From the Board of Directors
A high quality education is
the greatest gift we can give to our children and the
greatest investment we can make in our community. For
generations Catholic schools have enriched the South
Sound community. Now is the time to address the need
for a Catholic high School.
Developing comprehensive curriculum, attracting a
highly talented faculty and staff and building first
class facilities is a significant challenge. It will
take a broad and deep commitment of many to be
successful. But the result will be young men and women
prepared for courageous and imaginative leadership
because they are intellectually competent, spiritually
alive, and committed to serving the needs of others.
Pope John Paul II HIgh School will bring a new
tradition of excellence to the South Sound region and
will impact the lives of young men and women for years
to come.
Board of Directors
for
Pope John Paul II High School
Cecilia Brennan
St. Michael Parish, Steward for Sacramental Ministry and Adult Education
Cecilia Brennan has been in pastoral ministry since 1984. She earned a B.A. in Theology from Loyola Marymount University, an M.A. in Liturgical Studies from the University of Notre Dame, and a Certificate in Religious Education at the University of Portland where she continues to support Catholic education through the Hooyboer Society and the Arthur A. Schulte, Jr. Society. Since 1990, Cecilia has been at St. Michael Parish serving in sacramental preparation and faith formation at all levels. She is a former member of the Archdiocesan Lay Ecclesial Ministers executive committee and served on the Archdiocesan sacramental advisory board to Archbishop Murphy.
Cecilia and her husband have three children all of whom have attended St. Michael School. Their eldest is currently at Bellarmine Preparatory in Tacoma. Cecilia is President and Chair of the Board of Pope John Paul II High School and a founder of the School.
Most Rev. Bishop Joseph J. Tyson
Archdiocese of Seattle, Auxiliary Bishop
Bishop Tyson was ordained as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Seattle in June of 2005. He is currently serving as the Interim Superintendent of the Catholic Schools Department. Prior to being ordained as Auxiliary Bishop, Bishop Tyson served for nine years as Pastor of St. Edward, St. Paul and St. George, a cluster of three parishes and three schools in the southeast section of Seattle. Previously, Bishop Tyson had served as parochial vicar at St. Louise in Bellevue and St. James Cathedral in Seattle.
Bishop Tyson was born in Moses Lake, Washington and raised in Seattle, where he graduated from St. Alphonsus Elementary School in Ballard and Bishop Blanchet High School. He earned undergraduate degrees in Russian and Eastern European studies and editorial journalism from the University of Washington. He completed in master’s degree in International Relations at the Jackson School of International Studies in 1984. In 1989 he received his masters in divinity at the Theological College at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.
Rev. James Lee
St. Michael Parish, Olympia, Pastor
A lifetime Roman Catholic, Fr. Lee has been the pastor at St. Michael Parish since July 1997. Prior to coming to St. Michael, Fr. Lee served as the pastor at Assumption in Bellingham and St. Francis of Assissi in Burien. From 1982–1986, Fr. Lee was the Assistant Formation Director of the Maryknoll Seminary in New York. Fr. Lee worked as a Maryknoll missionary in Tanzania from 1972 to 1982. Fr. Lee earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from Maryknoll College in Glenn Ellyn, Illinois, his Masters of Divinity at Maryknoll Seminary, and his Masters in Pastoral Counseling at Loyola College in Baltimore, Maryland.
The youngest of five children, Fr. Lee grew up in Chicago where most of his family still lives. His interests include: The Spiritual Life, biking, hiking, and reading. Fr. Lee joined the Board of Directors of Pope John Paul II High School in July 2008.
James A. Connolly
Connolly Tacon & Meserve, P.S., President
Jim Connolly is a partner with Connolly Tacon & Meserve and has been in private practice with the law firm since 1978. His family first settled in the Olympia area in 1870. Jim is a graduate of Gonzaga University and Willamette Law School. He has been an adjunct instructor with the South Puget Sound Community College Paralegal Program.
Jim has served on several community boards, including the Olympia Heritage Commission, SPSCC’s Paralegal Program Advisory Committee and TAMARC (Thurston and Mason Addictions Recovery Council). Jim is a former chair of the St. Michael School Commission. He and his wife Cathy have raised two daughters who are graduates of St. Michael School and Bellarmine Preparatory School. Jim is currently serving as the Vice President of Pope John Paul II High School.
Dr. Bruce E. Cooper, DDS
Cooper Dentals Arts Center, Owner
Dr. Cooper has practiced dentistry in Olympia, Washington, for the past 21 years. He graduated from Creighton University’s School of Dentistry in 1986. Bruce has served as a volunteer dentist at the Community Care Clinic of Olympia and has been on its Advisory Board. He has served as the president of the Thurston-Mason County Dental Society and is active in the Washington State Dental Association.
Bruce is currently a member of the Pastoral Council of St. Michael Parish and formerly a member of the St. Michael School Commission. He and his wife, Carol, have four children who have graduated from St. Michael School and either are attending or have graduated from Bellarmine Preparatory.
Kevin Ekar
Heritage Bank
For over 35 years, Kevin Ekar has worked in the banking industry where he began as a teller. He is currently a Senior Vice President and business banker at Heritage Bank. Ken graduated from the Pacific Banking School at the University of Washington in 1986, and from Seattle University with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management in 1974. Kevin is a founding board member of the Olympia Business Association and a current board member and past president of the Thurston County Economic Development Council. Kevin has been chairman of the Capital Medical Center Board of Trustees and is a past president of the Lacey area Chamber of Commerce. He has been a member of the West Olympia Rotary since 1978.
Kevin grew up in Aberdeen, Washington and is a graduate of St. Mary’s School. He became a member of the Board of Directors of Pope John Paul II High School in May 2008.
Scott Euteneier
Coldwell Banker Evergreen Olympia Realty, Agent
Scott Euteneier has been a real estate agent at Coldwell Banker Evergreen Olympic Realty since 2003. Prior to joining Coldwell Banker, Scott was a manager of the Escrow Department at Thurston County Title for 10 years. He was in the U.S. Navy for six years from 1983 – 1989. Scott is a former chair of the S.M.A.R.T. Auction for St. Michael School.
Scott is a founder of Pope John Paul II High School and is currently serving as its Treasurer. He brings an expertise in long range business and strategic planning, financial projections and real estate. Scott is married to Vicki and has three children, one of whom is a student at St. Michael School.
William (Bill) M. Knight, CPA
Strader Hallett & Co., P.S., President
Bill Knight is the financial accounting principal and current President of Strader Hallett & Co, P.S. He is a 1982 graduate of Central Washington University.
Bill is currently the Chair of the Olympia Master Builders Association’s “Big Home and Garden show” and a member of the Association’s Board. He is also the Chair for the Thurston County Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors Committee and a member of the Chamber’s Board of Trustees. Bill completed eight years of Catholic education himself and continues to support Catholic education, including providing an annual accounting scholarship to a deserving students at St. Martin’s University.
Dr. Kenneth J. Minnaert
South Puget Sound Community College, President Emeritus
Dr. Minneart earned a doctorate degree in Vocational Education Administration from Colorado State University. He was appointed President of South Puget Sound Community College in January 1980, after serving as the Dean of Instruction from 1975 to 1980. When Ken retired in 2006, after serving as SPSCC’s President for 26 years, he was among the longest serving college presidents in Washington.
Ken currently serves on the Community Board of Providence St. Peter Hospital, the Board of Directors of The Boys and Girls Club of Thurston County and is President of the Indian Summer Golf and Country Club Golf Committee. He has previously served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Washington Center for the Performing Arts, as a member of the Board of Directors of Capital Medical Center, and as President of the West Olympia Rotary Club. Ken and his wife, Elaine, are long-time parishioners of St. Michael Church.
Suzanne Muller
Community Volunteer and Retiree of the Lewis County Public Utility District
Sue Muller is retired from the Lewis County Public Utility District. She graduated from Centralia College had has over 26 years of experience with computer programming. She spent four of those developing an automated mapping/geographic information system.
Sue Muller is an active volunteer at St. Joseph’s Church and in several community programs in the Chehalis/Centralia communities. Sue is a graduate of St. Michael School and is one of the founders of Pope John Paul II High School.
Dr. Jay Rudd
Clarus Eye Center, Principal
Dr. Rudd has been a practicing ophthalmologist in Lacey, Washington since 2000. Jay is a graduate of Bellarmine College Prep in San Jose and UCLA. After receiving his medical degree from Philadelphia’s Jefferson Medical College, Jay completed his residency at the distinguished Wills Eye Hospital. He obtained his fellowship training in cornea and refractive surgery at the University of Utah’s John A. Moran Eye Center. Jay has performed significant clinical research and has authored an extensive surgical review of a leading ophthalmology textbook.
Jay is active in the Olympia community and currently serves on the boards of the Providence St. Peter Hospital Foundation, Nova Middle School, and the Hands On Children Museum. Jay and his wife, Carla, are currently serving on the St. Michael Faithraising Campaign. They live in West Olympia with their three children, one of whom is currently a student at St. Michael School.
Dr. David R. Spangler
St. Martin’s University, President Emeritus
A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy with a doctorate in structural dynamics from the University of Illinois, Dave Spangler taught at both West Point and the US. Army Engineer School before joining St. Martin’s as an engineering faculty member in 1982. Dave’s solid academic preparation and valuable managerial skills proved invaluable to St. Martin’s, when he took over as president in 1984. Upon his retirement, it was said, “With Dave’s guidance, the college has had the courage to dream and the stability and confidence to realize those dreams.”
Dave has presided over the American Association of Benedictine Colleges and Universities and chaired Independent Colleges of Washington. He also has served on the board and the executive committees of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, the Olympia Roundtable, Lacey Rotary Board and the Lacey and Olympia Thurston County Chamber Boards. Dave and his wife, Jeanne, are long-time parishioners at St. Michael Parish.
Pat Sursley
Archdiocese of Seattle
Pat Sursely is the Director of Administration and Finance for the Archdiocese of Seattle. Previously, he has been the Public Affairs Director and the Executive Director of the Mission Office for the Archdiocese of Seattle. From 1973 to 1977, Pat was the director of the CHANNEL lay ministry program. Pat began his career as a religion teacher at Blanchet High School and now is on the Board of Directors for three Catholic high schools, including Pope John Paul II High School, Archbishop Murphy High School and Elizabeth Ann Seton High School.
Pat is also on the board of Catholic Community Services of Western Washington and the Archdiocesan Housing Authority. He is a member of Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Seattle.