Mary Joyce dies at 56 of cancer

Mary Joyce, Cal State Fullerton’s Gianneschi professor of nonprofit marketing, died Dec. 12 after a long battle with cancer. The Laguna Beach resident was 56. A marketing expert and educator who had served as a consultant to several nonprofit agencies and organizations, Joyce joined CSUF in 2002 as the first Gianneschi professor of nonprofit marketing, tasked with working with both the community and the campus in the development of a nonprofit marketing curriculum. She retired in June.

The professorship is named for Harry R. Gianneschi, former vice president for university advancement and founder of the CSUF Center for Nonprofit Research, which also bears his name.

During her long career, Joyce wrote numerous articles about integrated marketing, entrepreneurial behavior and not-for-profit organizations. She served as a pro bono consultant with the Assn. for Donor Recruitment Professionals, the American Assn. of Blood Banks and the Carolina/Georgia Blood Center. She also had served on the board of directors for Goodwill Industries of Orange County and the Council on Aging of Orange County.

In 2006, she traveled to Grahamstown, South Africa, for the Prospects for Quality of Life in the New Millennium conference of the International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies. She chaired a session on Quality of Life of People Living With Disabilities and participated in a panel discussion on the impact of marketing on quality of life.

She held a doctorate in business administration from the University of Kentucky, plus an MBA and bachelor’s degree in business from Sacramento State. Before coming to CSUF, Joyce taught at Bryant College, the University of Central Florida and the University of Colorado at Denver. She was professor and director of the Retail Management Center at San Francisco State University and served as chairwoman of the department of communications at Emerson College in Boston.

“Mary had a passion for service learning,” said Irene Lange, chairwoman and professor of marketing in the CSUF College of Business and Economics. “She wanted to instill in students an appreciation for corporate social responsibility, social entrepreneurship and sustainable growth.”

According to Shay Sayre, professor of communications, “Mary dedicated her life to advocating justice for people of all races, sexual orientations and economic situations. Her enthusiasm and energy will endure in everyone who knew her.”

Joyce is survived by her husband, David Lambert, and siblings Linda Myers, Tom Joyce and John Joyce. A celebration of Joyce’s life is being planned for 2008 in Vallejo. In lieu of flowers, donations in her name may be made to Planned Parenthood.