Holy Cross Academy Leadership Team, Board of Directors Announced February 22, 2012 Holy Cross Academy, the new Catholic school system in which Annunciation, Our Lady of Providence and St. Michael the Archangel schools are participating, has selected its leadership team for the 2012-2013 school year. Father Robert Evans, pastor of Annunciation Catholic Church, will serve as designated pastor for Holy Cross Academy. In this role, Father Evans serves as shepherd for the Academy s Catholic Identity and the chosen representative of the other parish pastors, Father Dennis Doyle of St. Michael and Father Dave Rauch of Our Lady of Providence. Amie Koenen, Ed.D., president of Holy Cross Academy, will work closely with Father Evans to ensure the Academy s three campuses are embodying its mission. Father Evans and Koenen today announced the leadership for each campus of Holy Cross Academy: Michael Biggs, currently principal at Annunciation Catholic School, will serve as principal of the middle school campus, located at Annunciation. Laura Clark, currently principal of Our Lady of Providence, will serve as the principal of the elementary campus at that school. Kristi Mantych, the eighth grade homeroom and science teacher at St. Michael the Archangel School, will become principal at the elementary campus there. We are blessed to have found three individuals who are not just excellent teachers and leaders who are committed to Catholic education, but who share our passion towards the formation of Holy Cross Academy, Koenen said. We see this as such a positive and natural evolution of Catholic education in a way that we can sustain for generations to come, and that s thrilling to all of us as Catholics, parents and educators. Holy Cross Academy also announced the appointment of a Board of Directors that represents a range of parishes and experience: John James, Ed.D., a Saint Louis University professor and noted expert in Catholic education, will serve as the chairman of the board. Mark Hite, an Annunciation parishioner and parent of two future Holy Cross Academy students, serves as vice-chair.
2/22/12 Page 2 of 5 Carolyn Conboy, an Our Lady of Providence parishioner and parent of five future Holy Cross Academy students, serves as secretary. Ed Kopff, a St. Michael the Archangel parishioner and parent of one future Holy Cross Academy student, serves as treasurer. Other board members are Jim Childress, Fred Entrikin, Ann Kleitsch, Kelli Powers, Ron Rebore, Ph.D., Elizabeth Rolwes, John Schicker, Pat Wheadon and Jim Woodcock. Bios for the leadership team and board members are attached. Holy Cross Academy is a new and improved school system rooted in Catholic teachings and focused on preparing students for success spiritually, intellectually and socially. Recognizing that today s students live in an ever-shrinking world that will challenge them in ways unknown to earlier generations, the educational program at Holy Cross Academy will be grounded in the belief that all children can achieve scholastic success in the appropriate environment. The curriculum and instruction at all three campuses will utilize what educational research reveals as best practices for accomplishing this goal. Biographies Administration Father Robert Evans Designated Pastor, Holy Cross Academy and Pastor, Annunciation Catholic Church Father Bob Evans, pastor of Annunciation Catholic Church in Webster Groves, was named the Designated Pastor of Holy Cross Academy. In this capacity, Father Evans will serve as the spiritual shepherd of the Academy and a trusted advisor to the president and board of directors. Father Evans was ordained in 2003 and previously served as pastor of Our Lady of the Presentation in Overland and Associate Pastor of Church of the Immacolata. He has served as Pastor at Annunciation Catholic Church since 2010. Amie Koenen, Ed.D. President, Holy Cross Academy Amie Koenen is the president of Holy Cross Academy, and previously served as principal at St. Michael the Archangel School. She and her husband Brian have three children who will attend Holy Cross Academy. Prior to her role at St. Michael s, Dr. Koenen was a campus minister and theology teacher at St. Mary s High School. Dr. Koenen has a bachelor s degree from Creighton University, a master s degree from Saint Louis University in Catholic Educational Leadership and a doctorate in education from Saint Louis University in Educational Leadership.
2/22/12 Page 3 of 5 Michael Biggs Michael Biggs is principal of the Holy Cross Academy Middle School. Biggs previously served as principal at Annunciation Catholic School. He has a bachelor s degree from Quincy University and a master s degree in education and administration from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. He has spent the past 40 years in Catholic education, and served as an administrator for 37 of those years. Laura Clark Laura Clark is principal of Holy Cross Academy s elementary campus at Our Lady of Providence. Clark previously served as principal of Our Lady of Providence. She has been an educator in the Archdiocese of St. Louis since 1996, with prior roles at St. Mark, Mary Queen of the Universe and St. Kevin schools. She has a bachelor s degree from the University of Missouri-St. Louis and a master s degree from Saint Louis University. Kristi Mantych Kristi Mantych is principal of Holy Cross Academy s elementary campus at St. Michael the Archangel. Mantych previously served as the eighth grade homeroom teacher and science teacher at St. Michael the Archangel. She has been an educator with the Archdiocese of St. Louis since 2004. She has a bachelor s degree in science from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville and has completed advanced studies at Northwestern University. Board of Directors Jim Childress Jim Childress is a founding member and manager of Childress Ahlheim Cary LLC, currently practicing in the area of civil trial. Childress and his wife Judy are members of St. Michael the Archangel and have five children, all of whom attended the parish school. Childress is a former alderman for the City of Shrewsbury and a prior member of the Shrewsbury Board of Adjustment. Childress has a bachelor s degree from Saint Louis University and a juris doctorate from Saint Louis University School of Law. Carolyn Conboy Carolyn Conboy is founder and principal of Org4U LLC, which specializes in personal bookkeeping services, residential space management and photo organization. Conboy and her husband Keith are members of Our Lady of Providence and have five children who will attend Holy Cross Adacemy. Conboy formerly served tax and accounting roles at Ameren Corporation, BJC, Washington University and Anders, Minkler & Diehl, CPAs. She has a bachelor s degree from Missouri State University. Fred Entrikin Fred Entrikin has been a commercial banker for more than 30 years and currently serves as senior vice president at BancorpSouth in Clayton. Entrikin and his wife Carolyn are members of Annunciation Catholic Church and have three grown children and one grandchild. He is a former member of the Webster Groves City Council. Entrikin has a bachelor s degree from Christian Brothers University and a master s degree in business administration from Saint Louis University.
2/22/12 Page 4 of 5 Mark Hite Mark Hite is senior director of treasury and mergers & acquisitions at Express Scripts. He and his wife Janice are members of Annunciation Catholic Church and have two children who will attend Holy Cross Academy. Prior to joining Express Scripts, Hite spent 10 years in general management in the commercial health and fitness industry. He has a bachelor s degree from Harvard University and a master s degree in business administration from Washington University. John James, Ed.D. John James is the director of the Catholic Leadership Program at Saint Louis University. His prior roles include Catholic school system president, high school principal, department chair and classroom teacher. He and his wife have four children and are members of Holy Redeemer Parish. Dr. James served as chairman of the boards of the Association of Catholic Leadership Programs and Holy Redeemer School. He currently serves on the Jesuit Secondary Educational Association board. He attended Rice University, the University of St. Thomas, Creighton University, and earned his doctorate from the University of Nebraska. Ann Kleitsch Ann Kleitsch is an educator with the Special School District in the Kirkwood School District. She has been in the field of education for 18 years with a focus in the areas of special education and counseling and has worked in a variety of settings including private, public, and parochial schools. Kleitsch and her husband Dan are members of Annunciation Catholic Church and have two sons who will attend Holy Cross Academy. Ed Kopff Ed Kopff is a data analyst for ING s benefits outsourcing division. He and his wife Cindy are parishioners at St. Michael the Archangel and have one daughter who will attend Holy Cross Academy. Kopff serves on the parish council at St. Michael the Archangel, is chairman of the parish finance committee and serves as an alderman for the city of Shrewsbury. Kopff has bachelor s and master s in business administration degrees from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. Kelli Powers Kelli Powers is a director of public affairs for Monsanto. She and her husband Patrick are parishioners at St. Michael the Archangel and have two children who will attend Holy Cross Academy. Powers previously worked in public relations at Anheuser-Busch, Fleishman-Hillard and Saint Louis University. She has a bachelor s degree in communications from Truman State University and a master s degree in business administration from Webster University. Ron Rebore, Ph.D. Ron Rebore is a professor at Saint Louis University, where he researches and teaches in the graduate educational leadership program. Prior to SLU, Dr. Rebore was a high school teacher and guidance counselor. He served as an assistant superintendent for business and finance in the Lindbergh School District and superintendent of schools for the Valley Park and Special School Districts. He and his wife Sandy have two adult children and six grandchildren, three of whom will attend Holy Cross Academy. Elizabeth Rolwes Elizabeth Rolwes and her husband Larry have five children and are parishioners at St. Michael the Archangel. Rolwes oldest child will graduate from St. Michael the Archangel School this year and the others will be students at Holy Cross Academy. Rolwes was born and raised in Boston. She has a bachelor s degree in psychology from the University of Massachusetts.
2/22/12 Page 5 of 5 John Schicker John Schicker is the manager of Schicker Automotive Group, which includes: McMahon Ford, Barreth Chrysler Center, Barreth Ford, Ford Groves Ford and Ford Groves Lincoln. He and his wife Stacy have three children and are active members of St. Raphael the Archangel Parish and St. Vincent DePaul parishes. Schicker serves on the boards of The Urban League of Greater St Louis, The St. Louis Crime Commission, The South City YMCA, The Ford Dealers Advertising Fund and the Father Support Center of St. Louis. Patrick Wheadon Patrick Wheadon is an educator at St. John Vianney Catholic Marianist High School and chair of the school s Mission Integration Team. He and his wife Teresa are members of Our Lady of Providence and have two children who will attend Holy Cross Academy. Wheadon has held multiple leadership roles in parish activities, education, parish administration and parish ministry. Prior to moving to Catholic education, Wheadon worked in corporate management and risk management for Schnuck Markets Inc. Jim Woodcock Jim Woodcock is a senior vice president and partner at Fleishman-Hillard, where he leads the firm s sports business practice. Woodcock and his wife Elaine are parishioners at Our Lady of Providence. They have two children, a son who will graduate from Saint Louis University High School this spring and a daughter who will attend Holy Cross Academy s middle school. Woodcock has a bachelor s degree from Eastern Illinois University. ###