Faculty and Staff

Sean Connolly

About

Sean Connolly is a passionate advocate for student-driven learning and community-based educational experiences. He is the co-founder and executive director of Helix Education, headquartered in Chicago. Helix activates learning opportunities across communities for students of all ages. This includes hosting in-school and afterschool programs, developing and deploying curriculum, and hosting a wide range of workshops for schools across Chicago and the country.

Prior to Helix, Sean served as the director of neighborhood initiatives at Loyola University Chicago. In that role, he founded the University’s student-run business program, designed and taught entrepreneurship sessions for the City of Chicago small business incubators, and launched the annual Student-Run Business Conference.

Sean has served in several community positions in Chicago and Illinois including board president of the Edgewater Chamber of Commerce, board treasurer and LBGTQ coordinator for the Illinois Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, member of the TIF Equity Committee for Chicago United for Equity, and commissioner for Special Service Area 54 with the City of Chicago.

Sean has a BA in political science and a master in business administration from Loyola University Chicago.

Degrees

• MBA, Entrepreneurship, Loyola University Chicago, 2017
• BA, Political Science, Loyola University Chicago, 2012

Research Interests

• Neighborhood small businesses
• Community organizations
• Intersection of marketing and nonprofit operations

Courses Taught

• MARK 201: Principles of Marketing
• MARK 390: Marketing Strategies

Awards

• Part-Time Faculty Member of the Year, Quinlan School of Business, Loyola University Chicago, 2023
• Community Partner of the Year, Center for Engaged Learning, Teaching, and Scholarship at Loyola University Chicago, for Helix Education, 2022