Coming from a family with deep roots at Franciscan University, there wasn’t much question where Katie (Irvin ’18) Herrmann would be going to college when she finished high school.
The granddaughter of Franciscan trustee emeritus Dr. John Irvin ’58 is also the daughter of current trustee Chris Irvin ’90 and Joy (Morris ’90) Irvin and, like her father, is a Steubenville native. Although she considered several other colleges, ultimately, Franciscan emerged as the best fit for her.
Katie began her undergraduate studies with a laser focus on law school, majoring in political science and minoring in English writing and legal studies.
“I knew from pretty early on in high school that I was called to go to law school and wanted to see what it had in store for me,” she says.
After graduating from Duquesne University School of Law in Pittsburgh, she joined the law firm of Steptoe & Johnson, where she currently is an associate attorney in the Wheeling, West Virginia, office, practicing primarily professional liability and energy litigation.
She attributes much of her success in law school to Dr. Stephen Krason, former head of the Franciscan Political Science Department.
“He was tough and a stickler for the rules, and that really followed me into law school,” she says.
In marrying Leo Herrmann ’18, a Franciscan alumnus whose five siblings and parents, John Herrmann ’87 and Kelly (McKiernan ’87) Herrmann, also are graduates of the University, Katie has deepened her Franciscan family roots. Both of her own siblings and most in-laws are Franciscan graduates.
Further cementing the Franciscan ties between the two families is the fact that Katie’s parents and her husband’s parents were married in Christ the King Chapel within a day of each other and shared their church flowers. Almost 30 years later, Leo and Katie were married in the same chapel.
It remains to be seen whether they will send their own children to Franciscan. They have a 2-year-old son, Leo, and are expecting a second son in November. If both should choose Franciscan, Katie says, “That would be ideal.”
Having grown up in a family with strong Catholic values, Katie says her years at Franciscan strengthened what she had been given at home.
“I carried the foundation of focusing on what is right and true with me in law school and now in my career as an attorney. Those concepts are vital in the legal field but also can get muddied at times, so I’m grateful to Franciscan for equipping me with those values.”
Katie (Irvin ’18) Herrmann received Franciscan University’s 2026 Outstanding Young Alumni Award for her professional achievements.
