Board of Trustees

The Board of Trustees is the fiduciary body who conducts the activities and affairs of the University. All corporate powers are exercised by or under their direction. Members include:

Officers

Members

Board Committees

  1. Audit Committee: Chair - Paul Polito; Members: Kevin Meziere
  2. Nominating & Governance Committee: Chair - Deacon Mark Wieczorek
  3. Finance & Planning Committee Chair - Nick DiNapoli; Members: Deacon Frank Reilly, Kevin Meziere, Martin Harold
  4. Academic Affairs Committee Chair - Laura Badillo; Members: Luis Calingo Martin Harold
  5. Executive Compensation Committee: Chair - Deacon Mark Wieczorek
  6. Development Committee: Chair: Tom Tomkins; Members: Martin Harold

Note: The President is an ex-officio member of each committee with the exception of the Compensation Committee. The Chair will attend/participate in committees as appropriate. 


Laura Badillo is the founder and Executive Director of Santa Rosa Academy, a public charter K-12school, established in 2005 and chartered out of the Menifee Union School District. It serves students in Riverside County with site based, home study and combination home study/on-site programs. Laura is a JPCatholic alum parent 


Luis Calingo is the President of Holy Angel University, a private Catholic university located in Angeles City in the province of Pampanga, Philippines. Founded in 1933, it is considered the first Catholic school in the country that was founded by the laity. Prior to HAU, Luis was President of Woodbury University, a private, WASC accredited, university with campuses in Burbank/Los Angeles, and San Diego. Prior to Woodbury, he was executive vice president and chief academic officer at Dominican University of California, as well as dean of its School of Business and Leadership. Dr. Calingo previously served as dean of the Boler School of Business at John Carroll University, the Jesuit university of Cleveland. Prior to Boler, Dr. Calingo was dean of the College of Business Administration and professor of international business at California State University, Long Beach and past chair of the California State University Association of Business Deans, which coordinated the academic leadership initiatives of the 23 business schools in the CSU system. Dr. Calingo holds a Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh, an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh, a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman, and a BS in industrial engineering from UP Diliman (UPD). Dr. Calingo and his wife Gemeline have three grown daughters. 


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Derry Connolly is President of John Paul the Great Catholic University. He has a Ph.D. in Applied Mechanics from Cal-Tech; BSc and MSc in Mathematical Science from University College, Cork, Ireland; holds 8 US patents; has 15 years of industrial experience with IBM and Kodak; and 12 years of academic experience with UCSD. Derry and his wife Lidy have 5 children and a growing number of grandchildren. They attend Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Rancho Penasquitos.

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Nick DiNapoli is the co-founder and creative director of Drive Studio in Carlsbad - a design and production studio specializing in network branding, identity creation, TV show packages, promotion and new media outlets. 


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Martin Harold is a JPCatholic co-founder and VP of Admissions. He joined 6-months prior to opening, with no enrolled students, as the first and only FT employee. He singlehandedly recruited 30 students that Summer. He has developed a very sophisticated admission's department and has recruited all JPCatholic students. He has been critical in building the student body to sustain the university. He graduated Franciscan University in 2006 with a BA in Political Science and an MBA.

Fr Scott Herrera is Pastor of St Mary's parish, Escondido. He is a graduate of Franciscan University.

Kevin Meziere is a JPCatholic co-founder and VP of Technology and Real Estate. He began volunteering at JPCatholic during the Summer of 2006, while a college sophomore, and built JPCatholic’s IT infrastructure, He became a full-time employee in 2009. He built our online learning platform. He managed our IT infrastructure and campus facilities. He conceived the Escondido campus and managed the facility build out. He graduated Franciscan in 2009 with a BA in Management Information Systems, studying Information Technology and Accounting. 


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Paul Polito is a Principal with Polito Eppich - certified public accountants in Vista, CA. Mr. Polito specializes in business consulting, including accounting and tax planning services, and has experience in mergers, acquisitions and sales of businesses. His clients include closely- held businesses involved in mining, manufacturing, real estate development and agriculture. Shortly after graduation in 1969, from Loyola University, he co-founded a publishing and marketing firm, establishing an international distribution network and sold his interest in 1972. While attending graduate school in accounting, he worked as a marketing director for a start-up cosmetic company. After a stint as a State Board of Equalization Auditor, he spent several years with the national and large local accounting firm. In 1981, he established his own accounting firm, which merged in 1989 with Robert H. Carter & Co., predecessor to Carter, Polito & Muscio, Inc. Paul has written numerous articles on business management and succession planning. He is a member of the Palomar College Foundation and serves as Treasurer and Chairman of its Finance and Investment Committees. 


Deacon Frank Reilly is the President and Chief Operating Officer of Reilly Financial Advisors. Frank oversees day-to-day operations, strategic alliances, joint ventures and compliance, as well as developing new services. Frank is co-chair of the firm's Investment Committee and represents Reilly Financial Advisors internationally. Frank has conducted business and negotiated contracts in Switzerland, England, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and the Czech Republic. He has traveled for business to Europe, Africa, the Middle East, India and the Far East. Prior to co-founding Reilly Financial Advisors, Frank worked in multiple roles at LPL Financial. Frank holds a BS and a Master's Degree in International Business from the United States International University and has earned the FINRA Series 4, 7, 24, 63 and 65 licenses. He serves as a deacon at St. Kieran parish in El Cajon, CA. 


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Don Rez is a founder and shareholder of Sullivan Hill Lewin Rez and Engel, and is a graduate of Harvard Law School. Mr. Rez has handled all types of commercial lawsuits, including cases involving trade regulation and antitrust; breach of contract; franchisor/franchisee issues; lender liability cases; professional malpractice; and intellectual property. He has been involved in complex multi-district litigation, and his antitrust experience has involved claims of virtually every kind. He regularly advises businesses concerning such issues. Mr. Rez is a co-author of California Pretrial Practice & Forms, a landmark treatise on civil procedure before trial. He has written extensively and has published articles in various legal journals, has co-authored articles for the ABA's Forum Committee on Franchising, and co-edited issues of the ABA's Antitrust Law Journal. Mr. Rez is the Chair of the Civil Litigation section of the San Diego County Bar Association for 2013 and was Co-Chair in 2012. He was one of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California Lawyer Representatives to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference. He is currently on the Board of Visitors of the University of San Diego School of Law. Don is a past president of the Thomas More Society of San Diego and a Knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. He is an active parishioner at All Hallows Catholic Church and has served on the Diocesan Pastoral Council. In addition, Mr. Rez has served on the Board of Directors of Catholic Exchange and is President of the San Diego Chapter of Legatus.

Mark Wieczorek is a Partner Attorney at Dexcom, a San Diego medical device company. He has experience in all phases of IP development, including patent prosecution, strategy & analysis, & portfolio development & management. He has prepared & prosecuted patents involving circuits/devices; semiconductor materials, devices & fabrication; devices in medical diagnosis & treatment; computer hardware & software; wireless devices & systems. He advises individuals, start-up companies, universities & research institutes, & large technology & manufacturing companies. In 1998, he became Director of IP & Corporate Counsel for Innercool Therapies, an early-stage medical device company. Mark has a JD from the George Washington University Law School, an MA and PhD in Physics from Johns Hopkins University and a BS in Physics from CalTech. 


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Trustees Emeriti

 Don Rez (2012-2020)
Paul Colucci (2005-2017)
Betsy Komives (2015 - 2018
Margot Kyd (2012 - 2018)
Paula Brock (2005-2018)
Alan Lane (2005-2015)
Deacon Frank Mercardante (2006-2011)
Fr Cavana Wallace (2011-2013)
Fr Anthony Saroki (2006-2011)
Philippe Dardaine (2003-2011)
Scott McKenna (2003-2009)
Sandy Murphy (2009-2011)
John Wakelin (2006-2011)
Ed Snow (2003-2011)
Larry Schauf (2005-2011)
David House (2010-2012)
Dominic Iocco (2009-2015)
Mike Murphy (2012-2015) 


Founding Trustees

+ Wes Fach BA, JD died on Saturday, October 27, 2012 after a tough battle with cancer. He was an attorney with over 20 years experience in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. He had served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Sicor Inc., a generic drug manufacturer, and Associate General Counsel of Warner Lambert (now part of Pfizer). He also served as legal counsel to several medical device and diagnostics companies in the San Diego area. Before moving to San Diego in 1984, Wes practiced law in New York and San Francisco. He received his B.A. in Mathematics from Harvard College in 1972 and his J.D. from Columbia University in 1975. Wes and his wife Vicki have 6 children and a growing number of grandchildren. Wes and Vicki attended St. Michael's Parish in Poway and had been active in numerous marriage and family life ministries at the parish and diocesan level. 


Ed Snow is a Principal at TTM Engineering, an engineering services firm focused on the embedded software market with experience in code management, defect tracking, automated test, regression test, and test management at any point in the product lifecycle. He was formerly Vice President of Engineering at DriveCam, a company that focuses on improving risky driving behavior by predicting and preventing crashes using its exception-based video event recorder. Ed has MSEE in the Real Time Operating Systems from Carnegie Mellon University and has worked with Digital Equipment Corporation and Hewlett Packard. Ed and his wife Anne live in Rancho Bernardo and have 2 children. They attend St Michael's Parish, Poway. 


Philippe Dardaine (served 2003-2011)

Scott McKenna (served 2003-2009)