MARIAN MIDDLE SCHOOL - Key Persons
Senior VP Digital Assets, Lending, & Strategy: Midwest BankCenter
Amber Murphy started her career in journalism and communications. After earning her Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia, she worked in the advertising industry for two years before deciding to refocus her career around education and urban issues. She has since earned her Masters in Teaching from Webster University, worked as an AmeriCorps member in the St. Louis Public Schools, completed a fellowship through Aim High St. Louis, and spent five years teaching High School English at a charter school in St. Louis City. She now leverages this broad range of experience in communications, non-profit, and education to help support Marian's fundraising and development efforts. Amber is also the liaison for Marian's Young Friends committee.
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Employee Digital Experience, Mastercard
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Senior Portfolio Manager, First Bank
Dianne Decker is diversified in the financial industry, both the public and nonprofit sectors. She has a Bachelor's of Science in Business Administration with an emphasis in accounting. She has been the Business Manager at Marian since 2011 and is responsible for the day-to-day financial operations of the school, which includes monthly financial meetings, budgeting, and assisting in grant reporting.
Mrs. Black has a BS with Distinction in Environmental Health from George Washington University, Washington, D.C., and a Post Baccalaureate Certification in Computer Science from Kean University in Union, N.J. In spring 2011 she received middle school math certification. Mrs. Black completed a graduate degree, Master of Arts in Teaching, in the summer of 2016. She was born and raised in New Jersey. Her path as an educator has not been direct. Before having children, she worked as a computer programmer/analyst and a manager for the telephone company. Her family has lived in South Carolina and Michigan and now in Missouri for over twenty years. For the past seven years, she has taught eighth grade math (pre-algebra) and Title 1 Math for sixth grade, seventh grade, eighth grade and Algebra I. She is the proud parent of 3 20 "somethings" who have all graduated from college. Mrs. Black loves to read, ride her bike, exercise and visit with family and friends. Mrs. Black has high expectations for all her students and works hard to provide support needed to reach their potential.
Job Titles:
- President, Rosati - Kain High School
Job Titles:
- Director of High School Success
Erin Beck joined Marian in February 2016 as part-time Development Assistant. Erin earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Science from Truman State University in 2014 and a Master's of Arts degree in Nonprofit Administration at Lindenwood University in 2017. In August 2017, Erin joined us full time and took on additional roles in Development, and later served as Enrichment Director. She currently serves as Director of High School Success. In this role, she is responsible for tracking Marian Girls as they enter high school to ensure they succeed academically, socially, and emotionally.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Chairman EdD / Retired Administrator / Adjunct Professor, Missouri State University
Job Titles:
- Retired, Bayer Crop Science
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Treasurer CIMA / Senior Partner and Chief Investment Officer, Krilogy Financial
Job Titles:
- Vice - President of Operations at Kwame Building Group Inc.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Secretary JD, Senior Counsel / Rabo AgriFinance LLC
Job Titles:
- Director of Activation Planning, BJC HealthCare Planning & Design
Job Titles:
- Chief Pharmacy Officer, Ascension
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Mary Elizabeth Grimes is a purpose driven successful leader. She has significant experience in creating vision and long-term strategies for non-profit and corporate organizations. She has routinely served in leadership roles throughout her career and has earned a reputation for exceptional performance in the media, fundraising, marketing, and academic organizations. As an ambassador and spokesperson, she is highly engaging in attracting millions of dollars in support of the enterprises she represents.
Becoming the president of Marian Middle School was a perfect match for her passion and skills. Working at Marian is her joy not her job. She is currently responsible for stewarding over 200 students from 5th grade through post-secondary education and beyond. As executive leader for Marian, the success of the organization is dependent on her ability to ensure that all students have a chance to finish high school, succeed in college and enter a sustainable career. She also encourages her staff, faculty and students to reach their full potential. Mary Elizabeth has elevated the organization to its next level of growth and recognition.
Marian Middle School now benefits from her previous experiences. She served as the State Director for the Greater Missouri Chapter of March of Dimes where she transformed the declining chapter into a sustainable and operationally efficient organization. She was also president of Forward Vision, Inc., a brand management consulting firm. She has served as the Director of Marketing for BJC Healthcare, Director of Development for Fair St. Louis; Executive Director of Elite International Sports Marketing and Management; Director of Sales and marketing with the St. Louis Sports Commission; and Account Executive at KMOV-TV/Channel 4.
Before returning to her hometown of St. Louis, Missouri, Mary Elizabeth lived in Atlanta, Georgia. Her professional experiences in Atlanta included host and associate producer for three weeknight talk shows on WTLK-TV, Channel 14; National Marketing Manager of the Southeast Region for Television Bureau of Advertising; Regional Director of Advertising Sales for MTV Networks, Inc.; Account Executive positions with Home Box Office; CBS, Inc.; WSB-TV and WKLS-FM.
For her leadership and contributions to the community Mary Elizabeth has been recognized by several organizations: Saint Louis University Martin Luther King Educational Leadership Award, Missouri Athletic Club Woman of Distinction Award, YWCA Distinguish Leader Award, St. Louis Business Journal Diverse Leaders Award, Rise Collaborative Woman of Influence Award, Youth and Family Center Equalizer Award, Incarnate Word Foundation Leadership Award, Gazelle Magazine Top 50 Women of Influence Award. In addition, she is also a motivational speaker. Mary Elizabeth recently wrote her life story featured in the third volume of On the RISE, a collaborative writing effort by members of RISE Collaborative Workspace, and she is a contributing author to HERstory, a compilation of wit, wisdom and whimsy written by 89 members of the YWCA Metro St. Louis Academy of Leaders.
Mary Elizabeth also served on community boards like Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School, Catholic Charities and the iHeartMedia Local Advisory Board. She is also a commissioner of Explore St. Louis and member of Rise Collaborative, The Forum, Washington University Women's Society, and the Greater Missouri Leadership. She graduated from Spelman College and earned an Executive MBA from the Olin School of Business at Washington University.
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Ascension
Job Titles:
- Account Executive, World Wide Technology
A native of Chillicothe, Missouri, Sara Mashburn graduated from Truman State in 2013, with a Bachelors of Arts in English and a Master's Degree in Education with an Emphasis on Secondary English. She has teaching experience in a variety of schools, from small town Catholic schools to German military bases. She even served as an English as a Secondary Language teacher in Thailand for one year. Sara began teaching at Marian in the spring of 2014 as the long-term sub while the previous language arts teacher was on maternity leave. She took on the role full time the following school year.
For the 2022-2023 school year, Mrs. Mashburn will transition to our Director of Religious Education. In this new role, she will be responsible for teaching all religion courses, and planning and facilitating weekly chapel services and other religious based school events.
Sarah Paulsen-Fuller is an artist and animator with broad ranging work from social justice animation to parades and murals. She has been the resident artist at Marian since 2008. In addition to teaching art classes during the academic day, Sarah teaches Art Club and Media Club during the Enrichment Program. Sarah received a Masters of Fine Arts in Visual Arts from Washington University in 2007. She has undergraduate degrees in Spanish and Fine Arts from University of Missouri-Columbia. Teaching art throughout St. Louis, she is also an educator through St. Louis Community College, St. Louis Art Museum, and the Contemporary Art Museum. In 2010, she completed the Community Arts Training network through the Regional Arts Commission. Prior to living in St. Louis, she worked for several years with the City of Columbia's Job Training Program, CARE, where she ran a community arts job site and located work sites as the Job Developer for the 100+ youth employees.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Vice Chair PhD / Senior Vice President, Head of Seed Production Innovation, Bayer
Job Titles:
- Director of College & Career Success
Born and raised in Chicago, Tamara Harris came to Missouri to attend Saint Louis University (SLU). In 2010, she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Social Work and a certificate in African American Studies. While at SLU, Tamara completed her practicum at Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) of Eastern Missouri. She spent the next five years working at BBBS because she has a passion for helping children. Tamara joined the Marian staff in July 2015 as the College Readiness Officer. In this role, she is responsible for tracking graduates throughout high school to ensure they succeed academically, socially, and emotionally.
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Regulatory Affairs and Financial Services, Ameren Illinois
Job Titles:
- Director of Communications and Community Engagement, School Sisters of Notre Dame Central Pacific Province