Awards
- Honorary Degree - 2018
- L.H.D.
- Doctor of Humane Letters
- IUPUI Commencement
- Indianapolis, Indiana
- Presenter: Michael A. McRobbie
- IU Indianapolis Spirit of Philanthropy Award - 2014
About Maureen O'Gara Hackett
Maureen O'Gara Hackett began her volunteerism at age fourteen and has worked in the philanthropic sector in various positions for most of the last forty years. Having earned a B.S. in Education from Arizona State University, she has served as active board member, advisory board member or trustee for charities around the country, including the Alliance for Catholic Education at the University of Notre Dame, the Behavioral and Development Collaborative at Texas Children's Hospital, the Greater Houston Community Foundation Council, the I Am Waters Foundation, the MD Anderson Cancer Center Board of Visitors, the Mental Health America Foundation of Greater Houston, the National Council of the American Film Institute and the President's Advisory Council of the University of St. Thomas. Hackett is president of the Mental Health Court Foundation, a trustee of the Nantucket Cottage Hospital Board and president and chair of the Nantucket Cottage Hospital Foundation. The recipient of many awards, she has been honored with the Maurice Hirsch Award for Philanthropy, Shaw-Hardy Taylor Award for Advancing Women's Philanthropy, the Gary Levering Mental Health Impact Award and has been inducted into the Philanthropy in Texas Hall of Fame.
In February 2013, Hackett and her husband, Jim, transformed the world of philanthropy in a profound way by creating the nation's first endowed chair in women's philanthropy. The Eileen Lamb O'Gara Chair in Women's Philanthropy at The Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy is named for Maureen's mother, an entrepreneurial businesswoman who dedicated her life to helping and caring for others. With the creation of this endowed chair, the School and its Women's Philanthropy Institute will be able to provide new insights and information for students, donors, fundraisers and institutions.
In 2018, Indiana University awarded Maureen O'Gara Hackett with an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters at its spring commencement ceremony in Indianapolis, Indiana for her outstanding achievement in the arts and humanities, and for her continued community engagement and public service.