Rosemarie Nassif

Rosemarie Nassif, SSND (born August 2, 1941) is an American Catholic religious sister, academic administrator, and chemist. A member of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, she served as president of the College of Notre Dame of Maryland from 1992 to 1996 and Holy Names University from 1999 to 2010. She later served as a program director for the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation and in 2018 was named the executive director of Loyola Marymount University's Center for Catholic Education.

Early life and education Rosemarie Nassif was born on August 2, 1941, to John and Frieda Nassif. She was the oldest of four children in a Lebanese family and grew up in The Hill, St. Louis. She went on to receive a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the Catholic University of America in 1970. While studying in Washington, D.C., during the late 1960s, she became involved in activism related to the Vietnam War and participated in the Poor People's Campaign, marching alongside Martin Luther King Jr. and Ralph Abernathy. She taught at the college level for a total of 13 years before moving into administrative roles for the School Sisters of Notre Dame. She was succeeded by interim president Dorothy M. Brown.

In May 1999, Nassif was appointed president of Holy Names University. She led the university for 11 years before retiring on July 1, 2010. Holy Names University later conferred upon her the title of President Emerita.

Following her time at Holy Names, Nassif served as a senior advisor to the assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Education during the Obama administration, working on the president's 2020 College Completion goal. From 2012 to 2017, she was the program director for religious sisters and Catholic Schools at the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. In this role, she oversaw the granting of $90 million to Catholic sisters in 23 countries and $25 million to Catholic schools in the United States.

In June 2018, it was announced that Nassif would become the executive director of the Loyola Marymount University (LMU) Center for Catholic Education, beginning in July 2018.

Personal life As Nassif is a member of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, her salary is paid directly to her religious congregation. Nassif is a fan of musician John Denver and enjoys sports such as racquetball, basketball, softball, and bowling.