Sister Mary Persico, IHM, Ed.D.
President Emerita & Director of Special Projects (since 2024)
12th President of Marywood University (2016-2024)
Sister Mary Persico, IHM, Ed.D., currently President Emerita and Director of Special Projects, served as the 12th President of Marywood University, Scranton, Pa., from 2016-2024.
She retired on June 30, 2024, after guiding Marywood University for eight years with her collaborative leadership and bold vision. Sister Mary has devoted her life to promoting the mission and core values of Marywood University. During her presidential tenure at Marywood, Sister Mary made strides in the scholarly life of the university by re-structuring and streamlining the Colleges, adding or expanding several signature academic programs, and establishing the Offices of Global Education and Equity and Inclusion. During her presidency, the university welcomed national retail partnerships to Marywood, including Starbucks, the popular Gear Shop, Apple and Amazon stores.
Throughout her tenure, the University endowment nearly doubled and maintained a fiscally responsible status, even during universally challenging financial times in higher education. To further strengthen Marywood’s future, Sister Mary brought the University’s $30 million comprehensive campaign to its successful conclusion. The EMPOWER Campaign funded new construction and academic spaces on campus, provided scholarships for students, and enhanced the student experience.
In moments such as an unprecedented global pandemic, Sister Mary supported the entire community of faculty, staff, and students with strength and confidence.
Sister Mary’s engagement both in the public arena and right on campus among the students were two highlights of her presidency. She represented us well locally, nationally, and even internationally, but when asked, Sister Mary affirmed that the best part of the job was interacting with the wonderful people who are our Marywood students.
In April 2024, the Board of Trustees bestowed her with the title of President Emerita, effective upon her retirement. After a brief sabbatical when she first retired, Sister Mary returned to Marywood on a part-time basis to share her great insights and extensive leadership experience as President Emerita and Director of Special Projects. She is currently assisting with the Middle States accreditation self-study process for the 2026 review cycle, and she has been instrumental in crafting Marywood University's new Strategic Plan for 2025-2030.
Her professional background includes extensive leadership experience. Prior to her Marywood presidency, Sister Mary served as Executive Vice President for Trinity Health, one of the largest multi-institutional Catholic health care delivery systems in the nation, where she was a member of a 14-person corporate team and regularly participated in all financial and operational decision making. Sister Mary was the President of the Congregation of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, from 2002-2010. She also served as the IHM Congregation’s Treasurer from 1994-2002. Sister Mary previously served as an Adjunct Professor of Education at Marywood University; Principal of Holy Cross High School in Delran, N.J.; Principal of Notre Dame High School, East Stroudsburg, Penn.; Assistant Principal of Bishop Klonowski High School, Scranton, Penn.; and as a teacher at both Bishop Hannon High School, Scranton, and Most Holy Rosary High School, Syracuse, N.Y.
Sister Mary earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in French/Education from Marywood. She has a Master of Arts degree in French from Assumption College, Worcester, Mass., and a Master of Arts degree in Education Administration from Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Penn. She also earned an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Lehigh University.
She has overseen a number of academic and leadership initiatives. For Trinity Health, Sister Mary collaborated in the development of a mission assessment tool, which was implemented in all system hospitals. In 2010, she was a founding member of the Leadership Academy, Catholic Health East/Seton Hall University, which established a certificate program in leadership formation for high-level national health care leaders. From 2008-2010, Sister Mary chaired the board of the African Sisters Education Collaborative (ASEC), which facilitates educational opportunities for women religious in ten sub-Saharan countries. She was a member of the ASEC faculty in 2009. Additionally, she founded and was a teaching team member for the Sponsorship Institute for the IHM Congregation. She also was a teaching team member for the Ministerial Public Juridic Person Collaborative for the Catholic Health Association of the United States.
Sister Mary has extensive business and fundraising experience. In addition to leading a successful capital campaigns at Marywood, she served on numerous business councils and committees for Trinity Health, including the steering committee for the merger of Catholic Health East with Trinity Health. She initiated and successfully executed a $23 million capital campaign for the construction of the Pascucci Family Our Lady of Peace Residence, a state-of-the-art elder care residence for the IHM Sisters, which opened in January 2006. She guided Congregation leadership decisions throughout this project, including the decision to escrow funds to pay in full the cost of the facility’s construction. Sister Mary also conducted a capital campaign and facilitated the construction of a $10 million addition to Holy Cross High School in Delran, N.J.
Presenter and consultant, Sister Mary has given numerous educational and leadership sessions and provided counsel on topics such as communications, resilience and change, finance and financial assets, business ethics, leadership and instruction, safety and risk management, elder care, religious life, sponsorship, mission, discernment, justice, Catholic identity, and the role of laity in the Church. She also has facilitated the community assemblies and congregation chapters of several orders of women religious in addition to the IHM Sisters, including the Sisters of Mercy, Sisters of Saint Joseph, Marist Sisters, Sisters of the Holy Redeemer, and the Bernadine Franciscan Sisters.
Her publications include: CHE Speeds Ahead in Support of PACE, which she co-authored for Modern Healthcare: A Publication of the Catholic Health Association of America, as well as numerous articles for Journey, the publication of the Sisters of IHM, Scranton, Penn. Sister Mary also recorded a series of original radio spots, called Two Minute Messages, which aired on WVMW-FM, Marywood’s radio station, during her tenure as president of the IHM Congregation.
Some of Sister Mary’s board memberships have included:
- ASEC (African Sisters Education Collaborative), Member of the Board
- PA Humanities, past Chair of the Board
- AICUP (Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of PA), past Chair of the Board
- Scranton Chamber of Commerce, past Member of the Board
- Marywood University, Ex-Officio Member of the Board (during her presidency)
- Global Health Ministry, A Division of Trinity Health, past Member of the Board
- Institute of Public Policy, past Member of the Board