Congregational Leader Sister Sharon Sullivan
Sister Sharon Sullivan, a native of Austin, Texas, was reelected as Congregational Leader during meetings held in March
2026. She was installed in a special Mass on July 19, 2026, along with three new Council members. Sister Sharon previously served as Congregational Leader from 2010-16, before the community changed the term to four years. She was elected again in May 2022 and was installed on July 17, 2022, as the 17th canonically elected leader of the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph. She will serve a new four-year term. Sister Sharon is in her 44th year as an Ursuline Sister, with most of her time spent in ministry at Brescia University, where she was a professor and coordinator of special education, and Academic Dean.
Sister Sharon was raised in Houston, but her family moved to Owensboro, Ky., when she was 13. Sister Sharon has a passion to serve students with special needs, to care for the earth and to help create the next generation of women leaders through her work with the Girl Scouts. After becoming an Ursuline in 1982, she earned her doctorate in special education from Purdue University in 1993.
Most of her ministry has been in Daviess County, Ky. She served at Brescia College/University as director of residential life (1984-87) and professor of education and special education (1987-90, 1993-2009, 2017-present). From 1990-93, she was missioned to study and teach at Purdue University. She returned to Brescia and became chairwoman of the Social and Behavioral Studies Division (1999-2004), chairwoman of the School of Education (2004-2007) and coordinator of special education (1999-2007, 2017-present). She was academic dean and vice president for Academic Affairs (2007-2010).
From 2010-16, she served as the congregational leader for the Ursuline Sisters. She returned to Brescia in 2017 and served as a special education professor and coordinator of the special education and middle school programs until her election in 2022.
Assistant Congregational Leader Sister Alicia Coomes
Sister Alicia Coomes was elected Assistant Congregational Leader for the 2026-2030 term of office. She is in her 47th year of religious life. All of the Henderson, Ky., native’s ministry has been in Kentucky. Since 2022 she has served as pastoral care associate at both St. Peter of Alcantara Church in Stanley, and St. Augustine in Reed. From 2010-18, she was pastoral associate for St. William Parish, Marion; St. Francis Borgia Parish, Sturgis; and St. Ambrose Parish, Henshaw. She also served elsewhere in parish ministry in Bowling Green, LaCenter and Owensboro. She has used her nursing training to serve the Sisters at Maple Mount many times through the years and also served the community as director of Vocation Ministry (2007-10), director of the Temporary Professed (2009-12), director of Local Community Life and coordinator of pastoral care (2021-22). This is her first elected office.
Councilor Sister Judith Nell Riney
Sister Judith Nell Riney was elected to serve on the Leadership Council during the 2026-2030 term of office. She is serving in her 59th year as an Ursuline. The Daviess County native previously served as an elected councilor from 2016-22. She retired in 2025 as director of Library Services at Brescia University after 45 years in the role. She has been serving where needed in Owensboro while discerning her next ministry.
Councilor Sister Larraine Lauter
Sister Larraine Lauter was elected to serve on the Leadership Council during the 2026-2030 term. She is serving in her 47th year as an Ursuline. She is a native of St. Petersburg, Fla., but grew up in Louisville, where Ursuline Sisters were her teachers. She has ministered as executive director of Water By Women (previously Water With Blessings) in Louisville from 2012 to the present. Water By Women works to provide filters and training to women across the globe so they can bring clean drinking water to their areas. Sister Larraine has also served as a teacher, a parish minister, and was executive director of Migrant Immigrant Shelter and Support in Owensboro from 2002-2006. This is her first elected office.