Board of Directors
Donna S. Breaux, Executive Director
Donna accepted the position of Executive Director of St. Andrew's Village in October 2008 after serving as a board member for several years. Most recently Donna served as Director of Pro-Life Services for Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans. In 2008, Ms. Breaux was appointed by Governor Bobby Jindal to Chair the Governor's Advisory Council on Disability Affairs. She also serves as the Vice Chair for the LA Developmental Disabilities Council. Donna's oldest daughter, Kayla passed away in 2007 at the age of 16 due to complications of her developmental disability. Kayla lived at home with her family and was an active member in her community and school. She and her family received the 2007 Governor's Disability Community Action & Leadership Family of the Year award. Donna lives in Kenner, is married to Greg and together they raise Kacey, a freshman at Dominican High School.
Gary N. Solomon, Sr., Chair
Gary has been an active venture capitalist for the past 20 years and is currently involved with companies that employ approximately 1,200 employees. He graduated from the University of New Orleans with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. Mr. Solomon is the Chairman of the Board/CEO of Crescent Bank & Trust. Gary’s philanthropic involvement includes St. Martin’s Episcopal School, the Louisiana Children’s Museum, the UNO Foundation, the UNO School of Business, Baptist Community Ministries and the New Orleans City Park Improvement Association.
Gary has also been actively involved with many special needs groups including St. Michael’s Special School, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of La, the Fore Kid’s Foundation and the Greater New Orleans Foundation. Gary has been instrumental in the recovery of New Orleans including the work he has done with GNO, Inc., the Bring New Orleans Back Commission and as a board member of the Unified New Orleans Plan group.
Gary was recently honored by the Louisiana Governor’s Office of Disability Affairs as the 2008 Volunteer of the Year. His previous awards include the American Red Cross Humanitarian of the Year, the NSFRE Outstanding Philanthropist of the Year, the St. Elizabeth’s Guild Volunteer Activist, the UNO Alumni of the Year – Homer Hitt Award, the Young Leadership Council Role Model and the Cystic Fibrosis Volunteer of the Year. Gary is married and has 3 children.
Honorable Jay C. Zainey, President
Judge Zainey was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana. Judge Zainey is a guest lecturer throughout the country to Judges, attorneys and law students on Ethics, Professionalism and providing Pro Bono Legal Services. As the past president of the La State Bar Association he created and developed the Committee to Provide Legal Services for the Disabled. He is past president of the Jefferson Bar Association and the Judge John C. Boutall American Inn of Court. His numerous awards include the 2008 Homines Pro Aliis Award by the Jesuit Provence, the Distinguished Jurist Award from both the Louisiana Bar Foundation and the Pro Bono Project, the Humanitarian Award for Distinguished Leadership on Behalf of the Homeless by Unity of Greater New Orleans and the St. Elizabeth’s Guild Community Activist Award.
Judge Zainey founded the Homeless Experience Legal Protection (H.E.L.P.) Program, is co-founder of SOLACE – a La State Bar Association sponsored program to provide assistance to lawyers and legal support and legal staff during times of tragedy. He helped found the Tulane Law School Disability Law Society and acts as its advisor. He has served as a member of the President’s Task Force on Mental Retardation and as president of the Extra Mile program with the Jefferson Parish Human Services Authority.
Judge Zainey is the founder of God’s Special Children. He and his family received the 2006 Governor’s Disability Community Action and Leadership Family of the Year award. He was recently honored as the 2008 Jesuit High School Alumnus of the Year. Judge Zainey is married with 3 children.
Mark C. Surprenant, Treasurer
Mark is the Senior Partner in charge of the New Orleans office for Adams and Reese and is the Agricultural Chemicals Practice Team Leader. He is a member of the Louisiana, Texas and American Bar Associations.
Since the beginning of his career, Mark has been dedicated to community service. In 1988, he created HUGS, Adams and Reese’s corporate philanthropy program, and in 2000, he created CARE, the firm’s official pro bono program. He is also the co-founder of SOLACE, Inc. Mark’s most recent honors include receiving the Camille F. Gravel, Jr. Pro Bono Award from the New Orleans Chapter of the Federal bar Association (2008); the Leah Hipple McKay Memorial Award for Outstanding Volunteerism from the Louisiana State Bar Association (2008); a “Role Model of the Year” by the Young Leadership Council of New Orleans (2007) and “Great Gentleman for 2007” by the East Jefferson General Hospital Auxiliary. Also notable is that Mark has received the Louisiana Bar Association President’s Award for Professionalism. Mark is married with 3 children.
Tony Lopez
Tony graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree in Industrial Management. After graduation he served for two years in the U.S. Army before joining IBM. Tony has held various sales/management positions with IBM and is currently the Sales Executive for General Business in Louisiana. As the parent of a 23 year old with developmental disabilities, Tony has spent the past fifteen years working on the creation of his dream to create a community like St. Andrew’s Village. He is a former board member of the 5p-Society, a support group for parents of children with Cri-du-Chat syndrome. He also spent 8 years as a volunteer coach for special populations in Mandeville. Tony is married with 3 children.
Donald Kearns
Donald is an Assistant District Attorney for St. Tammany Parish and General Counsel for Slidell Memorial Hospital. Donald has a Bachelor of Arts from Tulane University and a Juris Doctorate from LSU School of Law. He is a U.S. Army veteran. Donald is past president of the Louisiana Society of Hospital Attorneys and an instructor in the MBA program at Southeastern Louisiana University. He is the Chancellor of the Anglican Catholic Church, Diocese of New Orleans. Donald and his wife Sandy have three children, Elizabeth, Patrick and Andrew.
Dr. John Wales
Dr. Wales is the Medical Director of the Emergency Department at East Jefferson General Hospital. He received his undergraduate degree from Stanford University and obtained his M.D. from Albany Medical College in Albany, New York. He also holds a Master of Business Administration from Tulane University. John served as a Major in the USAF Medical Corps. He has been active at EJGH, having served as Chairman of the EJGH Foundation Board. In 1999, he was named the EJGH Foundation "Volunteer of the Year". He was named EJGH Physician of the Year for 2008. He is a member of the Jefferson Parish Medical Society, the LA State Medical Society, the American College of Emergency Physicians and the American Medical Association. He enjoys tennis, photography, and playing the piano. John and his wife, Peggy, have 4 daughters.
Peter R. Quirk
Peter holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from LSU and served as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Currently Peter is the Executive Director of the Department of Development and the Catholic Foundation. He previously served as President and Chief Executive Officer for Walk, Haydel & Associates, Inc. Peter is very involved in the local community and serves on numerous non-profit boards including Our Lady of Holy Cross College, Xavier University Board of Visitors, the University of New Orleans Foundation, Christopher Homes, Xavier Prep, the Will Woods Community, Closer Walk Ministries and the Archbishop’s Community Appeal Executive Committee. Peter was recently named the 2008 Outstanding Fundraising Professional by the Association of Fundraising Professionals Greater New Orleans Chapter. Other recognitions include being named the Young Leadership Council’s 2007 Outstanding Role Model, University of New Orleans Business/Education Leader Award, Jesuit High School Outstanding Alumnus, and the Order of St. Louis Award. Peter and his wife have 6 children.
August J. Kuntz
Mr. Kuntz is a graduate of De La Salle High School and earned BA and Master of Education Degrees from Southeastern Louisiana University. He is the Owner/Managing Partner of Pump Systems, LLC. He is also the Managing Partner of Aug-Jan Properties, LLC. August is a Chapter Officer of Legatus New Orleans Northshore and a graduate of the St. Tammany Leadership Program 2009. He is a member of Mary Queen of Peace Catholic Church, a past member of the MQP Pastoral Council, a CCD teacher, and a board member of the Youth Service Bureau. August and his wife have 2 daughters.
Richard M. Wilson
Richard graduated from LSU Baton Rouge with a degree in Finance. For the past 23 years he has been providing solutions to clients concerning their wealth and financial planning needs. He is a Vice President/Investment Management Consultant with the Wilson/McGuinness Group at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney in Mandeville, LA. Richard also received his Chartered Financial Consultant designation in 1994 from the American College.
Richard has been active with the St. Tammany West Chamber of Commerce, having served as Chairman of the Board and as a Director. He has also served as an Advisory Board Member for the Chamber. In 1997, Richard graduated from the Leadership St. Tammany West Program, which identifies and orients future leaders within St. Tammany Parish. For several years he was also a volunteer coach for Recreation District 1 (Pelican Park), and currently serves on the Board of Directors of Friends of Pelican Park, as Treasurer. Richard and his wife, Hope, have 3 children.
Donna R. St. Cyr
Donna spent many years in the public and Catholic school system working first as a chemistry and physics teacher and later as a librarian. She holds a BS in zoology and a MS in library and information science from LSU. She is married to Steve and they make their home in Baton Rouge with their 3 children and two black labs. Donna has been an active volunteer for St. Jude the Apostle church and school, St. Joseph’s Academy, and Catholic High School. When not volunteering on behalf of St. Andrew’s Village, she enjoys writing for children.
Dana Douglas
Dana is a shareholder in the New Orleans office of Liskow & Lewis, PLC. Her areas of practice include business litigation, energy litigation, and intellectual property. She was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree from Miami University in 1997 and a law degree from Loyola University in 2000. While at Loyola, she was editor-in-chief of Loyola’s Public Interest Law Journal.
Dana has always been a community servant. She worked extensively with the Children’s Defense Fund while in Ohio in 1995 and 1996. She is a former board member for the New Orleans Children’s Bureau and a former Volunteer Judge for the New Orleans Teen Court Program. Dana currently serves as a Commissioner for the New Orleans Civil Service Commission. In 2008, she was selected to receive the distinguished Louisiana State Bar Association President's Award in recognition of her many contributions to the Association. She has also previously been selected as one of the top 50 Leaders in Law in the City of New Orleans. Dana is the proud guardian of Janee’ Whitney Taylor.
Donna D. Fraiche
Donna Fraiche is a shareholder and member of the health care and public policy departments in the New Orleans and Baton Rouge offices of the law firm of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz (“BDBCB”), one of the 100 largest firms in the U.S. She serves on the Firm’s nominating committee and chairs its Women’s Initiative
Ms. Fraiche is the Honorary Consul-General of Japan for New Orleans. She is Chair of the Louisiana Health Care Commission, a member of the Stakeholder Advisory Workgroup of the Louisiana Health Care Quality Forum and serves on the Louisiana Legislature’s Task Force on the Working Uninsured. She is a former member of the Louisiana Recovery Authority; was chair of the Long Term Community Planning effort, a member of the Health Care Committee and the Health Care Redesign Collaborative.
Ms. Fraiche was honored by Family Service of Greater New Orleans as one of the City’s 10 Most Outstanding People, and was the 2002 recipient of the New Orleans Regional Chamber of Commerce’s highest honor, the Joseph W. Simon, Jr. Memorial Award when she has served as Vice Chair for Public Policy for a number of years. She received the Gillis Long Public Service Award from Loyola University School of Law in 2003. She is a former co-chair of the Medical Industry Council of the New Orleans Regional Chamber of Commerce and was honored by a special Chamber resolution for her work in helping to formalize its position on national health care reform. In 2003, the World Trade Center of New Orleans conferred upon her the prestigious Order of the Mark. In 2004, she received the President's Award from the New Orleans Bar Association. She is a graduate of the Council for a Better Louisiana’s 2005 Leadership Louisiana program. She was chosen as 2005 Volunteer Activist by the St. Elizabeth Guild and a recipient of the Dress for Success Program’s Role Model award. Nightingale’s Healthcare News named her as one of ten Outstanding Hospital Lawyers in the United States for 2005 and as an Outstanding Physician Fraud and Compliance Lawyer in 2009.
Ted Ruddock
Ted Ruddock was graduated from the U S Naval Academy and served seven years as an engineering officer in the Naval Nuclear submarine force. He entered the Risk Finance, Risk Management and insurance brokerage industry with Johnson& Higgins, Marsh USA and AON Risk Services. He worked in sales, consulting and management positions becoming Senior Vice President, Managing Director and Region Head in New Orleans. Ted became the owner of Professional Sales Strategies, a management and sales consulting firm affiliated with the Sandler Sales Institute and the George S. May Company.
Ted’s numerous community activities include having served on the Board of Directors for United Way, Travelers Aid Society, Metropolitan Area Committee, Boy Scouts of America, Young Leadership Council, Chamber of Commerce and Jefferson Business Council. He currently serves as President of the Salvation Army, on the Board of Directors of VIA Link and on the O&A committee of United Way.
Peggy Wales, Friends of St. Andrew's Village
Peggy is President of the Friends of St. Andrew’s Village volunteer group. She is actively involved with increasing community awareness of SAV through planning a variety of friend raisers and fundraisers.
Peggy earned her MSN/Gerontological Nurse Practitioner degree from Boston University where she was a Robert Wood Johnson scholarship recipient. She practiced in Maryland, Virginia, and Colorado before moving to Louisiana 16 years ago from Albany, New York. Peggy and her husband, John, have four daughters. Their youngest daughter, Erin, is a sophomore in the special education program in high school.
Peggy is on the Special Education Advisory Council for the LA Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE), and is past secretary of the Northshore Families Helping Families. She is also a CASA volunteer. She has recently been appointed to a task force with St Tammany Parish Schools to increase vocational opportunities for special high school students. She is involved with the Best Buddies Program, Rouquette Lodge Grandfriend Program, and the PTSA. She enjoys tennis, bridge and book club discussions.
Advisory Board:
Dr. Roberta C. Vicari
Dr. Roberta Carona Vicari, a lifelong resident of Baton Rouge, is the past Medical Director of Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital, and is currently Associate Pediatric Program Director of the Hospital's Inaugural Residency Program. Dr. Vicari graduated as Valedictorian from St. Joseph's Academy in Baton Rouge, received her B.S. in biochemistry from LSU-BR with honors, and received her Medical Doctorate from LSU Medical Center in 1982.
In 1985, she completed a residency in general pediatrics with LSU at Earl K. Long Memorial Hospital in Baton Rouge and then entered into a general pediatric practice in Baton Rouge. After 17 years of private practice, Dr. Vicari became the first medical director for pediatric services at Our Lady of the Lake Hospital. She has worked to improve access to pediatric subspecialists in the community and to increase graduate medical education participation in the Baton Rouge region.
A guest lecturer on many occasions, Dr. Vicari has assisted with numerous articles and presentations regarding child/adolescent school health, toy safety, child abuse prevention, and sports medicine safety. “Dr. V” has received numerous awards for her outstanding work in the Medical Profession and as a Community Activist but is admittedly most proud of her family—husband, Frank, and their four children.
James B. Barkate
James is President/CEO and founder of Southern Abstracts, Inc. a real estate research firm that represents more than 400 lawyers and law firms in the title industry. He serves on the boards of the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Legatus International, and the Bureau of Governmental Research. He is also a member of the Executive Board of the Jefferson Business Council. James is a previous board member of the Academy of the Sacred Heart, Lakeside Country Club and the New Orleans Pro-Bono Project. He was honored by St. Elizabeth’s Guild as Activist of the Year 2007. James is married with two children and is an active member of St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Metairie.
Timothy B. Francis
Timothy Francis is Of Counsel to the law firm of Sher Garner Cahill Richter Klein & Hilbert, L.L.C. in New Orleans, Louisiana, where his practice is concentrated in the areas of commercial litigation and business transactions.
Prior to joining Sher Garner, Mr. Francis first demonstrated an interest in policy and politics, serving as an assistant to the Secretary of US Department of Housing & Development and later in the United States Senate as a Legislative Assistant/Counsel to United States Senator John Breaux. In 1989, Mr. Francis decided to explore his deep interest in the entertainment field, and moved to Los Angeles to assume the position of Chief Operating Officer of Stevie Wonder Enterprises. Mr. Francis continues to work with Stevie Wonder as his liaison to the Secretary General of the United Nations while Stevie fulfills his two commitment as a Messenger of Peace for the United Nations. Mr. Francis serves as a trustee on many not for profit boards like the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Sugar Bowl and the National Lionel Hampton advisory board to name a few.
Mr. Francis received his B.A. from Xavier University in 1980 and his J.D. from Tulane University in 1984, where he served as President of his law school class. Most recently, Borders Books published a book he co-authored called So You Want To Be A Lawyer "The Ultimate Guide to Law School".
Mark C. Romig, APR
Mark is Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations for Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) – Delta Division. HCA is one of the nation’s largest healthcare providers, operating hospitals in 20 states and England. Locally HCA is partnered with Tulane University at Tulane Medical Center and Tulane-Lakeside Hospital in Metairie and owns Lakeview Regional Medical Center in Covington. Prior to joining HCA, Mark served as President of Peter A. Mayer Advertising’s Public Relations Division. Mark graduated from Brother Martin High School and holds a Bachelor of Science in Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism from the University of New Orleans. He is a member of the Board of Trustees for Xavier University of Louisiana, on the boards of the Emeril Lagasse Foundation, Brothers of the Sacred Heart Foundation, Longue Vue House and Gardens, and is a member of the Sugar Bowl Executive Committee, serving as president 2005-2006. Mark also serves as a member of the City Park Board of Commissioners. Mark is a member of St. Rita Parish in New Orleans.
Honorable Lance M. Africk
Lance M. Africk received a Bachelor of Arts and Laws degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1973, and his J.D. from the University of North Carolina Law School at Chapel Hill in 1975, where he served as governor of the student bar association, a judge of the moot court board, and as a member of the Order of Barristers, a national moot court honorary society. Following a clerkship with the Honorable James Gulotta of the Louisiana Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal. Following several years in private practice, Judge Africk served as an Orleans Parish assistant district attorney and as the Chief of the Career Criminal Bureau for the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s office from 1977 to 1980 and as an assistant U.S. Attorney and the Chief of the Criminal Division for the United States Attorney’s office in New Orleans from 1982 to 1990. In 1990, he was appointed a United States Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana. On April 17, 2002, he was confirmed as a United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana.
Judge Africk has authored articles in the area of criminal law and civil procedure and he has served as a lecturer at the FBI Academy, the University of New Orleans, Tulane University School of Law, and the Loyola University School of Law. Judge Africk has served on the faculty of the National Institute for Trial Advocacy and he has lectured at programs presented by the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, U.S. Attorney General’s Advocacy Institute, American Bar Association, Federal Bar Association, and Louisiana State Bar Association.
Judge Africk is an adjunct professor of law at Tulane University Law School. He served as a board member of the Federal Bar Association and he has served on the Louisiana State Bar Association’s federal court bench bar liaison committee. Judge Africk is also a member of the Allstate Sugar Bowl’s executive board and currently serves as president-elect. He is a former member of the Board of Directors of the March of Dimes. Judge Africk has served on the Civil Justice Reform Act Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee for the Eastern District of Louisiana. Judge Africk was appointed by Chief Justice Rehnquist to the Judicial Conference Committee on Criminal Law and he was reappointed to that committee by Chief Justice Roberts.
Michael S. Zainey
Michael Zainey is a Human Resources Strategy Consultant with 28 years of banking experience. He spent two years with the New Orleans Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta and twenty-six years with Hibernia National Bank. He held various middle, senior and executive management positions, spending the last ten years of his career as HR Director of the $22 billion, 6000 employee company.
Michael was born and raised in New Orleans, and was educated at Jesuit High School and the University of New Orleans (B.S., Finance), with graduate courses in Finance from Southern Methodist University and HR Management from the University of Michigan. He has been married for over thirty years to his wife, Lisa, a CPA, and has two children – Scott, 28, a third-year emergency medicine resident, and Kathryn, 26, a recent Loyola Law School graduate.
Pat Brister
Pat and her husband Joe have lived in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana for 33 years. They owned and operated a successful company for over 35 years until recently retiring and selling that business to their employees. Pat was an integral part of this business for 26 years, serving as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.
Pat was appointed by Governor Foster to serve on the Louisiana State Museum Board where she served as Vice Chairman of the Finance Committee, and the St. Tammany Parish Environmental Services Commission. She has served on the Board of the St. Tammany Children's Advocacy Center, the Commission on Families, and the Mayor's Military Advisory Committee. She has been involved with the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, where she received their Meritorious Service Award. She has also served on the St. Tammany West Leadership Foundation. She was named Woman of the Year in 2004 by the St. Tammany Business and Professional Women's Organization and Alumnus of the Year in 2007 by the St. Tammany Leadership Foundation.
In February, 2001 she received an appointment to the nineteen member Board of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas. In January, 2004 she was elected as Vice Chairman of the Board. The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas is a $60 Billion dollar business involved primarily in funding home loans through local banks. She was re-elected in January 2008 to this Board.
President George W. Bush appointed Pat as one of three delegates representing him at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in 2005. In 2006, President Bush appointed Pat as Head of Delegation to that UN Commission. This appointment holds the rank of United States Ambassador and she was confirmed for that position by the U. S. Senate.
In 2009, Governor Bobby Jindal appointed Pat as Commissioner to the Greater New Orleans Expressway Commission where she serves as Secretary and recently appointed her to the Louisiana Bicentennial Commission to help plan events to celebrate the great history of Louisiana.
She currently serves as Executive Director of the Northshore Business Council.
Sheriff Newell Normand
Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand graduated from Jesuit High School and went to on to receive a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of New Orleans followed by his Juris Doctor from Tulane Law School. Sheriff Normand is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia.
Newell was elected Sheriff in 2007 after serving as the Chief Criminal Deputy, Comptroller & Administrative Assistant to Sheriff Harry Lee for 23 years. Newell serves on the East Jefferson General Hospital Board of Directors as well as on the boards of the Jefferson Community School and the Jefferson Children’s Advocacy Center. He also serves on the ForeKids Foundation Executive Committee and the Stuart Hall School Board of Trustees.
Sheriff Normand was the Louisiana American Italian Sports Hall of Fame Recipient of the Joseph Giarrusso Civic Recognition Award in 2010 as well as the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Policeman of the Year Recipient. Newell and his wife, Shawn, have 2 children and are members of St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church.
Professional Consultants:
Mary M. Gilliam MBA, CFRE – Marketing & Fundraising Consultant
Mary Gilliam is a free-lance development and nonprofit management consultant. Her clients represent a variety of industries including education, healthcare, faith-based endeavors, and community development. Since 2001, she has raised over 48 million dollars for her clients. Mary is a founding Board Member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) – Greater Northshore Chapter. She has been an AFP- New Orleans Chapter member since 2002. She also holds a membership in the Louisiana Association of Nonprofit Organizations (LANO). Mary earned an MBA degree from The Executive MBA Program at Tulane University in 1989, is a Certified Fundraising Executive and has won numerous local awards.
Roselle M. Ungar, CFRE
Roselle Middleberg Ungar, a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE), is currently employed as Director of Community and Philanthropic Affairs for Crescent Bank & Trust. She directs the execution of existing as well as new community and philanthropic initiatives by serving as a liaison and/or consultant.
During her professional career she has also served as the Assistant Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans, as a Registered Nurse and as the Director of Special Projects and Volunteer Supervisor for the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation. In that position, Roselle recruited and supervised 6,000 volunteers for the activities related to Super Bowl XXXI. Roselle serves on the Executive Committee and is a former National Vice President of Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America.