Title:Hoya Highlight: Sean Conaton (C’95)

Sean Conaton (C’95) is the founder & principal consultant at Strategy Compass, a management consultancy in the Washington, DC area. During his undergraduate years, Sean studied English as major and Psychology as minor at Georgetown. He worked as a tutor at the Writing Center and was an avid racquetball player at Yates Field House.

Sean originally considered a career in academia, but instead realized an aptitude for business. A variety of early career experiences led him to become the Director of Constituent & Marketing Operations at the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), igniting a passion for mission driven organizations.

Sean encourages other professionals to seek out new experiences and remain open to unexpected opportunities. His work at NWF kept him on the radar of recruiters, and led to a career transition into consulting. With roles in “Big Four” firms that centered on strategy and business transformation, Sean progressed to become a senior manager at Deloitte Consulting, an experience that gave him the tools and experience to launch his own consulting firm. Through Strategy Compass, Sean expanded from “traditional” consulting support to take on interim leadership roles for his clients. He served as the interim chief operating officer at American Society for Microbiology in 2017, interim chief executive officer with CFA Society New York in 2021, and currently serves as the interim executive vice president of Strategic Leadership for American Geophysical Union.

Sean believes his background in management consulting prepared him to quickly understand the operating models at each of these organizations, to diagnose critical issues, and to build the trust necessary to lead their teams. He advises those interested in consulting careers to adopt a learning mindset and to consider the broad range of opportunities that larger consulting firms may be able to offer as career starting points.

During his first year at Georgetown, Sean met his wife and partner in crime, Erin Duffy Conaton (C’95), on a blind date and they now have a daughter entering the class of ’29. Sean’s favorite space on campus was Dahlgren Quad, where he and Erin spent time in meaningful conversations as students and where they ultimately got engaged. The professional and personal impact Georgetown has had on Sean’s life inspired him to give back to the community. By serving on the Advisory Committee of the Hoya Gateway Executive Committee, Sean supports current students and recent alumni in advancing in their career journeys. Sean, along with the greater Hoya Gateway Executive Committee, helps execute events like the biannual Hoya Gateway Live, encouraging Hoyas to network on the Hilltop.

Sean tries to live the Jesuit value of cura personalis, care for the whole person. His best advice for students and alumni is to challenge themselves in the courses they take, the jobs they pursue, and the professional relationships they develop. Sean believes in the importance of trusting yourself, a lesson he credits his wife with teaching him. Remaining authentic and true to yourself will help you find experiences that balance financial security and personal fulfillment. Although Sean’s career path was not linear, the experiences gained and people encountered enriched his life immensely.