Sister Joanne Gross named new president of Catholic Community Connection

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Tags: Catholic Community Connection , Outreach

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Catholic Community Connection has announced the appointment of Sister Joanne Gross, OSU, as its new president, replacing Leonard Calabrese, who is retiring. Sister Joanne brings a broad range of experience to this leadership position of Catholic sponsored education, health care, human services and senior living organizations. Catholic Community Connection is committed to fostering collaboration to respond to the needs of all people within the Diocese of Cleveland.

Sister Joanne grew up in Cleveland, attending St. Jerome’s School and Villa Angela Academy. She attended Ursuline College where she received a bachelor’s degree in history. She graduated from Cleveland Marshall College of Law and became a member of the Ohio Bar in 1986. She also has attended the University of Notre Dame, Harvard University and Case Western Reserve University for academic training in nonprofit management. She has taught at the elementary, high school, university and grad school level.

From 1986 through 1992, she served as the first in-house legal counsel at Ursuline College. From 1993 to 1996, she served as an assistant university attorney at Case Western Reserve University. She has worked at a private law firm counseling both municipal and public entities. She was general counsel and secretary at John Carroll University from 1996 to 2002. For nearly a decade, she has worked in various capacities within Cuyahoga County government, most recently as a senior policy adviser for the Cuyahoga County Council. In that capacity, she has worked with elected officials in creating organizational and operational structures for the new county legislative body and advising council on public policy and planning, and serving as primary council liaison in health and human services and education issues.

Sister Joanne’s long experience in education, health care, and health and human services, coupled with her commitment to the Catholic mission, will support Catholic Community Connection’s work in furthering collaboration among Catholic entities in serving the poor and marginalized in Northern Ohio. She begins her new post January 13, 2014.

The Sisters of Charity Health System provides shared sponsorship for Catholic Community Connection with Catholic Charities in collaboration with Catholic senior living, education and social services.