The Journey of Recovery from Childhood Traumas: Michael R. Lovell

Dr. Michael R. Lovell is President of Marquette University, a Jesuit school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 2017, he attended a campus event that addressed the epidemic of trauma in the city.

“This hit home for me because my wife and I both experienced significant trauma as children,” Lovell says. “In my family, there was mental illness, violence and alcohol abuse. When I was growing up, my grandfather died by suicide and my mother had multiple suicide attempts.” All of these factors had an impact on Lovell’s development.

In this honest and visionary conversation, Lovell speaks about his work—both to heal his own trauma, as well as learning lessons from that process that can help him affectively address the generational and systemic trauma affecting his students and his city.

Throughout our conversation, President Lovell comes back to the central roles played by faith and loving relationships in the journey of recovery.

You may also be interested in our recent conversations about moral injury, with Rita Nakashima Brock and Zachary Moon.

Michael R. Lovell is the 24th president of Marquette University in Milwaukee and the university’s first lay president. You can find out more about his work here.