2012awardees - National Catholic Educational Association

With more than 400 supporters enthusiastically applauding, six individuals received the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Award from the NCEA during the 22nd annual Seton Awards Gala Monday, Oct. 1 at the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center in Washington, D.C. NCEA President Karen Ristau presented the awards, which were preceded by brief video tributes. Most Rev. Wilton Gregory, archbishop of Atlanta and chairman of the NCEA board of directors, offered the invocation.

Television newscaster Andrea Roane made her 21st appearance as emcee for the event and musical tributes were performed by Daniel Noone, a student at the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music at The Catholic University of America.

The Seton Award is NCEA’s highest honor, given in recognition of significant contributions to Catholic education. The award is named in honor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774-1821), the first native-born American saint. The award is a bronze-colored medallion with the image of Mother Seton in profile, circled by the words NCEA Elizabeth Ann Seton Award. It is placed on a wide red ribbon and worn around the neck.

The 2012 NCEA Elizabeth Ann Seton Awards recipients are:

Robert A. Conway, Cincinnati, philanthropist and co-founder of The Bistro Group, for his expansive support of Catholic educational institutions in Greater Cincinnati.
Charles and Nancy Geschke, Los Altos, Calif., for their ongoing leadership and philanthropic contributions to post-secondary Catholic education.
Leigh-Anne Kazma, Chicago, who has dedicated her career to the patronage of Catholic education through the Kazma Family Foundation.
Thomas J. Moran, New York City, chairman and CEO of Mutual of America, for his benevolent corporate sponsorship within the Archdiocese of New York and nationally.
Cardinal Sean O'Malley, archbishop of Boston, who has renewed and revitalized Catholic education in the Archdiocese of Boston.
Lorraine Ozar, Loyola University Chicago, received the NCEA President’s Award for her vision and leadership in the development of effective Catholic school curricula and instruction.

Each year a scholarship is awarded in the name of the Seton recipients to a student attending a school nominated by the awardee. This year’s Seton Scholars are:

Sedomo Agosa, junior at Msgr. Farrell High School, Staten Island, N.Y., the Thomas J. Moran Seton Scholar.
Joseph Anderson, freshman at Chatfield College, St. Martin, Ohio, the Robert Conway Seton Scholar.
Sean Bush, senior at St. Ignatius High School, Cleveland, Ohio, the Charles and Nancy Geschke Seton Scholar.
Emely Nunez, eighth grader at Pope John Paul II Catholic Academy, Columbus Campus, Dorchester, Mass., the Cardinal Sean O’Malley Seton Scholar.
Brandon Schley, junior at Immaculate Conception High School, Elmhurst, Ill., the Leigh-Ann Kazma Seton Scholar.