help current Trinity students to graduate on time! “’69 to the Finish Line” is the name of their Reunion fund drive, and to encourage their classmates to give, they created a video to tell the story of Trinity students today. (The video production was donated through the services of a class member who is a professional producer.) As of today, the Class of 1969 has raised more than $350,000 for “Finish Line” micro grants, and that number will continue to grow as we head into Reunion in the first week of June. The grants will be available starting in the 2019-2020 school year according to guidelines we will announce in the fall. I hope you will agree that this commitment of the Class of 1969 to today’s Trinity students is truly worthy of our gratitude and recognition!”

Media: Contact Ann Pauley, Media Relations, pauleya@trinitydc.edu , 202-884-9725.