Date: September 29, 2006

MEDIA CONTACT: Melanie McDonald, director of media relations
PHONE: 574-284-4579
E-MAIL: mmcdonal@saintmarys.edu

Professional Achievement, Progressive Approach Characterize New Saint Mary’s Trustees

NOTRE DAME, Ind.—The Saint Mary’s College Board of Trustees elected seven new members and appointed three this past spring. All will convene at their first trustee meeting on Friday, Oct. 6 following an orientation session on Wednesday and committee meetings on Thursday. Most will serve a three-year term (2006-2009).

Sister Judith Anne Beattie, CSC, is councilor for the Area of North America for the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Cross. She was appointed as one of three Class One trustees by the president of the Congregation and has no term limit. She replaces Sister Joan Marie Steadman, CSC, who resigned. Beattie earned her bachelor’s degree from Loyola University in Chicago, and graduate degrees from Loyola and the University of Notre Dame. She is a board member for the Academy of the Holy Cross in Kensington, Md., a member of Spiritual Directors International, and serves on the Theological Reflection Committee for the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Cross.

M. Suzanne Scherer Calandra, a 1972 alumna of Saint Mary’s College, was elected to complete the final two years of the term of Sister Eva Mary Hooker, CSC. Hooker will join the English faculty at Saint Mary’s and become a writer-in-residence. Calandra works as controller at Stanford University and holds membership in several professional organizations, including the California Society of CPAs and the National Association of College and University Business Officers. Prior to her position at Stanford, Calandra held senior-level positions at Price Waterhouse and Marriott Corporation.

Vincent C. Caponi is chief executive officer of St. Vincent Health in Indianapolis. Caponi earned his bachelor’s degree from Xavier University in Cincinnati, and his master’s from Central Michigan University. He serves on several boards, including United Way of Central Indiana, the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, the Catholic Community Foundation, and the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. Caponi’s daughter, Gina Caponi Parnaby, is a Saint Mary’s College alumna.

Paula M. Dawning is a 1971 Saint Mary’s alumna and serves as superintendent of the Benton Harbor Area Schools District. Dawning holds graduate degrees from Boston University and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She was named Regional Superintendent of the Year and Michigan Superintendent of the Year for 2006. She received an honorary degree from Saint Mary’s College in 2004.

Sister Marianne Farina, CSC, is assistant professor of theology and philosophy at the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology at Graduate Theological Union (GTU) in Berkeley, Calif. She served as director of research and scholarship for the Saint Mary’s College Center for Women’s InterCultural Leadership for two years before moving to Berkeley. Farina earned her bachelor’s degree from Parsons School of Design in New York, a master’s from Santa Clara University in California, and a Ph.D. in philosophy from Boston College. Farina is a member of the Salam Institute for Peace, vice president of the Compassionate Listening National Board and a member of the Association of the Islamic Studies Task Force at GTU.

Thomas Joyce is a partner in the Minneapolis and London offices of the law firm Dorsey & Whitney LLP. Joyce earned his bachelor’s degree from St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minn., and his juris doctorate at Notre Dame Law School. Joyce serves on the board of directors for Catholic Charities, as president of the Society of English and American Lawyers, and as a board member for Common Hope—an organization that helps to educate children in Guatemala.

Julia Malone, a biology major and member of the class of 2007 at Saint Mary’s, was appointed as the board’s student trustee. She will serve for one year. Malone is involved in biology club, played varsity basketball, serves as a campus minister, and is president of Holy Cross Residence Hall on campus. She is a member of Beta Beta Beta, an honor society for biology students, and has won several athletic awards, including the 2004 Player’s Choice Award and the 2004 Coach’s Award for basketball.

Kara M. O’Leary graduated from Saint Mary’s College in 1989, and went on to earn graduate degrees from Valparaiso University and the University of Notre Dame. She is currently employed as assistant director for recreation facilities and director of sports camps for the University of Notre Dame’s Athletic Department. As president of the Saint Mary’s College Alumnae Board, O’Leary was appointed to a two-year term as a trustee.

JoAnn McDermott Reed graduated from Saint Mary’s in 1977 and is the chief financial officer and senior vice president of finance for Medco Health Solutions, Inc., in New Jersey. Reed earned her M.B.A. from Fordham University in New York, and went on to work for Standard & Poor’s Corporation, CBS Incorporated Record Division, Aetna and Unisys before starting at Medco in 1988.

Joanne R. Snow is the board’s faculty trustee, and has been a mathematics professor at Saint Mary’s College since 1983. Since that time, she has received recognition for her contributions to the College. In 1993, Snow won the Maria Pieta Award for teaching excellence. In 2004, Saint Mary’s College students presented Snow with the Women Honoring Women Award, which recognizes a faculty member who inspires and encourages students and makes great contributions to the life of the College. Snow earned a bachelor’s degree from Loyola College in Maryland, and a master’s and doctorate from the University of Notre Dame.

Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame, Ind., is a four-year, Catholic, women’s institution offering five bachelor’s degrees and more than 30 major areas of study. “U.S. News & World Report” ranks Saint Mary’s #1 among Midwest Comprehensive Colleges offering bachelors degrees. Sponsored by the Sisters of the Holy Cross, the College was founded in 1844 and now enrolls approximately 1500 students.

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