Following a 25-year tenure of board leadership, Civic Development Corporation of Ashtabula County (CDC) Board of Directors member Mary Lou Howe announced her retirement from the CDC board in September 2022.

Howe joined CDC in 1997 as Secretary.  In 2016, she became a board member and has worked tirelessly on several campaigns and served as chairperson of the finance committee as well.

“Mary Lou not only has years of outstanding service to the Civic Development Corporation, but has provided strategic leadership throughout our campaigns,” said CDC Board President, Lori Herpen DeCato. “We are grateful for her service to the organization over the last 25 years.”

Howe joined the CDC board in the midst of a long and distinguished banking career. She started with the Farmers National Bank (now KeyBank) Trust Department then held a variety of positions with the bank in Commercial Banking, Private Banking, Investments and Branch Management.  Mary Lou retired from Key in 2014 as Vice President and Branch Manager of the Ashtabula Downtown KeyCenter.

In addition to Howes’s service to CDC, she has served on other boards throughout Ashtabula County including Ashtabula Downtown Association and Ashtabula Red Cross.  She is still an active Rotarian and is a past Ashtabula Rotary President.

“We thank Mary Lou for her time and dedication to CDC and wish her much happiness in her retirement,” said Herpen DeCato. Mary Lou and her husband Bill enjoy traveling and spending time with family in their free time.