St. Michael's Catholic Academy

Founding

In 1972, the only Catholic high school in Austin closed. Within ten years, ours was the only US major city without a Catholic high school. Led by Dr. Leonard Dolce, a small group of parents and Catholic lay leaders commissioned a study that revealed the Austin community would enthusiastically support such a school. In 1984, St. Michael's Catholic Academy opened its doors. It was one of the first Catholic schools in the nation to be established entirely by lay people. The land and the school buildings are not owned by the diocese – a striking departure from typical Catholic schools. Although the Diocese of Austin has been extremely supportive, lay people have assumed full responsibility for St. Michael's. Since the school’s beginning, trustees, parents, faculty and staff have labored to realize its founding vision: to be a first-class Catholic secondary school that nourishes the minds, bodies and spirits of its students, preparing them for a challenging college education and a Christian adult life.

Meet Our Trustees

List of 10 members.

Jarrett Anderson

jarrett@anderson-llc.com
Bio
Jarrett graduated Texas A&M University, College Station (B.B.A.) Cum Laude in 1993 and the
University of Texas, Austin (J.D.) in 1996.

Jarrett started his legal career as a civil litigator focused primarily upon defending clients in
complex commercial litigation.

At the request of the Special Assistant Attorney General in 2001, Jarrett left private practice
to serve the Office of Attorney General for the State of Texas as a lead litigator pursuing
groundbreaking pharmaceutical pricing litigation which was brought under the Texas
Medicaid Fraud Prevention Act.

Jarrett returned to the private sector in 2003 and has focused his practice upon qui tam commercial litigation in the healthcare arena from that point forward under both the federal False Claims Act and the Texas Medicaid Fraud Prevention Act. Jarrett represents relators in federal and state courts throughout the United States. These cases involve medical devices and drugs, primarily, and are brought against pharmaceutical manufacturers, device companies and medical providers.

In representing a specific client, Ven-A-Care of the Florida Keys, over the course of more than a decade, Jarrett was part of the legal team which recovered a record amount (over $3,000,000,000.00) for the benefit of respective state and federal governments as well as his client. In 2011, Trial Lawyer magazine recognized Texas ex rel Ven-A-Care v. Actavis as the largest verdict in Travis County history. The judgment was over $180MM for the benefit of the State of Texas and Ven-A-Care. Jarrett had the pleasure to make the closing argument in that trial.

Jarrett is a Life Fellow of the Texas State Bar. Jarrett is honored to be on the Board of St. Michael’s Catholic Academy and Westlake Hills Presbyterian Church, as well as a member of the Champions Council for the Texas A&M 12th Man Foundation in Austin.

Jarrett and his wife, Tracy, have two sons. Having been raised on a farm in the High Plains of West Texas, Jarrett has always enjoyed a love for the outdoors which includes hunting and ranching with his family in the Hill Country. His other personal interests include travel and golf.
Jason Beiter

jasonbeiter7@gmail.com
Bio
Jason is in his second year of serving on the SMCA Board of Trustees, currently in the role of Chairman for the Development Committee and member of the Executive Committee. He has also served as a member of the Facilities Committee during the most recent renovations and campus improvements. Jason received a Master of Engineering from the University of Nebraska and a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame. He is a proud father of two current SMCA students and three St. Gabriel’s Catholic School students.
Louis Brusatti

lbrusatti@smca.com
Bio
Fr. Louis Brusatti is Emeritus Associate Professor of Religious and Theological Studies at St. Edward’s University. He continues to support the work of Campus Ministry and is available for pastoral counseling. He teaches as a contingent faculty member. He formerly was dean of the School of Humanities at St. Edward’s. Fr. Brusatti is a priest of the Diocese of Austin, currently serving at St. Catherine’s of Sienna.
Juan Creixell

icreixell@yahoo.com
Christopher Dolce

cdolce@sixthriver.com
Bio
Mr. Christopher Dolce is a St. Michael's alumnus, class of 1988. His class was the first to attend all four years. Chris graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in Environmental Design and did graduate studies in Historic Preservation at the University of Texas at Austin.

Chris has been with Sixthriver Architects since 1994, is a founding principal and has served as Vice President of the firm since 2001. Chris leads the corporate interiors studio for the firm and is responsible for core aspects of the company’s business. He is an expert in programming and planning in strategic real estate and the design aspects of a purchase or lease transaction.

In his 25 years in the industry, Chris has been involved in more than 30,000,000 sf of commercial and institutional projects across Texas and the nation. He is a member of St Theresa Catholic Church where he serves on the Parish Council.

Chris is also a board member for St Louise House and has been involved with other organizations within both the church and the civic community. He was previously a member of the board of trustees and is currently in his first term, serving as chair for the 2018/2019 school year. Chris and his wife Kacy are parents to 4 children. Their oldest are upper classmen at SMCA while their younger 2 children attend St Gabriel's Catholic School.
Kareem Hajjar

khajjar@legalstrategy.com
Bio
Kareen is an attorney representing retail businesses, bars and restaurants. As a St. Michael's alumni representative, he holds a special place on the board. Below, Hajjar comments on a favorite SMCA memory and explains why he is a trustee.

I have a bittersweet memory of losing in the semifinals of the state playoffs my senior year. We overachieved that year, having lost a lot of talent the year before. So, I remember that moment, when the whistle blew that it was most likely the last time I would compete athletically on a field. I ended up rowing in college, and had many more competitions. But, at the time, it was cathartic realizing that time was moving forward and a very big part of my life had just ended.

Why do you serve on the board of trustees?

To hopefully allow others to have as wonderful a high school experience as I did. St. Michael’s was the perfect place for the 14-year old me. I would have been lost in larger school. St. Michael’s allowed me to grow from a child into a young man, to make mistakes in that process, to take advantage of the many opportunities, and to serve as a springboard into the next chapter of my life. I knew I was in a good place at the time, but didn’t become fully cognizant of this gift until many years later.
Tim Kane

tlkconsult@outlook.com
Bio
Tim is in his second year serving on the St. Michael’s Board of Trustees, currently serving on the Audit and Facilities Committees. Prior to moving to Austin, Tim participated with various fund Raising Campaigns for St. Thomas High School. Tim received a Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Land Management from the University of Houston. Tim and his wife Rita are the proud parents of three sons, one a STHS alumnus class of 2012, one a SMCA alumnus class of 2014 and a current senior at SMCA, they are also active parishioners at St Emmaus.
Timothy Keyes

tkeyes@keyescap.com
Bio
Tim Keyes, Parent of SMCA 2018 Alumna and 2022 Student

Tim is the CEO of Keyes Capital, which manages their family’s investments in private equity, real estate, alternative investments, public equities and fixed income.

Prior to Keyes Capital, Tim worked at the family office of Lubar & Co., the private equity units of Robert W. Baird, software companies AIM Technologies and Trilogy, management consultant McKinsey & Co. and investment bank Morgan Stanley, among others.

Tim currently serves on the Board of Directors at Shield Air Solutions, Propep Surgical, and Dundee Football Club.  He also serves as an Advisor to prescriptive analytics company Ayata.

He also serves on the St. Michael's Asset Committee, Tuition Committee and the HALO Committee, and has been involved with Crusader Nation and Sader Dads.

Tim was also heavily involved at St. Gabriel’s Catholic School.  He served on the Board of Trustees for six years, including three years as Chairman, plus a seventh year on the Finance Committee, and is still on the Audit Committee. He is also a former Trustee of Marquette University High School.

He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Quantitative Economics from Stanford University and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Stephanie Lucie

stephanielucie@yahoo.com
Bio
Ms. Stephanie Lucie has a senior daughter at St. Michael’s. Most recently, Stephanie served as general counsel and chief compliance officer at Austin Ventures, where she continues to handle some legal matters. She has served as senior vice president, general counsel, chief compliance officer, corporate secretary and head of human resources, with over three decades of experience working with publicly traded and privately held companies, as well as leading law firms in New York City and Houston. Stephanie is the chairman of the board of directors of Consortia Holdings, Inc., serves on the advisory council of Women@Austin, and previously served on the board of directors of LifeWorks and SafePlace. She is a founder and past president of non-profit legal organizations in Houston and Austin. She is the editor of “Scagel Handmade,” published in September 2010.

At St. Michael’s, she is the secretary of the board and a member of the executive committee, as well as chair of the corporate governance committee. She and her family hosted a student from China, as well as a student from Spain.

Stephanie received her J.D. from Duke University School of Law, where she served on the Duke Law Journal, and graduated magna cum laude from the University of Notre Dame, where she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
Catherine Martinez

japepemartinez@hotmail.com
Bio
Catherine and her husband, Pepe, have three children, Joseph and Michael, both SMCA alumni, and Theresa, a St. Michael’s senior.

Catherine has been dedicated to Catholic education for the last 20 years. She was part of the founding families of St. Gabriel’s Catholic School (SGCS) where she volunteered for 17 years. While there, Catherine and Pepe were the recipients of the SGCS Monsignor Richard McCabe Award for their dedication to the school community.

At SMCA for 11 years, Catherine has served on several committees, been team parent, volunteers for various SMCA endeavors, and participates in the weekly SMCA Rosary group.

Catherine is a member of the St. John Neumann Parish and Legatus of Austin, which fosters the teaching of the Catholic faith in family and business. Since its founding in 1998, she has been promoting FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students), a Catholic collegiate outreach whose mission is to share the hope and joy of the gospel with college and university students.

Catherine has a BS in Secondary Education from the University of Texas at Austin.

List of 6 members.

Terry Modoff

modfive@me.com
Bio
Terry Modoff has been actively involved in social, civic and cultural affairs for over 20 years. She has a strong sense of devotion for charitable work and civic leadership, with a special passion for quality and excellence in education. Over the years, she has been involved in projects and campaigns raising tens of millions of dollars.

Most recently, Terry has served on the Board of Advisors for San Juan Diego Catholic High School since 2014, supporting the strategic planning and successful completion of a phase I -Capital Campaign for a new school facility, library and campus. Prior to that, Mrs. Modoff was chairperson for St Gabriel’s Catholic School Capital Campaign - a successful campaign geared to the facility expansion and program enrichment of the school.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, she served as the Hospitality and Special Events Coordinator for St. Mathew’s Catholic School in San Mateo, CA, while supporting the much needed and eventual completion of a Capital Campaign for a multi–purpose building. Terry also served as the President of the Burlingame Mothers Club Organization in Burlingame CA. She developed and implemented a re-structuring of systems and administrative tasks for efficiency, growth and quality of speaker forums and events. BMC is a non-profit organization with over 800 member families that operates and provides support, discussion forums, and information and community events.

Important civic works and philanthropy include the “VOCES-Oral History Project“at the University of Texas- Journalism Department, which is the leading oral history archive in the U.S.- highlighting the military service of Latinos. Others include, Blue Sky Luncheon Fundraiser for A Legacy of Giving, National Charity League, The Women’s Symphony League-Austin TX, Volunteer Coordinator for Mobile, Loaves & Fishes, The Dallas Opera Guild Fundraising Committee and The Junior League of San Francisco.

Before entering the non-profit sector Mrs. Modoff’s educational and career background included business management, marketing and design. Terry was the Regional Director for 1928 Marketing Co. responsible for hiring and managing a team of 50+ employees and oversight of their accounts within the Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, New Mexico and Colorado area. Terry developed systems and schematics for brand recognition and negotiated brand positioning for maximum exposure within target markets. These systems were implemented nationally. While living in the Bay Area, she worked for a design firm–Lily Samii Designs, is a San Francisco based Couture Design House where she was responsible for market expansion and business development nationwide.

Terry currently serves on the Board of Trustees and the Advancement Task Force Committee for St Michaels Catholic Academy. She also serves on the Parent Leadership Council for SMU (Southern Methodist University) in Dallas TX, helping to facilitate the advancement of the University as an ambassador, providing feedback on special projects, activities and communications. Her favorite motto is: “Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.”
Reagan Nash

reagannash@yahoo.com
Bio
Reagan Nash began his service at the board level in 2014 as a non-trustee member of the board’s finance committee. In 2016, Reagan joined the board and currently sits on the assets committee. He and his wife Suzanne are the parents of two daughters, Bela '16 and Louisa '19, both graduates of St. Austin Catholic School where he and Suzanne received the 2015 Catholic Education Service Award from the Diocese of Austin. Reagan grew up in Houston and attended Catholic schools from kindergarten through high school before permanently moving to Austin in 1987 to attend the University of Texas.

He graduated with a BBA in Finance in 1991 and began his career in Wealth Management at Merrill Lynch. He joined UBS Financial Services in 2011 in his current role as Vice President – Wealth Management. Reagan serves on the Metro Board of the YMCA of Austin, coordinates a team for a Meals on Wheels route, volunteers at the Helping Hand Home for Children, and is a member of St. Austin Catholic Parish.
Joanne Senn

joanne.senn@gmail.com
Bio
n 2009, Joanne Senn set out to grow the Catholic presence in the Diocese of Austin by participating in a series of non-profit fundraising initiatives that helped raise more than $10 million to fund scholarships for Catholic education, build the middle school at St. Gabriel’s, and develop the campus for St. John Neumann Catholic Church. Joanne currently serves the St. John Neumann community as the Pastoral Associate for Parish Development.

She has two daughters at St. Michael’s, Tara and Lyla, and has been involved in Crusader Nation. Joanne is an award-winning advertising professional who has delivered successful global marketing campaigns for companies such as Dell, IBM, Lexmark, and DuPont. She has served on the Board of Trustees of St. Gabriel’s Catholic School and the National Charity League Lake Austin. She is also a member of the Assembly of Catholic Professionals and a volunteer for many Catholic concerns within the Diocese of Austin.
Keili Smith

keilismith@att.net
Bio
Keili Smith joined the SMCA Board in 2019. She and her husband Ted have four children: Molly and Anna Claire are alumni of St. Michael’s, Mason is a sophomore, and Danny is in middle school at St. Austin Catholic School, where Keili served as Director of Admissions and Events for several years. Being a dedicated volunteer at St. Austin for over 15 years, Keili has served as St. Austin City Lights Gala Chair, Grandparent’s Day inaugural Chair, Parent Ambassador, Booster Club President and Room Parent. In 2018, Keili and Ted were the recipients of the Education Service Award by the Diocese of Austin.

Keili attended Catholic elementary, high school and college, earning a degree in Communications at Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana in 1991. Before having children, Keili was the Assistant to the Head of Lower School and Admissions Director at Norwood School in Bethesda, Maryland. Keili has served on the Elizabeth Ann Seton Board, Helping Hand for Children Society Board, Catholic Charities of Central Texas SEEDS Board, Westminister Presbyterian Day School Board and is a member of the University of Notre Dame Monogram Club.

Since joining the St. Michael’s community, Keili has served as Crusader Nation President, Crusader Fund Committee Member, Project Graduation Homecoming Mum Fundraising Chair, Cheer Team Parent, and volunteered at many SMCA
events.
Al Sommers

asommers@sommersmarketing.com
Bio
Al Sommers has a senior son and a sophomore daughter at St. Michael’s. He has served on the school’s marketing and communications task force since 2016, offering counsel and recommendations to help enhance St. Michael’s exposure to families of prospective students.

Al is the president of Sommers Marketing + Public Relations, an Austin-based communications agency specializing in public relations, advertising, graphic design, and website development. He has more than 25 years of communications experience working for brands including Baylor Scott & White, Coca-Cola, the Denver Broncos, Krispy Kreme, McDonald’s, Starbucks, The Home Depot, and the Urban Land Institute.

In the community, Al is involved with various civic and professional organizations, including the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), Baldwin Elementary Campus Advisory Council, and the Austin Soccer Foundation. He serves as Chair of the Marketing and Public Relations Committee for the Ex-Student’s Association of The University of Texas (Texas Exes) and as co-chair of the capital campaign for the Circle C Child Development Center.

Sommers graduated with honors from The University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Journalism degree, emphasis Public Relations. He is an Accredited Public Relations (APR) practitioner.
Leslie Suffoletta

lesliembintx@yahoo.com
Bio
Leslie Suffoletta earned her M.B.A. degree from the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University in 1990. She graduated from the University of California, Davis with a B.A. in International Relations in 1986 (with Honors). From 1990 to 1993, she held various corporate finance positions, reporting directly to the CFO. From 1993 to 1996 at Calpine Corporation, a public company in the independent power industry, she developed long-term financial models to analyze potential investment and development projects in the energy industry, optimized ownership alternatives and financing arrangements, and made recommendations to the corporate investment committee. She went on to work as a controller for The Vantive Corporation, a public company in the software industry. At Vantive, Leslie managed the corporate-wide annual budget and planning process and worked closely with senior executives in sales and marketing until mid-1998.

Leslie served on the St. Gabriel’s Catholic School board of trustees from 2006 to 2012. She also served on the facilities committee, on the finance committee (for seven years), on the audit committee, as chair of the Head of School search parent advisory committee, and as corporate secretary (for four years). At St. Michael’s, Leslie has served on the finance/assets committee since 2013 and as a Crusader Nation team parent for academic competitions. Leslie has also been a volunteer tutor for AISD second-grade reading and eighth-grade math for the past six years.

Leslie and her husband, Rob, have two children who have attended SMCA. James is now a senior at Rice University and Thomas is a sophomore at Northwestern University. The Suffolettas are members of St. Theresa parish.

The Articles of Incorporation for St. Michael’s were first filed on February 16, 1983, under the corporate name A Catholic High School for Austin, Inc. (doing business as St. Michael’s Academy). A Texas non-profit corporation, the School is governed by a Board of Trustees. The Board is a self-perpetuating body, electing trustees to serve three-year terms. The Head of School and the Superintendent of Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Austin are ex officio non-voting members of the Board.

QUICK LOOK

Mr. Jarrett Anderson, Vice Chair
Mr. Jason Beiter
Fr. Louis Brusatti
Mr. Juan Creixell ’90
Mr. Christopher Dolce, Chair (Alumnus '88)
Mr. Kareem Hajjar (Alumnus '96)
Mr. Tim Kane
Mr. Tim Keyes
Ms. Stephanie Lucie, Secretary
Ms. Catherine Martinez
Ms. Terry Modoff
Mr. Reagan Nash
Ms. Joanne Senn
Ms. Keili Smith
Mr. Al Sommers
Ms.Leslie Suffoletta, Treasurer

Ex Officio Non-Voting Members
Dr. Dawn Nichols, Head of School
Ms. Misty Poe, Superintendent of Catholic Schools

Founders

Dr. C. Leonard Dolce, Chair
Mr. Thomas Blair
Mr. Louis Brill
Mr. James Carpenter
Mr. Travis Froehlich
Mr. T. Kevin McConn
Dr. Thomas Schatz
Mr. Garry Vacek

Founding Values

Encounter Christ
Be Christ to others and seek Christ in the Eucharist, the Scriptures, and the people around us.

Radiate Joy
Be happy, thankful, hopeful, and kind.

Aspire for Better
Set and passionately pursue aspirational goals.

Collaborate
Work together for the common good, through informed candor rooted in relational trust.

Respect the Family
Nurture the bonds of family, the primary source of education and spiritual formation.

Act with Integrity
Cultivate an inner voice of honor and heroic virtue.

Founding

Meet Our Trustees

List of 10 members.

Jarrett Anderson

Jason Beiter

Louis Brusatti

Juan Creixell

Christopher Dolce

Kareem Hajjar

Tim Kane

Timothy Keyes

Stephanie Lucie

Catherine Martinez

List of 6 members.

Terry Modoff

Reagan Nash

Joanne Senn

Keili Smith

Al Sommers

Leslie Suffoletta

QUICK LOOK

Founders

Founding Values