Christian Brothers University is proud to announce Joseph Paul Croteau (’76) as its 2026 Distinguished Alumnus and Kelly Summons Crow (’09) as its 2026 Distinguished Young Alumna. The annual honors celebrate graduates whose professional accomplishments, community leadership and continued commitment to CBU exemplify the University’s mission and values.

2026 Distinguished Alumnus: Joseph Paul Croteau (’76)

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A native of Memphis, Joseph “Joe” Croteau graduated summa cum laude from CBU in 1976 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a concentration in Accounting. He is a member of the Alpha Chi national honor society and a 1972 graduate of Christian Brothers High School, where he has been inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Croteau began his career in the audit group at Price Waterhouse in Memphis. During his time with the firm, he also served in its Toledo, New York-National, and Baltimore offices. In 1987, he joined T. Rowe Price Associates, ultimately serving as vice president, treasurer, and principal accounting officer of T. Rowe Price Group before retiring in 2010. He held an active CPA license from 1978 to 2015.

Following his distinguished career in finance and accounting, Croteau continued his education at the Villanova University School of Business, earning a Master of Science in Church Management in 2011. He received the Bartley Medallion – the school’s highest distinction for a graduate – in recognition of his outstanding achievement in the Church Management discipline. From 2015 to 2020, he served on the National Advisory Council of Villanova’s Center for Church Management. He is also a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma and Phi Kappa Phi international honor societies.

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Croteau has devoted decades of service to Catholic education and nonprofit organizations. He served on the Board of Trustees of Calvert Hall College High School in Maryland from 2004 to 2010 and again from 2012 to 2018, and on its Finance Committee from 2004 to 2018. As Finance Committee chair from 2012 to 2018, he led the management and refinancing of the school’s long-term, variable-rate debt into permanent 20-year, fixed-rate, tax-exempt financing. He also guided the school’s early adoption of new accounting standards for nonprofit organizations in 2018.

After completing his board service, Croteau continued volunteering in Calvert Hall’s finance office through May 2025, assisting with annual financial statements and quarterly investment performance analyses. In 2020, he became only the third person to receive the Calvert Hall President’s Medal. Calvert Hall is the oldest permanent Christian Brothers school in the United States.

His service has extended to his parish and the larger community. Croteau has served as a board member of St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Congregation, two additional Catholic schools in the Greater Baltimore area, two condominium associations in Florida, and the American Lung Association of Maryland. In 2003, he received the Archdiocese of Baltimore Medal of Honor for outstanding service to St. Paul’s parish.

Croteau and his wife of 46 years, Marcia, are also the founding sponsors of CBU’s Nonprofit Internship Community Experience (NICE) program, which connects students with impactful work in the nonprofit sector. They continue to support the program annually. The couple lives in Howard County, Maryland, and are parishioners at St. Paul’s in Ellicott City. They have two children, Angela Marx and Michael Croteau, and three grandchildren, Abigail, Henry, and Madeleine.

2026 Distinguished Young Alumna: Kelly Summons Crow (’09)

Kelly Crow earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting and Finance from CBU in 2009. Today, she is a tax partner at Reynolds, Bone & Griesbeck, where she has built a reputation for technical excellence, leadership, and service to the accounting profession.

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Crow’s interest in accounting was inspired in part by former CBU professor Dr. Nash. Her family’s connection to the University also runs deep: Her father taught mathematics at CBU as an adjunct professor for 30 years.

As a CBU student, Crow competed on the cross-country team, served as a peer counselor, and was a member of Zeta Tau Alpha. She also met her future husband, Turner Crow (’08), at the University in 2005. Together, they co-authored “A New Era for Sales Tax,” published in the September/October 2018 issue of the Tennessee CPA Journal.

Crow credits CBU’s people and community with molding both her professional path and her life beyond school.

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Crow joined RBG after graduation as one of the firm’s first full-time tax staff hires. Her abilities and leadership moved her through the firm, and she was named partner in January 2021. In 2026, she was recognized as a Forbes Best-in-State CPA.

Crow has held numerous leadership roles within the Tennessee Society of Certified Public Accountants. She served as chair of the TSCPA State Board during the 2024–25 term and has served on the organization’s Council and its Finance, Personnel and State Taxation committees. She is also a former president of the TSCPA Memphis Chapter.

During her term as state chair, Crow played an important role in introducing and passing Tennessee legislation establishing an additional pathway to CPA licensure. The effort was designed to make the profession more reachable and encourage future accounting professionals to pursue certification.

At the national level, Crow is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and previously served as an at-large member of the AICPA Council. In 2019, she was one of 36 CPAs from across the United States selected to participate in the AICPA Leadership Academy.

Her community involvement has included service on the CBU Alumni Association Board, the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis’ Give 365 Grant Committee and the Greater Memphis Chamber Young Professionals Council. In 2022, she received the Community Foundation’s Referring Advisor Recognition.

“Some of my longest friendships are with fellow CBU alumni,” Crow said. “This community continues to give well beyond the four years I spent there. I had the TIME OF MY LIFE in college, and I think back on all of my years there fondly. So much of who I am today was shaped by CBU, the people and the community.”

Crow and her husband live in Germantown, Tennessee, with their son, Hain, and daughter, Grace.

Through professional excellence, dedicated service and strong ties to the University, Croteau and Crow embody the values of faith, service and community at the heart of the CBU experience. Christian Brothers University congratulates them on their selection as its 2026 Distinguished Alumni honorees.

The awards will be presented at CBU’s Alumni Weekend at Homecoming, September 25 and 26.