Dr. Caitlin O'Connal was one of the founders of the Universal Brotherhood. A sociologist and psychologist, Dr. O'Connal researched mathematical psychology on a corporate grant, trying to decode mob dynamics. She accurately described the social dynamics that led to the Night of Rage years before the event occurred. In 2036, she made her first breakthrough when she discovered that her mathematical models could apply to human and metahuman behavior with a few elusive variables that she dedicated herself to decoding.
In June of 2039, she decoded those variables, realizing empirical proof of a deep, metaphysical connection between all people. What Carl Jung had described as "collective unconsciousness" in the 20th century, Dr. O'Connal called "universal brotherhood."
With no academic journal willing to publish and peer-review her findings, Dr. O'Connal and her husband Paul Grigg brought their philosophy to the masses with the Universal Brotherhood. Originally, the Universal Brotherhood espoused the "family of man" to which everybody belonged and to become the true agent of one's own destiny. At some point, Grigg came into contact with insect spirits and he changed his totem. He likely tried to invest her with a queen spirit, but she fought it off and the struggle damaged her mind.
Her private research lab near Hell's Canyon eventually became her prison. The Brotherhood continued to play "live" Christmas messages from her to all chapterhouses, though exactly how they made the broken O'Connal functional enough to give those messages, if they even used her, remains unknown.
On approximately April 23, 2051, a shadowrunner team attempted to extract her from that facility, but her captors killed her during the escape.