MARY ANNE DECENZO

Mary Anne’s relationship with Archbishop Hoban High School began in the spring of 1991 in the school’s
parking lot as she anticipated a move to the Akron area from Cambridge, Ohio. At the suggestion of
her brother, Fr. Paul Rosing, her oldest son Matt, was taking the entrance exam while she sat in the
parking lot surrounded by barbed wire fencing with her three younger children. Mary Anne Beiting saw
her from her principal’s office and knew why she was there. She came out, introduced herself and
spoke to the Decenzo kids in such a caring way. Mary Anne says she would have signed on the dotted
line right then and there. Despite what these unfamiliar surroundings seemed to her at that point, she
knew this family atmosphere was where she wanted her children to be.

By the time Matt started as a freshman in the fall, the fencing was scheduled to come down and the
Nolan Concourse and Auxiliary Gym were under construction. Mary Anne quickly became involved
through the friendly invitations of Sally Casenhiser. They served as president of the Parent’s Club and
Sally turned over the task of the sports program to Mary Anne when her youngest graduated. In 1996,
Br. Paul Kelly asked Mary Anne if she would write the Extravaganza catalog. In July 1997, Br. Peter
Graham hired her to work in the Development Office. With a reorganization of the department, she was
asked to create the Hoban Highlights/Annual Report in less than a month. Br. Joe LeBon patiently gave
her a crash course in computers, graphic design, writing and Hoban history during that summer all
touched with his humor and welcoming demeanor. He became her mentor and friend over her next 20
years at Hoban and beyond.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

! Keeping the Holy Cross Core Values at the center of everyday work life at Hoban and
subtly educating the Hoban faithful of the Holy Cross charism through communications
with them.
! Photographing the life of Hoban in its students, faculty, alumni and friends while
showcasing its beautiful inner city 75-acre campus.
! Sharing the “Good News” of Hoban for 20 years with alumni, parents and friends of
Hoban.
! Creating, writing, designing and producing over 40 Hoban Highlights/Magazines, 15
Annual Reports, numerous admissions brochures, ads, postcards and banners and artwork
around the school.
! Getting to meet, interview, photograph and write about many outstanding Hoban Knights.
! The Holy Cross Room project. Designing the layout, writing text and choosing photos for
the Hoban timeline walls, compiling the brothers composite and coordinating the artwork
in the room.
! Participation and contribution to the Blue Ribbon Award editing committee in 1998.
! Working on the Hoban Forever campaign and transforming the This is Hoban campaign
through marketing and grant writing.
! Served as a contributing member of the first Hoban website and coordinated three
redesigns of www.hoban.org.
! Coordinated the rebranding of Hoban with the True to You logo and language.
! Started the Endowed Scholarship Luncheon in 1999 to connect benefactors with
scholarship recipients.
! Working with the best volunteers in the world on Extravaganza and the joy of working
with Marilyn Stripe who always made it fun.
! Watching the transformation of the Hoban landscape with the construction of the chapel,
fitness center and science labs; growth of endowed scholarships; beatification of Blessed
Basil Moreau; and working with an outstanding administration, staff and faculty
! Experiencing four children—-Matt ’96, Theresa ’98, Brian ’00 and Emily ’04 graduate from
Archbishop Hoban High School and knowing how much they have appreciated their
Hoban Catholic education.

PERSONAL INFORMATION

! Married for 47 years to Chris DeCenzo, retired engineer Diebold Inc.

! Blessed with four children, their spouses and 13 grandchildren
! Education: Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from The Ohio State University 1975
! Member of St. Francis de Sales Parish. In retirement Mary Anne has become more involved
with my parish serving on the The Memorare Center building campaign committee and as a
member of the St. Vincent dePaul Society.
! She continues to be involved with the Congregation of Holy Cross, Midwest Province by
creating and producing the quarterly BROTHERS newsletter.