Who We Are
Staff
Nicole M. Perone
National Coordinator
Nicole M. Perone joined ESTEEM in 2020. As the National Coordinator, she is responsible for leading the strategic planning and vision of the ESTEEM program, along with serving as liaison for each of the site leaders, maintaining and updating the ESTEEM curriculum, and planning and executing the annual Capstone Conference.
She holds a Master of Divinity from Yale University. Her Bachelor of Arts in Theology with double minors in Italian and Catholic Studies was bestowed by Loyola University Maryland, where she graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa.
Nicole is the chair of the Board of Members for the National Institute for Ministry with Young Adults. In 2018, Nicole was a delegate to the Pre-Synod on Young People, the Faith, and Vocational Discernment, and served on the writing committee for the final document. Her work has been published by America Media, Catholic News Service, The Jesuit Post, National Catholic Reporter, and US Catholic.
Nicole lives in Milford, Connecticut with her husband, John Grosso (communications consultant and digital editor for National Catholic Reporter); their daughter, Rosie; and their Golden Retriever, Ellie.
Mary Pickens Corsones
Project Coordinator
Mary joined ESTEEM in 2018. As the Project Coordinator, she is the operational point of contact for site leaders and collaborates with the National Coordinator to manage the implementation of ESTEEM.
In her previous roles, Mary served as the Associate Program Director for the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) Teaching Fellows program at the University of Notre Dame. There, she managed the recruitment, selection, placement, and formation of Catholic school teachers in the Gulf Coast and Mid-Atlantic. She also served in the ACE program as a 5th grade Catholic school teacher.
Mary earned a B.A. in Communication from Michigan State University and her M.Ed. from the University of Notre Dame. She currently lives in Indiana with her husband, Brendan, and their son, Theodore.