Casey Damato

Background

About Casey Damato

In 2020, I graduated magna cum laude from North Carolina State University with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. During college, I completed a Packaging Co-op with the Dennis Group, a design/build firm specializing in food and beverage. I gained hands-on experience in AutoCAD, on-site assessments, and the full project cycle—from client-based design through installation. This role, along with my work as an Engineering Ambassador and Teaching Assistant (TA) at NC State, grounded me in both the technical and collaborative sides of engineering. As a devout Catholic, I began discerning a call to the Priesthood while in college and after graduation, I entered St. Michael’s Abbey as a seminarian and began the requisite studies to become a priest. For the past five years, I have continued this priestly formation, a rigorous process focused on spiritual, intellectual, human, and pastoral growth. While such a background is certainly uncommon in the corporate world, it is this unique experience that developed qualities valuable in any workplace: patience, analytical thinking, disciplined habits, and a service-oriented mindset. In addition to interior formation, I also took on important responsibilities at the Abbey, primarily the development and planning for our annual Summer Camp, which runs annually for 5 sessions with a total of over 500 attendants. From 2021 to 2024, I oversaw everything from facility upgrades and permitting to advertising and camper registration. This work required careful project management, attention to detail, teamwork, and ownership of outcomes. Most recently, I have been on a pastoral year, teaching full-time at a high school. In addition to teaching a Religion class to four sections of Juniors, I worked on a committee for the Los Angeles Archdiocese Catholic Schools, developing a History curriculum on American immigration, as well as reviewing humanities courses that will be used in Catholic Schools across the Archdiocese. I am excited to return to the engineering world with new perspective and renewed energy.