ALUMNAE Marianne Crosley ’76

Cleveland Leadership Center Past President

By Caitlin MacBride Berg ’10, Director of Alumnae Relations

When Marianne Crosley ’76, the first female senior class president at Colgate University, was elected to the role, she was surprised at the fuss.

“I couldn’t understand why it was such a big deal,” she said. “At Magnificat, we were so used to being empowered as women that leadership roles didn’t feel unusual or out of reach.”

This foundation of empowerment carried Crosley through a distinguished career in law, nonprofit leadership, and civic engagement. After graduating from Magnificat, she majored in peace and world order studies and political science at Colgate, where her interest in public service deepened through a legislative assistant position in Washington, DC. She later earned her law degree from The Ohio State University before moving to New York City. There, she served in the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office for seven years, eventually joining the homicide division.

After the birth of her first child, she began working parttime, which was an unusual arrangement at the time.

“It helped pave the way for other women to have more flexibility in their schedules,” she said.

When she and her husband, Tim, decided to return to Ohio to raise their family, Crosley paused her career to be home with her children. When she returned to the workforce, she shifted into the nonprofit sector, first with Summer on the Cuyahoga, which connects college students with internships in Cleveland. That experience led her to the Cleveland Leadership Center, where she was named Vice President, and within several months, President.

For 14 years, she guided the center’s mission of cultivating leaders, working with participants from high school juniors to CEOs. She describes the work as “a gift,” giving her the chance to see individuals grow in confidence and capacity while shaping Cleveland’s future.

Though she retired last year, her commitment to community has not slowed. She now works with 25 Leadership Cleveland alumni on a safe and affordable housing initiative born out of the Center’s 45th anniversary. Their work includes researching models from other cities and recommending solutions tailored to Cleveland’s housing ecosystem. She also serves on five non-profit boards.

Alumna Advice: Marianne Crosley ’76

“Don’t be afraid to take risks. You will never regret trying something. You may fail, but you’ll learn. What you will regret is not trying.”

Crosley credits Magnificat with instilling her with the confidence and values that fueled her journey.

“Magnificat empowered us to believe nothing was out of reach. I felt incredibly well-prepared for college, and the sense of service stayed with me,” she said. “As long as we are able to serve, we are obligated to serve.”

To her, leadership means having the humility to understand that you are not always right, paired with the ability to listen. She also never forgets the mantra she shared with Leadership Cleveland classes, “Leaders show up. Show up physically, and be present mentally and emotionally.”

Today, Crosley and Tim live in Chagrin Falls, enjoying time with their four children and their spouses, and seven grandchildren.

By Caitlin MacBride Berg ’10, Director of Alumnae Relations

For Christine Dziak Gunn ’95, Principal of St. Mark Catholic School in Cleveland, the call to education began in 3rd Grade, when her teacher filled the classroom with joy and creativity. At Magnificat, teachers like Colleen Neville and Mary Dwyer-Kueller reinforced that spark, showing her what it meant to teach with passion, care, and faith.

“I always knew I wanted to be a teacher,” Gunn said. “But there were people and moments along the way that really solidified it.”

Gunn followed that calling to John Carroll University, where she earned her degree in elementary education. She later pursued a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction at Cleveland State University and completed studies in educational leadership at Notre Dame College. Her first teaching job was at St. Patrick’s in West Park, where she taught 4th Grade, and later she taught 5th Grade at Sts. Joseph and John. Along the way, principals and mentors recognized her gifts and encouraged her to join the Diocese’s two-year Aspiring Leaders program, which she completed before earning her principal’s license in 2017.

Gunn joined St. Mark School as its first-ever assistant principal. Under the guidance of longtime principal Karen Cocita, she was able to shape the role into something uniquely her own. When Cocita retired, St. Mark pastor, Fr. Adam Zajac, asked Christine to step into her shoes.

“I was so humbled when he entrusted me with that responsibility,” she said.

Being a principal, Gunn quickly realized, is far more than a 9-to-5 job.

“It’s not just paperwork and legalities,” she explained. “You’re forming the character and spirituality of your students.”

Motherhood deepened her understanding of that mission. With her husband Joe, she raised two children, Allison ’22 and Ryan.

“When I became a mom, it made me a better educator,” she reflects. “It’s about everyone else, not just you.”