October 2023

Meet Carol & Dick Stevie

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Allow us to introduce you to Carol and Dick Stevie, unwavering CISE supporters.

Originally from East Price Hill, Carol attended St. Lawrence Elementary School (a CISE-supported school since 2012.) Dick is originally from Northern Kentucky and was also educated in Catholic schools. Dick met Carol met at a Thomas More University fraternity party.

In 1997, and Carol joined CISE as the first full-time Executive Director since CISE was established in 1980. When she came on board, it was just her and an administrative assistant. That first year, Carl Lindner donated $1.5 million to CISE to begin a technology program in the CISE supported schools. The following year $1 million was donated by a foundation to increase enrollment. Carol recalls, “These were game-changing donations. Support for CISE increased steadily throughout the years through the efforts of the dedicated CISE Board, Annual Campaign chairpersons, volunteers, and generous donors. They were all critical to the success of CISE and its ability to educate children in our community. We were a great team, and I was so grateful to work with all of them.”

During her tenure, Carol helped set up the high school scholarship program and assisted with the establishment of the CISE Foundation – a separate 501(c)(3) – thanks to a generous seed gift from an anonymous donor.

When the CISE Foundation was established in 2007, Carol recognized the opportunity to start a planned giving program for CISE. With the help of Allison Kropp, they established the St. Benedict Society and the Stevies became charter members of this esteemed group.

In 2008, Carol made the decision to step down to a part-time Associate Director role for family reasons. She concentrated her efforts on donor engagement, the CISE Foundation and continuing work on a planned giving program. In January 2017 after nearly 20 years with CISE, Carol retired. Carol believes that her Catholic education guided her and helped her to be successful.

When asked why they decided to be members of the St. Benedict Society, Carol replied, “Personally, Dick and I believe that it is important to continue our longtime support of CISE after we are no longer here with a planned gift. A bequest through our estate will enable CISE to continue its good work of changing the lives of children in our community.” Dick added, “Education drives your whole future.”

The Stevies were presented with the CISE Faith in Education Award in 2017.

Today, you can find Carol and Dick enjoying retirement, and they recently celebrated their 50^th wedding anniversary. They have two grown daughters, Beth and Laura.

Welcome Mike Kennedy

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Mike Kennedy has joined CISE as Director of High School Scholarship Programs. The High School Scholarship Program has grown in numbers and complexity and Mike’s skill set is a strong match for addressing this welcomed challenge. The financial management of the Program, formerly lead by Frances Dudley, who has moved on from CISE, will be overseen by Mike. Jessica Beck will grow in her role from Grade School Administrative Assistant to working with both the grade schools and high schools.

More about Mike
Mike recently retired from Fifth Third Bank after more than 20 years serving in various leadership roles in the Wealth & Asset Management division, including leading the Bank’s investment management and trust businesses that serve not-for-profit entities and private and corporate foundations. Prior to Fifth Third, he served as Chief Financial Officer for PNC’s wealth management businesses in Pittsburgh. Mike started his career in finance at Ernst & Young in Philadelphia after graduating from St. Joseph’s University.

Mike has served on many non-profit boards of directors and committees during his career. He currently serves as chair of the board of St. Joseph Home (SJH) in Sharonville, which provides support systems for people with complex disabilities and their families. Prior to his time at SJH, he was a member of the board and finance committee of Bayley in Delhi, which provides a continuum of care for seniors.

Mike and his wife, Michelle, live in Pierce Township. They have two grown daughters (a doctor and a banker) and four grandchildren.

Meet Principal, Katie Puthoff – Holy Family School

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Meet Principal, Katie Puthoff - Holy Family School

My name is Katie Puthoff and I am the Principal of Holy Family School in Price Hill. Catholic education has always been a huge part of my life and is something I am very passionate about. I attended grade school at St. Michael in Sharonville, went on to high school at Mount Notre Dame High School, and then continued my Catholic education at the University of Dayton for both my undergraduate and masters degrees. Go Flyers! After graduating from UD, I then taught middle school for 9 years prior to becoming Principal of Holy Family.

I feel so blessed to be able to work at Holy Family. The community of students, families, and staff here is one of the best things I have ever gotten to be a part of. I always say that there are truly no words to describe the support this community provides one another- it’s something you feel the moment you step in our building. This is my 6th year as Principal of Holy Family and I truly love what I do.

We have been working hard over the last 5 years at Holy Family and the hard work is paying off every day as we see our students achieve their goals. While we have been working hard in many areas, our most recent venture has been working on improving literacy outcomes for our students. We have been working with the Ohio Department of Education and Mount St. Joseph University to become a model demonstration school for excellent literacy instruction. Our staff has worked hard to learn and implement research-based practices in the classroom that show us how kids best learn to read and write. We have seen a tremendous amount of growth in our students’ literacy achievements and can’t wait to see their growth continue. It has been truly amazing to watch our students grow in confidence through this initiative. Having a first grader turn to you and say “Ms. Puthoff, I can read!” with a big smile on their face is one of the best feelings in the world.

When I’m not enjoying the students at Holy Family, I like to spend time with my family and friends; whether it’s a vacation to the beach together, watching the Bengals game, or a fun night of board games, my time spent with them is something I cherish. When I’m not doing one of those things, you can usually find me playing sand volleyball, reading one of my favorite Harry Potter books, or listening to upbeat music to keep my day bright and cheery.

Thank you to CISE and every CISE supporter for truly making a difference in my life and in the lives of all 234 students at Holy Family! You may never know the scope of the impact your support is making, but I assure you it is far and wide. The support of CISE allows our school to provide our students with the ingredients they need to be productive, successful members of society. When they leave us, we know their futures are bright, and that is largely due to the support they receive from CISE.