Summer Camps and Programs Welcomes New Director Cibele Webb to lead the Leadership and Purpose Institute

Saint Mary’s Summer Camps and Programs has announced that Cibele Webb is the new director of the Leadership and Purpose Institute. Webb is an associate professor of Nursing, Director of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, Division Director of Integrated Health and Human Services, and an affiliated faculty member of Gender and Women's Studies. 

Webb joined Saint Mary’s in 2017. Prior to coming to the College, she received her PhD in Higher Education at Azusa Pacific University. Her doctoral work was organized around the development of three core competencies, two of which were social justice and leadership. Professionally, Webb gravitates toward leadership roles and meaningfully integrates that passion into her work teaching senior-level nursing courses in the Department of Nursing Science.

“When I worked at the hospital, I gravitated toward leadership opportunities,” she said. “When I started teaching, I held chair or director positions as well.” When she arrived at the College, she redesigned the nursing leadership course. In it, Webb highlights the mission/foundations of the College by teaching her students about the Sisters of the Holy Cross and their leadership work. As an affiliated faculty member in Gender and Women's Studies, Webb teaches a first-year seminar on women's leadership and empowerment. In fact, Webb and her students recently traveled to Brazil over Spring Break to learn about global leadership from the Sisters of the Holy Cross. 

From 2022 to 2025, Webb also taught leadership coursework for the Study of the U.S. Institute (SUSI) program at Saint Mary’s College. SUSI is a 5-week, federally funded program that ran from 2012-2025, bringing together women from Middle Eastern countries to participate in this summer-long civic engagement course. 

When the SUSI program ended at Saint Mary’s, Webb turned her attention to a different summer leadership program. “The program has elements of the Embody Theology Summer Institute,” explains Webb, in reference to a pre-college program offered at Saint Mary’s for several years. She said the Leadership and Purpose Institute, though not based in theology, offers insights into value systems and how they impact your confidence and ability to be a grounded and focused leader. “Because I am so involved in the mission at Saint Mary’s, I do understand a lot about the importance of core values,” she said. “If you are a leader, you have to know what your core values are, what your strengths are.” 

Webb said participants in the Leadership and Purpose Institute will begin a journey of discerning their vocation, deepening their sense of purpose, and discovering how they are called to lead. “This camp is targeted for any young woman who wants to be a leader in the future, regardless of where that may be.” They will take assessments such as the CliftonStrengths to learn their virtues and values. They will explore their passions and reflect on who they aspire to become. Webb emphasizes, “And if you are not sure yet, that is exactly what the camp is designed to help you discover.” 

The week will feature team-led workshops, speakers, and activities, as well as field trips to the Raclin Murphy Museum at Notre Dame, the labyrinth on Saint Mary’s campus, and a few surprises to learn about the Sisters' leadership. 

Click here to learn more and register for the Leadership and Purpose Institute, July 19-24. 

April 3, 2026