Governance

Chair

P’ 21 , 21, 24, 24, 29

As a product of Catholic education for both grammar and high school in South Florida, Erin quickly developed roots at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School as both a parent and an active volunteer. She has chaired St. Thomas’ primary fundraiser, the Spring to Auction, several times since 2016, has been the head coach of the St. Thomas golf team since founding the program in 2018, and has been a member of the Board since 2018.  As a member of the Board, her responsibilities at various times have included Treasury / Finance, Advancement and Strategic Planning before jumping in as Chair of the Board in 2023 to lead the transition to the new governance model. Erin spent 20 years in private equity at Vestar Capital Partners in New York City. Since 2019, she has served as an independent director on a number of public and private company boards. She received a BS from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia and her MBA from Harvard Business School. She and her husband, Bill, have five children, live in Fairfield and are members of the St. Thomas Aquinas Parish.

Director

Jen is the Vice President for Marketing and Communications at Fairfield University. Prior to joining Fairfield University in 2014, she spent 16 years in marketing and communications, including traditional and digital marketing, marketing communications and employee communications. As a long-time resident of Fairfield and a Catholic school supporter, Jen is excited to be a member of the Board of Directors of St. Thomas. She brings unique expertise as well as the opportunity to enhance the partnership between St. Thomas and Fairfield University, a prominent and local Jesuit university. Jen received both her MBA and BA from Fairfield University. Jen serves on the Economic Development Commission for the Town of Fairfield and is a member of the Fairfield College Preparatory School Board of Governors.

Director

P’ 16, 17, 18, 23, 25

Chris is the founding partner of G7 Reputation Advisory, a consulting firm focusing on reputation management advisory services. Prior to founding G7, he held communications leadership positions at Texaco, Chevron and Caterpillar, and led the global crisis and risk management practice for Hill & Knowlton, an international public relations firm. Chris and his wife, Louise, have five children, all of whom attended St. Thomas from Pre-K through 8th grade. Altogether, the Gidez family had children at St. Thomas for 20 consecutive years. During this time, Chris and Louise were active in the school community, at times chairing both the HSA and Sports Committee, as well as being involved in coaching, supporting the spring musical and many other programs including volunteering for recess duty. The Gidez family have been members of St. Thomas Aquinas parish since 1994, and Chris is a member of the Knights of Columbus Chapter 2616.

Director 

St. Thomas ‘14

An alumnus of the Class of 2014, John spent 11 years as a student at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School. He was a member of the 2014 boys’ varsity basketball team that won the Diocesan Championship and served as an alter server at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish for nine years. Following his time at St. Thomas, he attended Fairfield College Preparatory School for high school. John was a captain on the Men’s Division I track and field team at the College of the Holy Cross and received BAs in Economics and Religious Studies. He currently lives in Boston and works at Aon plc, where he began his career as a reinsurance broker in June 2022.

Director

St. Thomas ‘70

As the fifth of seven Halas siblings to graduate from St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School between 1963-1977, Paul has witnessed the positive impact of a quality Catholic education for approximately 61 of his 69 years. Paul followed his two older brothers to graduate from Fairfield College Preparatory School, while his sisters prepared for their college education at Lauralton Hall and Sacred Heart of Stamford. Following Fairfield Prep, Paul went on to graduate from Harvard College and Harvard Law School before embarking on a 45-year career as a corporate and securities lawyer, focusing on significant transactions in and around the energy industry. His last legal stint was with General Electric, which brought Paul and his wife, Jackie, back home to Fairfield in 2013. Since that time, and particularly after retiring several years ago, Paul has concentrated on giving his time to places instrumental to his upbringing, among other things serving on the Board of Trustees at Wakeman Boys and Girls Club and on the Board of Governors at Fairfield Prep. Joining the St. Thomas Board allows him to complete the “hat trick” of helping the institutions of his youth position themselves to improve lives and the Fairfield community for generations to come. Jackie and Paul live in Fairfield and welcome their five children and three grandchildren to the family homestead at every opportunity.

Director

P’ 15, 17, 19

Fred grew up in Mamaroneck, NY, where he attended Most Holy Trinity School from K through 8th grade. He went on to Archbishop Stepinac High School in White Plains, then Boston College. Fred's volunteer work over the years has focused on youth programs and development, from serving on the Wakeman Southport Advisory Board (2014-21), to coaching St. Thomas basketball and Fairfield Parks and Recreation soccer. Professionally, Fred is the founder of The Counsel Management Group, LLC, a data analytics firm that since 2009 has helped companies manage legal costs. Prior to that, he served as in-house counsel at Pfizer Inc. for nearly 10 years. He is also an alumnus of Arnold and Porter Kaye Scholer LLP, where he defended commercial, intellectual property and products litigation cases for pharmaceutical / medical device clients. Fred received his BA from Boston College, JD from New York University, and MBA from New York University.

Director

P’ 29, 32

Dr. Darcy Ronan is a proud product of Catholic education from K through 12th grade in the Archdiocese of Hartford. Dr. Ronan holds degrees in Biology and Education from Boston College and a PhD in Science Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. She currently serves as a tenured Professor of Teacher Education at Sacred Heart University, where she teaches aspiring and practicing teachers, serves as Director for STEAM+CS education programs, and leads a large federally-funded research project. Before joining the faculty at Sacred Heart University, Dr. Ronan taught science for over a decade in various school and district roles including as a classroom teacher, instructional coach, and curriculum leader in Weston, CT, Needham, MA and New York City. Dr. Ronan is active in K-12 Catholic education governance and strategic planning as a member of the Diocese of Bridgeport Education Commission and local school boards and foundations. She and her husband, Steve, have lived in Fairfield since 2018, have three children and are parishioners at St Pius X.

Director

P’ 23

Greg is a graduate of St. Catherine of Siena School and St. Joseph’s High School, both of Trumbull, CT. He subsequently received a BS from Southern Methodist University and a MA from Duke University. A volunteering fixture at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School since arriving in 2014, he joined the Board in 2020. He is a member of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) after having had successful stints at the CSCE, Comex and LIFFE exchanges. Greg also serves on the Fairfield (CT) YMCA Board of Managers and the Finance Committee of the Central Connecticut Coast YMCA. Greg and his wife, Jennifer, are the proud parents of one daughter, reside in Fairfield and are members of the St. Thomas Aquinas Parish.

Director

P’ 30, 32

Katie is Vice President of Sales, responsible for the sales, management and oversight of the residential property portfolio for R.D. Scinto, Inc., a 50-year-old corporate real estate business created and led by her father, Robert D. Scinto. She is a life-long Fairfield County resident and a graduate of Sacred Heart University. Katie is very involved in the community supporting numerous organizations over the years including The Valley United Way, Child & Family Guidance Center, Beardsley Zoo, Bridgeport Hospital – Yale New Haven Health, Mikey’s Way and Near & Far Aid. She is an active St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School parent and volunteer supporting her daughters, Rose and Gia Emanuel, and has served on the Facilities and Technology Committee of the Board since its inception in 2024. Katie, her husband, Joe Emanuel, and their children are parishioners of both St Thomas Aquinas and St. Pius X.

HSA Co-President

P' 27, 29, 32

As a lifelong supporter of Catholic education, Kristen is excited to lead the Home School Association as co-president. Since 2018, she has been a devoted parent and volunteer assisting with the spring musical, chairing the beloved “Breakfast with Santa” event, and organizing St. Thomas' participation in the Town of Fairfield’s Memorial Day Parade. She has also been a room parent for many years, active member of the parent’s prayer group and served on HSA with specific responsibilities for the Beyond the Bell program. Kristen earned her MS in Exercise Physiology from Southern Connecticut State University and a Certificate in Accounting from Fairfield University. She and her husband, Paul, own and operate a construction management and general contracting firm, providing expert commercial construction solutions in partnership with leading brands in the restaurant and hospitality industries. They reside in Fairfield with their three children and are parishioners of St. Thomas Aquinas. Kristen is a non-voting member of the Board.

HSA Co-President

P' 30, 32

Sarah Nocerino is the mother of two Saint Thomas Aquinas Catholic School students. As the co-president of the Home School Association (HSA). Sarah leads a dynamic group of parent volunteers working to foster connections and relationships within the school community. Sarah was the Director of Digital & Social Media Activation for the Alcone Agency and the Social Media Marketing Manager for Nestlé Waters North America. She holds a BA in Human Communication Theory from Fairfield University - Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa. Sarah is very active in the Fairfield community along with her husband, Michael, a local business owner. She is a parishioner of St. Thomas Aquinas. Sarah is a non-voting member of the Board.

Head of School

Superintendent of Schools