As president of Saint Joseph Academy, Mary Ann Corrigan-Davis has come full circle in both life and her career — and her ever-present interest in education has helped mold her into the successful woman she is today.
Growing up in the Kamm's Corners area of Cleveland's West Park neighborhood, she attended the private, all-girls school, Saint Joseph Academy. After graduating in 1971, Corrigan-Davis commuted from her West Side home to John Carroll University, majoring in French. While finishing her bachelor's degree there, she also studied abroad and earned a diplôme from the Sorbonne in Paris. She graduated cum laude in 1975 and completed her master's in management from Case Western Reserve University the following year.
Education remained a big part of Corrigan-Davis' life even after completion of her degrees. She served on the board at Saint Joseph Academy for 16 years in various capacities and is currently on the board at John Carroll University.
"I've just always believed in education to improve one's life. Education is the key to the future," says Corrigan-Davis, who received the Alumni Medal of John Carroll University in 1994 and was inducted into the Saint Joseph Academy Alumnae Hall of Fame in 1996.
She assumed her current role as president of the 665-student high school in July 2006 after an incredible and challenging career with American Greetings, which began in 1977 with a sales position and included 25 years in leadership roles, the last eight as a senior vice president of the company.
While at American Greetings, Corrigan-Davis was often the first woman to hold her positions. She spent most of her tenure in project development and management, where her duties eventually took her to Australia as managing director for the Asian-Pacific and New Zealand divisions. She tripled the size of the international operations with acquisitions and internal organic growth.
"When I came back to world headquarters here in Cleveland, I headed up all of the international [markets]. That was really a dream job for me; I had always wanted to be in international business," Corrigan-Davis recalls. "I remember the first time I went to South Africa, we were at the end of the continent, at the cape. I was looking out at the South Pole and I thought to myself, ‘How did I get here? I'm from Kamm's Corners in Cleveland.' I got goose bumps."
Today, she shares those experiences with students at the academy. "My corporate career helped me to segue into what I'm doing now, trying to prepare the girls for the 21st century, which is going to be more global than ever before," she explains. "Having had that experience of working and living around the world is something I'm sharing with the students."
In addition to the years of corporate executive experience she brings to her current role, Corrigan-Davis says, "Education is my passion, and I felt ideally suited to be president of the school. It just turned out to be a blessing that this position became available. I think this job was really made for me."
Corrigan-Davis grew up in a family of seven children. Her father, John V. Corrigan, was a Cuyahoga County judge for more than 42 years.
"My father was a tremendous influence and a terrific role model because he lived his faith as well as his job. I think that's important," she says.
Her father passed away in 2005, the same year her position at American Greetings was eliminated through downsizing. Soon after, she was diagnosed with cancer. Fortunately, the newly created position at Saint Joseph Academy opened up the following year — even though she wasn't looking for a job, she says.
"When you go through a hardship, you have to trust there is a reason for it. I had one of those horrible years. Who knew this was waiting for me on the other side?" says Corrigan-Davis of her position at Saint Joseph. "I feel very blessed to have this opportunity."
It is exciting to have fresh, young minds so eager for anything in the future, she adds. "I'm just here to encourage them — to set their sights high and think big, dream big and [assure] them they can do it," she says. "When I started college, I was living at home. I worked two jobs, got good grades and found a way to do it. I think there are so many possibilities, and encouraging young people today for what their future can be is just so important."
Although Corrigan-Davis, married for 22 years to a "wonderful, supportive husband," never had any children of her own, she now has 665 girls to look after. "It's a delight to see the possibilities for them and all that they can become and achieve," she says.
Showing women how to be strong leaders without losing their femininity is a message Corrigan-Davis has always preached when speaking at women's groups, in front of academic boards or reaching out to students. "You can get to the top and still be a woman," she says. "Those two things do not have to be mutually exclusive."