“Give good example – teaching more by what you do than what you say.”
– St. Angela Merici
History:
In 1975, Ursuline Academy’s Board of Trustees was formed under the chairmanship of Taylor W. Hanavan. At that time, the Convent and school became separate corporations. The Convent corporation retained the name “Ursuline Academy, Inc.,” and the school corporation was known as “Ursuline Academy of Wilmington, Delaware, Inc.” For the first time in its history, lay principals were appointed to head the schools. A further reorganization of the school took place in 1988 when the Board of Trustees created the position of President of the Academy which, as the CEO, would assume responsibility for the daily operations of the school; Angela M. Boyle, class of 1953, was the first to hold this position. Today, Dr. Trisha Medeiros holds the position of President, and Maritza Poza-Grise is the Chair of the Board of Trustees.
2023-24 Board of Trustees
Erin Allsman, APR ’95
Erin Allsman is Brownstein Group’s Executive Vice President and Managing Director. She is Brownstein Group’s first-ever Managing Director, overseeing the agency’s brand strategy, public relations, creative, client services, social media and digital practices while also leading the agency’s long-term growth and specialization strategies.
Stacey Hondry Bacchieri ’78
Stacey Bacchieri is an Ursuline alum and native Delawarean. She graduated from University of Delaware with a Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Communications and worked for MBNA as an Account Executive in the sales division.
Dominick D’Eramo, CFA
As the head of fixed income for Wilmington Trust Investment Advisors (M&T Bank), Dominick D’Eramo directs 30 investment professionals, including portfolio managers, credit analysts, and traders managing taxable and tax-exempt assets. He is responsible for the active management of institutional fixed income client relationships, including pensions and endowments, community banking relationships, schools, hospitals, and state and local governments.
Melissa A. DiVincenzo ’94
Melissa is a corporate attorney at Morris, Nichols, Arsht, & Tunnell, LLP based in Wilmington, DE. She has been with the firm since 2001, providing advice on corporate governance matters, and private and public corporate transactions.
Gerald T. Doherty
Jerry’s professional career has revolved around the commercial construction industry in Delaware and the surrounding states. For the past 31 years he has worked for EDiS Company, a Wilmington headquartered construction management firm with offices in Media, PA and Lewes, DE.
Sister Kathleen Finnerty, OSU
Sister Kathleen, a native New Yorker, is an Ursuline Sister who has spent her professional life in the field of education, primarily in administration. She graduated from the College of New Rochelle and earned advanced degrees from Fordham and Villanova Universities. After eight years as an Associate Superintendent in the Diocese of Wilmington, Sister moved to New Orleans as Superintendent of Schools to help rebuild the Catholic school system devastated by Hurricane Katrina.
Megan Gallagher ’02
Megan Gallagher ’02 brings over 12 years of work experience in higher education and marketing and communications. She’s held roles at MIT Sloan School of Management, The Wharton School, Bryn Mawr College, Occidental College, and currently serves as the Associate Dean of Communications for the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at the University of Pennsylvania.
Thomas A. Kardish
Thomas A. Kardish was appointed the fifth president of Salesianum on July 1, 2021. Kardish brings to Salesianum a diverse skill set that combines entrepreneurial management and executive leadership in corporate and educational realms. For the past six years, Tom has served as the President of Villa Joseph Marie High School in Holland, PA, an all-girls Catholic college-preparatory school founded by the Sisters of St. Casimir.
Brendan Kennealey
Brendan Kennealey is the founder and owner of Nester, a web app that launched in 2021, serving in the residential real estate industry. Most recently, Brendan served as Salesianum’s fourth president from 2011-2021. Brendan began his career in education as a teacher at Nativity Preparatory School in Boston before becoming the founding principal of a Nativity Preparatory School in New Bedford, MA, in 2000.
Rob Koechert, PE, ENV SP
Rob Koechert currently serves as Vice President and the Water Engineering Practice Leader at Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson, Inc., headquartered in Hunt Valley, MD. Rob leads the day-to-day water consulting operations for JMT’s Newark, DE and Philadelphia, PA offices.
William LaFond
As the wealth area executive for the Mid-Atlantic region at Wilmington Trust, Bill is responsible for overseeing the teams that provide Wealth Management Solutions to high-net-worth individuals and families in the Baltimore/DC, Philadelphia/Southern NJ, and Southern/Western PA regions. In addition, Bill oversees the development and delivery of advice and services for many of the company’s largest and most prominent client families.
Sister Marion Lynch, OSU
Sister Marion is an Ursuline sister and a native New Yorker who has lived in Wilmington, Delaware, for several years. She has spent most of her professional life in teaching and administration. She graduated from The College of New Rochelle, Villanova University, and studied at Washington Theological Union.
Megan Manlove McGlinchey ’90
Megan is currently the Executive Director of the Riverfront Development Corporation of Delaware. In this role, she guides the creation of strategies and objectives to fulfill the RDC’s mission of creating economic vitality along the Brandywine and Christina Rivers, while enhancing the environment, encouraging historic preservation, and promoting public access.
The Honorable Vivian L. Medinilla ’84
The Honorable Vivian L. Medinilla received her appointment to the Superior Court of the State of Delaware by former Governor Jack A. Markell and began serving on February 5, 2013.
Victoria K. Petrone, Esq ’91
Vicky is the current parent of current 8th grader Theresa Dills and a member of Ursuline’s class of 1991. Vicky is a partner at Baird Mandalas Brockstedt LLC and has a regional practice concentrated on construction law. Her clients include owners, developers, contractors, subcontractors, architects, and engineers.
Maritza Poza-Grise, Board Chair
Maritza, a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, is in her third year on the Board serving the past two years on the Executive Committee. Prior to her retirement in 2015, Maritza was Global Vice-President for DuPont Human Resources. A native of Havana, Cuba and raised in Miami, Florida Maritza lives in Landenberg, Pennsylvania with her husband Steve. They have two sons and a daughter, Myriam, Class of 2012.
Kim Raiford
Kimberly “Kim” Raiford spent her professional career in the chemicals industry. Joining DuPont as a chemist in 1988, she held various positions in research, product development, regulatory compliance, and manufacturing support. Her last role at DuPont was Technical Manager in Central Research and Development.
Andrea Roesser
Andrea is a graduate of the University of Delaware with a degree in Early Childhood Education. She most recently worked for the Brandywine Buzz in sales, marketing, and content creation. She also held previous roles in human resources and marketing with This End Up Furniture Co., The Campbell Soup Co., and DuPont Merck Pharmaceuticals.
Sister Patricia Schifini, OSU
Sister Patricia Schifini, OSU was born in the Bronx and attended St. Philip Neri School, the Academy of Mt. St. Ursula and the College of New Rochelle, all institutions staffed by the Ursuline Sisters, thus she is steeped in the Ursuline tradition of education. Sr. Patricia has been involved with Ursuline education for over 35 years and has served on many Boards. At the Academy of Mt. St. Ursula, she served as Religion teacher, Athletic Director, and in other capacities. She has been a member of the faculty at Ursuline School in New Rochelle for 25 years as Religion teacher, Campus Minister, Faculty Council member, and Director of the Peer Ministry program, which prepared retreats for students. Currently, Sr. Patricia serves on the leadership team for the Eastern Province of the Ursuline Sisters. She lives in New Rochelle, N.Y.
Ashley Coleman Thayer
Ashley Coleman Thayer, wife to D’reardon Thayer, mother of four daughters, Jordan, Mia, Veronica, Zoey,
and dog mom to Milo D. She resides in Newark, DE. Ashley is an On-Air Television Personality, Wellness
Coach and part-time Run Coach.
Kathleen Killen Veteri ’89
Kathleen is a graduate of Ursuline Academy, Class of 1989. She began as a student at Ursuline in the Montessori program at the age of 2 and spent the next 16 years at Ursuline. Kathleen played on the varsity field hockey and tennis teams, and also served as co-valedictorian for her graduating class. Kathleen’s sister, Mary Killen Munoz, is a 1987 Ursuline graduate and her father, William Killen attended Ursuline until the 6th grade. Kathleen, Mary and her father were all lucky enough to be taught by the late Sister Catherine Donohue.
Joseph Vieira
Joseph “Joe” Vieira is a Managing Director at JP Morgan Chase. He is the Chief Architect for Chase Operations which supports call centers and back office operations for Chase Consumer and Community Banking. Joe has been in the technology field for 32 years including positions at IBM, Andersen Consulting and Chase. He has been with Chase in Wilmington, DE for the last 24 years.
