Regional Administrator, South Regional Catholic Elementary Schools
Contact Mrs. Brown at sbrown@olgscott.net
Samantha has two daughters who currently attend St. Anne School in 3rd and 5th grade. She is a member of the PTG, a classroom parent, and the head Cheerleading Coach for St Annes School. She works for Allegheny Health Network as an authorization specialist for surgical procedures.
Contact Sammi at sammiyoukers@gmail.com
Melissa is the President of the Saint Anne Athletic Association, Recording Secretary of the PTG and Homeroom Parent for her son David's 7th grade class. She is also a graduate of Saint Anne School and a member of Saint Paul of the Cross Parish. Melissa earned her BA from Duquesne University, and her JD from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. She works at Duquesne University and is a strong proponent of Catholic education. Melissa resides in Bethel Park with her husband, Chris, and son, David.
Contact Melissa at melissa.a.loughner@gmail.com
Though Sean is a transplant to Pittsburgh, his wife's family have been members of the St. Anne (now St. Paul of the Cross) parish community for over forty years. His daughter is completing Pre-K at St. Anne Catholic School and is looking forward to the opportunities brought about by the new school structure. Sean himself is an educator with over fifteen years' experience in public and private education in New York City and suburban Pittsburgh. A lifelong Catholic, Sean values strong Catholic education opportunities for the community and is honored to participate in ensuring that Catholic education in the South Region is strong well into the future.
Contact Sean at magister.murray@gmail.com
Doug and his wife are transplants to Pittsburgh, having both grown up in the Cincinnati area. He has two sons,one who will be graduating from St. Bernard School this year and one who will be completing sixth grade this year. Doug has been a member of the St. Bernard School Advisory Council for four years, serving as its president for the last two years and was involved with the recent renovations to the science labs at the school. He and his wife both were educated at Catholic schools and believe strongly in the values instilled in a Catholic education and want to see a sustainable, vibrant Catholic education for the long term future of Catholic education in this area.
Contact Doug at hartman8500@sbcglobal.net
A Catholic school graduate herself, Susan and her husband Brian are choosing to raise their four children in the loving arms of the Catholic school system. Ten years ago, when her oldest son Alex started kindergarten, Susan immediately got involved by volunteering at fish fries, classroom parties, and school fundraisers. It was then that she renewed her appreciation for the deep sense of community brought about by the beautiful blend of real life and spiritual life that is lived out every day in the classroom. This has only been amplified as Alex and her other sons Adam and Isaac have celebrated milestones like First Communions, Reconciliations, and Confirmations over the years. In 2020, as mom to yet another kindergartner Olivia, Susan has the valuable opportunity to share her learned experiences as we dive into a vibrant and exciting vision for catholic education. Before her role as mom, Susan spent a decade in the television news business in West Virginia.
Contact Susan at smsarkis@gmail.com
Jonathan currently has 3 daughters enrolled at St. Bernard and a 4th who will be joining our new school soon. Though my wife and I are lifelong Catholics, neither of us had experience with Catholic school education. We sent our oldest daughter to St. Bernard because of the full-day option for Kindergarten. However, it wasn’t long before we became committed to the values and community that Catholic education provides. Professionally, I am a licensed attorney and I currently work at BNY Mellon Wealth Management as a Wealth Manager. I am excited to be part of the process to ensure that the great things that make our respective schools special live on as we become one.
Contact Jonathan at Jonathan.Smith@bnymellon.com
Kara and her husband, Mickey, have five young children — ages 6 (OLG kindergarten), 4 (OLG preschool), 2 and 9 month old twins. Mickey was educated in Pittsburgh’s Catholic schools through 12th grade and, although Kara did not attend Catholic school herself, it did not take long for her to see the value in Catholic education. Kara is honored to serve on the implementation Committee for the new school. Her goal is to engage families and educators as we move forward with the merger process. Kara has a background in school communication, strategic planning and community partnerships. She hopes her prior experience will be an asset as we work together to ensure Catholic education is an option for families today and in the future.
Contact Kara at kara.droney@gmail.com
Mark was born in the North Hills of Pittsburgh. After getting married, he and his wife, Kara, moved to the South Hills. Mark and Kara are both alumni of Catholic schools. Mark and his wife have two daughters. Molly is a sophomore in high school and Gretchen is in 7th grade at Our Lady of Grace. The Klauss family have been members of OLG for 20 years and both Mark and Kara have been volunteers in this community since the beginning. Mark has an extensive career in accounting and banking with over 24 years with PNC. He has been on OLG's School Advisory Council for 10 Years and has served on a sub-committee of the OLG Parish Finance Council. Mark believes that Catholic Education is vital to the Church and to the communities that the Church serves. Mark is honored to be on the Implementation Committee and moving Catholic education forward in Pittsburgh.
Contact Mark at mjklauss@gmail.com
As a life-long member of Our Lady of Grace Parish, Suzie and her husband Mark have had at least one of their four children attending Our Lady of Grace School for the past 24 years. Their youngest child is currently in seventh grade and looking forward to his new adventure at the Bethel Park campus next August. After a career in the banking industry as a commercial lender, Suzie has since become a full-time wife and mom for more than 26 years. Over the years, Suzie has thoroughly enjoyed being an active volunteer at the school and church in many areas, including library aid, computer class aid, office staff volunteer, homeroom mom/liaison, contributing PTG member, church/school money counter, recess monitor, Children's Liturgy instructor, Eucharistic minister, lead of OLG's Pre Cana program, and most near and dear to her heart - founding member of the 21-year-strong OLG Dinner Auction/Gala committee. Having witnessed first hand the wonderful fruits of Catholic grade school and high school education through her own children and their friends, it is an important priority for Suzie to do all she can to support the continuation of strong Catholic schools for our community.
Contact Suzie at slmox@verizon.net
Theresa and her husband, Michael, have been parishioners of St Thomas More since 2007. Six of their children have graduated from St Thomas More, and they have three children currently enrolled at STM this year. Their youngest child, a third grader, is dual enrolled in the St Anthony program for children with exceptional needs. Theresa has served as a member of the USCCB committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, has taught philosophy at the college level and to seminarians and deacons, and has given continuing education workshops to teachers and principals around the country. She has written and lectured extensively about the importance of Catholic education for the future of the Catholic Church in the United States. During their 13 years of standing on the sidelines during Catholic grade school and high school sports competitions in Pittsburgh, Theresa and Mike Farnan have become friends with families from the four schools that will form our new school community - they are confident that the talented and committed families of our new school will build a school that is spiritually and academically excellent.
Contact Theresa at tfarnan2@gmail.com
Stephanie was born and raised in the South Hills of Pittsburgh. She and her husband, Steve, have 3 children at St. Thomas More School in kindergarten, second and sixth grades. Stephanie is the President of the St. Thomas More Athletic Association, Member of the St. Thomas More Safe Environment Committee, Member of the St. Thomas More School Advisory Council, and Board Member of Dry Bones Ministries (a Fr. Joe Freedy youth ministry). She has over 25 years of experience in the Employee Benefits space and has held several senior leadership roles with Fortune 25 companies overseeing P&L, Marketing, Sales and Customer Service. Stephanie is privileged to serve in an advisory role for the South Implementation Committee as we work to strengthen the future of Catholic education in our region.
Contact Stephanie at svbernaciak@aol.com
Matt grew up in the South Hills as the youngest of seven children. He has been a member of St. Thomas More Parish his entire life and attended St. Thomas More Catholic School from K-8. In fact, Matt was a member of the first kindergarten class at STM School. Matt and his wife have a strong commitment to Catholic education having both attended Catholic grade school, high school, and university. They have made their home in the South Hills and are raising three children. Their children have all attended STM School from the Pre-School 2-year old program. Currently, their two youngest are in 5th and 7th grades, while their oldest graduated from STM School and is in the 9th grade at Oakland Catholic High School. Matt has worked in the non-profit sector for nearly twenty years. He has assisted various organizations (educational, health care, and social service) with planning, fundraising, and leadership development. He is excited and honored to have been invited to serve on the Implementation Committee. Matt looks forward to working with all the other families striving to keep Catholic education strong in our community.
Contact Matt at matthewstoessel@yahoo.com