Hello friendly faces! It’s a new Chicago North Shore Moms spotlight brought to you in part by Mary Gifford of Gifford Law. We are so excited to introduce you to Krista Edlund Gallagher, a Wilmette mother of three and the newly appointed president of Regina Dominican High School, whose passion for empowering young women shines through in every aspect of her work.
Krista is a born leader—she’s an advocate for causes close to her heart, including advancing education for girls and supporting families navigating life with Type 1 Diabetes, a cause she’s championed since one of her children was diagnosed at age seven. Whether she’s attending school events, advocating for all-girls education, or supporting community initiatives, Krista leads with purpose, warmth, and an unwavering commitment to making a difference.
In this interview, Krista shares her vision for Regina Dominican High School, the exciting opportunities awaiting students in the recently opened state-of-the-art “Heart of the School” building, and how faith shapes the school’s mission. Whether you’re considering Regina for your daughter or simply curious about the magic of an all-girls education, Krista’s perspective is thought-provoking. Welcome, Krista!
Hi Krista! Please introduce yourself.
Hi, I’m Krista Edlund Gallagher. I grew up in the Phoenix area and came to Chicago for graduate school. I had spent a year here right after college and thought Chicago was the greatest city ever. Before I knew it, I had a job and a husband and Chicagoland became home. We love it. We spent about 15 years in the city and moved out to Wilmette nearly 10 years ago.
My kids are the reason I took my job at Regina Dominican High School. They taught me that teenagers are amazing! I have a daughter in college in North Carolina. My boy / girl twins are juniors in high school and I will miss them terribly when they go to college!
What are one or two fun facts to know about you?
I lived in Berlin, Germany after college, where my closest friends were three former East German soldiers. I still visit every few years and have loved staying connected to them.
I love to swim – just for exercise and companionship. Not competitively!
What are your favorite local places, spaces and eats do you love?
So many great places! I am a regular at Eva Dean’s in Wilmette for work coffees. I also love Central Station Coffee and the french market for weekend coffee. My girls love Hometown in Winnetka. Soupicurean, Trendy Taco and La Taquiza are family go to’s for a quick and easy take out dinner. And, my family pops into Pit & Tap or Napolita pretty consistently.
What are you reading and watching?
I have a tall stack of books next to my bed and not enough time to read them. I’m currently reading “Small Things Like These” for book club and I’m loving it! It’s going to end before I’m ready to move on.
As for shows, I found “Where’s Wanda” on AppleTV. It’s in German, so it’s a good test of my comprehension (and not terribly complex!).
What’s one piece of professional advice you’ve gotten OR that you give to others?
Find a way to work with people you like and respect. Work doesn’t feel like work if you enjoy your teammates.
Your mantra?
Family, Faith, Friends and Purpose. I’ve been following Arthur Brooks a lot lately. He researches “happiness” at Harvard and those four things are at the core of his guidance.
Let’s get down to business. Gush away about your endeavors, passion projects or volunteer positions.
I have two passions – all girls education and Type 1 Diabetes. One of my kids was diagnosed with T1D at age 7, which turned our lives upside down. I’ve been involved with JDRF/Breakthrough T1D ever since. I’m currently on the finance committee for the International Board. Things have improved dramatically in the 12 years that she’s had it, but it’s still a day by day, minute by minute headache for her.
All girls’ education is the other! While less common on the North Shore these days, the evidence is clear that girls benefit: They do better academically, they go into more leadership positions as adults and they are more likely to go into STEM fields. They learn to take calculated risks by getting positive feedback in critical developmental years. I firmly believe that every girl should have the opportunity to at least consider an all girls environment.
Congratulations on your recent appointment as the new president of Regina Dominican High School! You touched on the importance of an all girls school in how it relates to long-term success. What else makes Regina Dominican High School so special?
Regina girls graduate with confidence – and with lifelong friends, big scholarship money, and leadership skills. Regina’s secret sauce is its blend of all girls, faith and opportunity. Girls are the celebrated athletes. They are the leaders of the student government. They run the robotics club and the math club. They are also unselfconsciously silly in the halls with their friends.
So, girls’ confidence. That is what makes Regina Dominican special.
How does the faith-based approach in education drive the mission at Regina Dominican High School?
Faith drives our mission, but I want to be clear that our mission is to educate all girls – regardless of their faith. Our faith-based approach allows us to talk to girls about their role in the world in a way that secular schools cannot. It provides a critical sense of self and purpose. Second, we are deliberately of a size where every girl is known and every girl can participate in many activities. Regina girls play multiple sports – often for all four years. They participate in dance, theater, leadership and academic teams. They try out new things and get better at their strengths. They learn that it is good to take risks and that they can do hard things.
Regina Dominican High School recently opened a brand new building on campus. Can you please share more about that building?
Please visit! Carol Ross Barney, a world renowned female architect (and Regina alumna), who designed the River Walk and many other well-known projects around the world, designed our Heart of the School. It is light-filled, happy and always full of girls. It has been open for about 18 months. It is a large collection of spaces that we use for morning meetings, cafeteria, study hall, lockers and student lounging!
That’s pretty big! Anything else on the horizon for Regina Dominican High School?
As for next steps, we are taking a short pause on large campus renovations to bring me up to speed. The plan is in place, I just want to get my feet on the ground before we start a big project! As a sneak peek, I suspect it will have something to do with our gym.
Is there anything else you’d like us to know about Regina Dominican High School?
Please come see us for yourself. If you have a daughter, please give her the opportunity to consider all girls’ education. I wish I’d had it! Regina girls find friends for life. They graduate knowing that they can and will make important contributions to the world around them. They are known and loved here.
Reach out to Ellie Schmerler-Rich who runs our admissions office by visiting this link. For any other inquiries, feel free to reach out through our website, https://www.rdpanthers.org/apps/contact/
About our Meet of Mom Sponsor
A very heartfelt thank you to CNSMoms’ Meet a Mom sponsor, Lake Forest mom of three and owner of Gifford Law, a solo Estate Planning Firm (wills and trusts). Mary, we appreciate your support of local moms in our North Shore communities! Learn more about Mary by visiting her Meet a Mom spotlight here! Contact Mary directly here: [email protected].
