Seton Hill University: Notable Alumni and Their Impact

Seton Hill University, a private Catholic university in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, has a rich history of fostering leaders and innovators across various fields. Established in 1885, the institution has evolved from Seton Hill Schools to Seton Hill Junior College and finally to Seton Hill University in 2002. Throughout its history, Seton Hill has emphasized a strong liberal arts core alongside specialized programs, creating well-rounded graduates who make significant contributions to their communities and professions. The university's motto, "Hazard Yet Forward," reflects the spirit of its alumni, who embrace challenges and strive for excellence. This article highlights some of the university's distinguished alumni, showcasing their diverse achievements and the impact they have made in their respective fields.

Distinguished Alumni Leadership Awards

Seton Hill University established the Distinguished Alumni Leadership Awards in 1987 to recognize individuals who have achieved exceptional accomplishments in their chosen profession, demonstrated service to their community, and shown loyalty to the university. The awards acknowledge alumni who have made significant strides within the first 15 years following graduation. Any member of the Seton Hill University community can make nominations, which are kept confidential until the selection process is complete. Current full-time faculty and staff members are not eligible for the award.

Business and Technology

Christina Mason Sims, Class of 2009, MBA Class of 2011

Christina Mason Sims is an award-winning AI consultant, developer, speaker, and tech founder. As the founder and CEO of Precision Edge AI, a certified AI consultancy, she has led the development of bespoke AI strategies, optimizing operations for over 150 organizations, cutting costs by over $1 million annually, and generating $25 million in revenue. With more than 13 years of experience, Sims has advised business leaders on leveraging AI technology for growth. She has managed $50 million global brands and led high-performing digital marketing agencies, specializing in AI-driven transformation, scalable strategies, and digital innovation. As a former COO, she helped scale a startup agency into a multi-million-dollar enterprise in three years. She also created the T.I.M.E. framework, a methodology guiding organizations in AI adoption for ethical implementation and measurable impact. After a life-threatening childbirth, Sims became committed to helping founders achieve success without sacrificing personal well-being. She developed AI-driven tools for efficiency, profitability, and sustainable growth. A sought-after speaker and international best-selling author, she mentors entrepreneurs and speaks at industry events on AI integration. Recognized globally, she has earned the Bronze Stevie and CREA Global Awards and has been featured in Medium’s “Women Leading in AI,” Thrive Global, Canvas Rebel, Brainz Magazine, The Industry Leaders, and the Pittsburgh Business Times.

John Bachman, Class of 2007

John Bachman has built multiple successful careers since graduating from Seton Hill. A baseball player during his time on the Hill, Bachman played professionally with the Slippery Rock Sliders of the Frontier League and the Oneida Barge Bucs of the New York State League before starting his career in the business world as an accounts payable coordinator for H.J. Heinz Company. He then moved into a career with various roles in the oil and gas industry with stops at EQT Corporation, Tallgrass Energy Partners and Rice Energy Partners, building experience in every aspect of the industry - from the wellhead through the pipeline and ultimately to the customer. Bachman took on a new role in management at a company that was nearly a start-up. grow strategically through operations. He later ended up owning the company for five years, selling it in 2022. While he remains in the oil and gas industry as a sales innovator for Hatfield and Company, Bachman has also returned to his baseball roots. In November 2022, he opened D-BAT Pittsburgh South, a premier indoor baseball and softball training academy that specializes in youth development and recreational initiatives. He added a second location - D-BAT Pittsburgh East - in January 2025. The facilities provide team rental space, player lessons and camps. Bachman said many of the relationships he built during his Seton Hill days have made a considerable contribution to the success of D-BAT.

Julie Senchak, Class of 2000

Julie Senchak graduated from Seton Hill with honors and a double major in Computer Science and Information Management with a minor in Information Science. Senchak is the Vice President of Digital Experience & Technology at a Pittsburgh advertising agency, an organization she has been with since 2008. She has had the opportunity to lead digital technology and marketing programs for a client with more than one billion dollars in annual profits for the last 17 years, growing from a team of one to leading a group of 21 people and helping them grow. Beyond her professional work, she is passionate about serving others. Though Senchak was involved with community service before coming to the Hill, she was greatly impacted by the example of the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill and the impact they have made on the world. Senchak dedicates her service efforts to fighting cancer and finding cures. She serves on several charity boards and committees and leads the American Cancer Society South Fayette/Bridgeville 5K, which is in its 11th year. Over the years, she has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to support the fight against cancer. The battle is personal as Senchak lost her mother to breast cancer and is a breast cancer survivor herself. She is grateful for the support of the friends she met at Seton Hill, many of whom were her tennis teammates who have supported her throughout her life and her cancer diagnosis.

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Corona

Corona is the digital product manager at UPMC Health Plan where she supervises all social media, reputation management, and blog content. Before UPMC, she was an associate social media and PR strategist at Smith Brothers Agency in Pittsburgh working with national and international clients. Corona is an expert in content development and coordinating large-scale, award-winning campaigns from brainstorm to development to post-performance result analysis with more than 100 industry awards for strategy and creative content. She has earned recognition for her work both nationally and locally. Corona was a featured speaker at Ragan Communications and PR Daily’s Social Media Conference in 2022 and received the Pittsburgh Business Times and Leadership Pittsburgh’s 30 Under 30 Award in 2021. She has led, served, and mentored two non-profit boards resulting in an increase of membership, engagement, and cost savings. She was the past president of Pittsburgh Young Professionals, where she led a strategic growth plan which resulted in the all-time high active membership count of more than 1000 members in the organization’s 30-year history and guided a team in the planning of more than 40 networking and social events annually. She was also a board advisor for marketing with the Pittsburgh New Works Festival. Corona is also a downtown Pittsburgh tour guide.

Social Work and Community Impact

Michael A. Jones, MSW, Class of 2010

Michael A. Jones is an accomplished and visionary professional with a proven track record of driving transformative change and fostering inclusive cultures across a variety of organizations in the private and non-profit sectors. Throughout his career, Jones has successfully developed and executed comprehensive strategies that align with organizations' missions and drive success for all constituents. He has more than 10 years of experience supporting marginalized and underrepresented communities. With a background in human resources and higher education, Jones has consistently built meaningful relationships, implemented impactful programming, and supported school districts in fostering inclusive and thriving environments. Jones is currently the Director of Strategic Partnerships & Cultural Impact at the Allegheny Intermediate Unit, where he plays a pivotal role as a member of the Executive Leadership Team in shaping the organization's culture, partnerships, and strategic initiatives. He is responsible for partnership development, cultural strategy, and organizational influence to foster an inclusive workplace, enhance the organization's reputation, and drive meaningful social and business outcomes. He was previously a senior associate in the Campus & Emerging Talent Programs at BNY Mellon. He is a graduate of Leadership Pittsburgh and is the Education Faculty Advisor for current classes in addition to sitting on committees with the organization, further strengthening his commitment to cultivating strategic partnerships and fostering impactful cultural initiatives across the greater Pittsburgh region. Jones has experience as an instructor at Pennsylvania State University, Greater Allegheny, and is a board member for the Pennsylvania Educator Diversity Consortium and Stonewall Alliance Pittsburgh. Michael remains connected to his music roots as a member of the Pittsburgh Opera Newguard and performs periodically with the Steel City Cabaret. Jones, who earned his Master of Social Work degree from PennWest California, is currently pursuing his Doctor of Public Administration at West Chester University.

Angela Check Belli, Class of 1995

Angela Check Belli has been engaged in environmental education for more than 25 years. She developed and implemented an array of outreach programs in environmental science for Saint Vincent College and led the development of their 50-acre Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve where she currently serves as director. Belli integrates her love of nature, science education, conservation, and service to others into the mission and outreach of both the reserve and Saint Vincent. She was also recognized by the Pennsylvania Association of Environmental Educators as the Outstanding Environmental Educator of the Year in 2004 and the Keystone Award Winner in 2025. She also received the Saint Vincent College Projectenmacher Award in 2015.

Larraine (Lori) Mort Denakpo, Class of 1975

Her first steps after Seton Hill led Larraine (Lori) Mort Denakpo to a middle school in West Africa as part of the Peace Corps. Since then, she has spent more than 30 years as a manager of international development programs, directing several long-term multimillion dollar projects funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to improve educational quality, access and systems, with most of her projects taking place on the African continent in places such as Egypt, Senegal, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Madagascar. Her experience in Senegal stands out in her career. Denakpo’s team expanded local opportunities for students by ensuring construction of rural middle schools in 58 communities for students who may otherwise have ended their education at elementary school, especially girls who were often married as adolescents if middle schools were located too far from home. The Minister of Education in Senegal praised the project as the best education project he had seen in 20 years and Denakpo was honored with the Meritorious Order of the Lion from Senegal’s president for her work. Denakpo has worked with professionals from more than 20 countries and watching the staff she mentored become leaders in communities and professions is another of her career highlights. She is still active in the field and currently supports efforts to ensure that the United States government continues to invest in education across Africa. She credits Seton Hill as her first step into becoming independent, recognizing the importance of diversity, and realizing the value of strong mentors, in addition to instilling a love of poetry that continues to this day.

Arts and Culture

Sarah Williams-Devereux, Class of 2000

Greensburg residents may have seen the work of artist and poet Sarah Williams-Devereux as they drove around town. From 2022 through 2024, her poem, “Nexus,” was revealed stanza-by-stanza monthly on Greensburg’s North Main Street Bridge as part of a public art project by The Westmoreland Museum of American Art. Williams-Devereux has made a career of combining writing, art, and education. She has been heavily involved in the Madwomen in the Attic Creative Writing Workshops at Carlow University as an adjunct instructor, administrative assistant, and editor of the program’s Voices from the Attic anthology. She is also involved with Amherst Writers & Artists and the Pittsburgh Poetry Society. She previously worked in arts education at the August Wilson Center, the Andy Warhol Museum, PITT ARTS at the University of Pittsburgh, and the Mattress Factory in Pittsburgh. She recently received her MA in teaching writing from Johns Hopkins University. Williams-Devereux published her first poetry chapbook, Of a Mother, in 2023, and she has received numerous awards and recognitions for her work in writing, art, and arts education throughout her career. She is active in the Pittsburgh literary scene, and her work has been featured in various publications, group art exhibitions, and community projects. She has read her poems at local venues for the past two decades and also has experience curating exhibits, editing literary publications, and screening grants for local organizations. Williams-Devereux has volunteered for the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh, Three Rivers Community Foundation, and Transformative Language Arts Network, among other organizations.

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Military Service

Lieutenant Colonel Chris Kolbosky, MBA Class of 2001

Lieutenant Colonel Chris Kolbosky completed his MBA at Seton Hill by taking evening classes while working full-time and serving as a Youngwood Borough Council member. Kolbosky credits the time spent earning his MBA with helping him learn how to balance his career, his education, and service to his community and finding how they could complement each other. Kolbosky returned to the Surgeon General’s Office and served as the Army Deputy Chief of Force Integration in the Department of Human Resources in February 2024. Army Reserve in 2004 as a Medical Service Officer. In 2016, he was the first Reserve Component Medical Service Officer selected to attend the CJ Reddy Leadership Course. He has earned various awards, medals, badges and commendations for outstanding performance throughout his military career. In addition to his career accomplishments, Kolbosky is dedicated to rugby football and has served as a coach on various teams around the country. He is also a founding member of the Greensburg Rugby Club and serves as the alumni coordinator.

Impactful Sisters of Charity

Grace Hartzog, SC, Class of 1971

The work of Sister Grace Hartzog, SC, has been foundational to the campus experience of many Seton Hill students. Hartzog was an Assistant Professor of Psychology/Education at Seton Hill and helped secure Early Childhood Certification for the institution. She served in many roles at Seton Hill through 1990, including Director of the campus Child Development Center and Kindergarten, Dean of Student Services, and Director of Campus Ministry. Sister Grace is a long-serving member of Seton Hill’s Board of Trustees and has served on a variety of committees in addition to being a member of the team who led Seton Hill through the transition from an all-women’s college to co-education. She was previously a member of the Seton Hill University Alumnae Board of Directors. Hartzog has served as the Executive Director of the Sisters of Charity Federation since 2017.

Sister Rose Irene Boggs, Class of 1925

Sister Rose Irene Boggs, born in 1904, earned her B.A. in Latin from Seton Hill in 1925 and an M.A. in Latin from the University of Pittsburgh in 1940. She taught Latin and served as the Registrar of the College from 1948 until 1971. She later worked as the Director of Admissions and the Coordinator of the Tutorial Program.

Sister Eileen Mary Dorsa

Sister Eileen Mary Dorsa grew up in New York City and entered the community of the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill in 1939 after earning a degree in English. She received an M.A. from the University of Pittsburgh in 1942 and an M.A. Sister Zoe Dorsa was known for founding the Speech and Theatre Departments at Seton Hill College.

Sister Frances Irene Flamman

Frances Irene Flamman was born in 1907 and earned her degree in Biology in 1930. She taught Botany at the College and was appointed Academic Dean in 1952.

Sister Mary de Chantal Leis

Gertrude Eleanor Leis was born in 1902 and attended Seton Hill College as a Classics Major. She entered the community of the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill in 1925. Sr. de Chantal taught Latin classes and served as the Department Chair for 15 years. Additionally, she was the Dean of Women from 1939 until 1964. There is a Seton Hill College scholarship in Sister de Chantal’s honor.

Sister Mary Jacinta Mann

Mary Agnes Mann was born in 1925 and earned a B.A. in Science Education - Mathematics in 1946 from Southern Illinois University and an M.S. Before entering the community in 1950, Mary Agnes worked as a secretary, statistical clerk, and manager of the Office of Statistics and Research at the University of Wisconsin. Sister taught mathematics, sociology, communication, and statistics. She also worked as the Director of Admissions, Academic Dean, and Assistant to the President.

Sister Mary Thecla Schmidt

Sister Mary Thecla Schmidt was born in 1911 and earned her degree from Seton Hill in 1932 and an M.A. in English Literature from the University of Pittsburgh in 1934. From 1936 until 1957, Sister Mary Thecla worked as a professor in the English department. From 1957 until 1970, she was the Executive Vice President of the College. Beginning in 1970, Sister became the interim President before serving as the President from 1971 to 1977.

Sister Mary Leon Betty

Sister Mary Leon Betty was born in 1928 and entered the community in 1946. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Math and Chemistry from Seton Hill College in 1956, her M.S. After earning degrees, Sister taught Chemistry and served as a member of the Board. In 1975, she worked as Director of Student Personnel Services and Dean of Students.

Sister Regina Clare Breig

Mary Margaret Breig was born in 1899 and attended Seton Hill College from 1919 to 1920. She eventually finished her degree in English Literature and Composition in 1940. From 1947 through 1972, Sister Regina Clare worked as a professor in the English Department of the College.

Sister Helen Cecelia Dwyer

Sister Helen Cecelia Dwyer was born in 1902 and attended St. Joseph Academy. She entered the novitiate in 1919 and received her B.M. in Music in 1925. She later attended New York University for her Master’s Degree in Music Supervision and Education in 1938.

Sister Patricia Marie Filkosky

Sr. Patricia Marie Filkosky was born in 1933 and earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts from Seton Hill College in 1955. After working for a brief period as an art instructor at the College, Patricia entered the Sisters of Charity.

Sister Josefa Filkosky

While working as a professor and, eventually, Chair of the Art Department, Sr. Josefa earned her B.F.A. from Carnegie Institute in sculpture, ceramics, and metal-smithing in 1963. In addition, she attended Cranbrook Academy of Art for her Master’s in metal-smithing and sculpture. An award-winning artist, Sr. Josefa’s work was commissioned for Armco. Steel Corporation headquarters, by the Three Rivers Arts Festival for Gateway Center in Pittsburgh, and numerous private, corporate, and public collections.

Sister Rose de Lima Henry

Edith Josephine Henry was born in 1899 and attended St. Joseph Academy and joined the Sisters of Charity. Serving as the Chair of the Classics Department from 1949 until 1970, Sr. Rose de Lima focused her time on teaching Greek and Latin.

Sister Mary Estelle Hensler

Sister Mary Estelle Hensler was born in 1900 and earned her degree in History and Art from Seton Hill in 1939 and her M.A. in Art from New York University in 1940. Alongside Sr. Beloved by faculty and students alike, she was honored with the Seton Hill College Distinguished Alumna Leadership Award.

Sister Lucy LaVene Irvin

Sr. Lucy LaVene Irvin was born in 1914 and applied for admission to the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill in 1933. After entering community, Sister Mary Francis earned her B.F.A. in Painting and Design from the Carnegie Institute of Technology. In 1953, she received her M.F.A. From 1945 into the 1970s, Sister Mary Francis taught in the Art Department at Seton Hill College.

Sister Teresa Clare Kernan

Margaret Anne was born in 1903 and Sister Teresa Clare entered the community of the Sisters of Charity in 1923. Sister worked as Supervisor of Grounds at Seton Hill and was a member of the English Department from 1937 to 1957.

Sister Ann Agnes Kilkeary

Sr. Joseph Kilkeary and Sarah Keenan welcomed Alice Marie Kilkeary and her twin brother Jack, into the world in 1910. Alice Marie entered the Sisters of Charity in 1931. Her younger sister, Sister Mary Coleman Kilkeary, would also enter the community. Sister Ann Agnes went on to earn a B.A. in Music from Seton Hill in 1945. She taught piano at St. Joseph Academy before teaching in the Music Department at the College.

Sister Maria Serafina Mazza

Maria Serafina Mazza was born in 1900 and went to the Indiana State Normal School from 1917-1919 and taught in several schools in Allegheny County before she entered religious life in 1923. In 1930, Sister Maria Serafina earned her B.A. in Spanish Literature and Language from Seton Hill. She continued her education at McGill University where she earned an M.A. in French Language and Literature. In addition, she received a PhD in Italian Language and Literature from Columbia in 1947. She was a faculty member of the College from 1934 until 1976.

Sister Mary Thaddeus McManama

Sister Mary Thaddeus McManama was born the 16th of June 1905. Before entering, Sister worked in clerical and secretarial fields. After entering, she pursued a degree in Math and Social Studies in 1937 at Seton Hill College. After getting her degree, she taught Math at the college for nine years before going back to school to continue her education. In 1964, she began her career as the Director of Public Information at Seton Hill.

Sister Marie Gertrude McNeil

Ruth McNeil was born January 3rd of 1893. After entering, Sister Marie Gertrude began her education with a focus in Mathematics. She graduated with a B.A. in 1922 from Seton Hill College. From 1921-22, she taught at St. Joseph Academy. Five years later, she earned her Master’s in Math and Astronomy from the University of Notre Dame. Sister taught at Seton Hill College from 1922 until 1965.

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