Lawrence R. DeMarcay III, Chair 
Spouse: Lorie DeMarcay ’89

Larry DeMarcay is a partner with the law firm of Miller, Sullivan & DeMarcay where he maintains a litigation-based law practice representing companies in commercial and personal injury litigation. Larry has written over thirty articles on legal topics that have been published in trade industry magazines. He has also given numerous presentations to audiences ranging from industry groups such as the Offshore Marine Services Association to his legal peers at Tulane Law School’s admiralty law seminar.

Larry grew up in New Orleans and graduated from Jesuit High School. He received his undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Florida, an M.B.A. from The George Washington University, and a law degree from Loyola University New Orleans.

Larry and his wife, Lorie (ASH Class of 1989), are the parents of Lanie (Class of 2023) and Holly (Class of 2024), both of whom have attended Sacred Heart since enrolling in the Little Hearts program. The DeMarcay girls are third generation Sacred Heart students as Larry’s mother, Eileen Kuebel, graduated from the Rosary in 1963. Larry and Lorie served as the Parents’ Annual Giving Campaign Chairs for the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 school years.

Graham M. Ralston, Vice-Chair 
Spouse: Adele Ralston ’94

Graham Ralston, a native of New Orleans, joined Regions Bank in 2013 as Commercial Banking Executive for the South Louisiana Market and was also named New Orleans Market President in early 2016. Prior to joining Regions Bank, he led a corporate banking group at Whitney Bank in New Orleans, where he began his career in 1997. Graham earned a B.A. in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin and an M.B.A. from Tulane University. He also earned a CFA Charter in 2006 and is a past President of the CFA Society of Louisiana.

Mr. Ralston is a member of the Business Council of Greater New Orleans and is currently serving on the boards of GNO, Inc., the Bureau of Governmental Research, University of Holy Cross and is also a past Board President of the Preservation Resource Center.  He and his wife Adele Michaelis Ralston (Class of 1994) have two daughters, Riley (Class of 2026) and Emma (Class of 2030), and a son, Mears, who attends Stuart Hall.

Phillip R. May, Treasurer
Spouse: Lauren Chisesi May

Phillip May is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Entergy Louisiana, LLC. He joined the company in 1986. Phillip serves on the boards of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s New Orleans Branch; the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; GNO, Inc.; The Louisiana Nature Conservancy; Teach for America of South Louisiana; City Year Baton Rouge; and Second Harvest Food Bank.

Phillip received a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from the University of Southwestern Louisiana and a Master of Business Administration from the University of New Orleans. A Louisiana native, he and his wife, Lauren, have twin daughters, Fiona and Willow (Class of 2025).

Jean Paul Hymel, Secretary
Spouse: Erin Hymel

JP Hymel is President of Gallo Mechanical, and he serves as Chief Executive Officer of Gallo Mechanical Services and Sheet Metal Systems. Gallo Mechanical is a commercial HVAC (Air Conditioning & Heating) and Plumbing contractor with clients throughout the Gulf Coast including the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, the University Medical Center, Loyola University, and many other commercial, institutional, and industrial clients.

Prior to joining Gallo Mechanical, JP served as North American Business Development Director for Johnson Controls, specializing in Public Private Partnerships. His local clients included Tulane University, Dillard University, and Louisiana State University. During his time with Johnson Controls, JP successfully developed innovative financial contracting structures allowing clients to purchase construction and service offerings without the need for up-front capital.

JP enjoys serving his local community. He is the immediate past Board Chair for Crescent City Schools (a local Charter Management Organization with three New Orleans schools) and serves on several boards including the Tulane School of Architecture Advisory Council, the Tulane City Center Advisory Council, and the Cowen Institute Advisory Council. JP is also active with the EMPLOY Collaborative and the 100K Initiative for Opportunity Youth. He is President of the Maisonette Condominium Association and past member of the Tulane Alumni Association Board of Directors, the UNO Engineering Advisory Council, the Newcomb-Tulane College Advisory Council, and the St. Francis of Assisi Pastoral Council.

After graduating from Tulane University as an Electrical Engineer, JP served in the U.S. Air Force as an Electronics Warfare Engineer. While in the Air Force, he received his MBA from Georgia College & State University. JP and his wife, Erin, have two daughters, Louise (Class of 2030) and Lucille (Class of 2034).

Meg Brudney, Head of School Duchesne Academy 
Spouse: 

Meg Brudney is the Head of School at Duchesne Academy -- an all-girls, Catholic, Independent, Sacred Heart high school located in midtown Omaha.

A. Peyton Bush, IV 
Spouse: Elizabeth Bush ’94

Peyton Bush is currently the Chief Investment Officer of Bollinger Enterprises, LLC, a single-family investment office located in New Orleans. In this role, he is responsible for overseeing all investment activities and asset allocation for a portfolio that includes publicly-traded debt and equity securities, hedge funds, and direct investments in both real estate and private equity. Prior to his current role, he was a Vice President at LongueVue Capital, LLC, a New Orleans based private equity firm. At LongueVue, he was primarily engaged in performing financial and operational due diligence, processing and executing transactions, and supporting and monitoring portfolio companies.

Prior to LongueVue, Peyton was employed by Highland Capital Management, a multi-strategy alternative investment firm in Dallas, TX, with over $30 billion in assets under management, where he identified, analyzed, and structured investments across a variety of asset classes. Prior to Highland, he was an Investment Banking Associate for JP Morgan Securities, focusing on corporate finance and M&A advisory for clients in the Consumer and Retail sectors.

Peyton earned a Bachelor of Science from Tulane University, an M.B.A from Vanderbilt University, and served four years as an Intelligence Officer in the United States Marine Corps. He is married to Elizabeth Ehrensing Bush (Class of 1994), and they have a daughter, Charlotte (Class of 2025), and two sons, Peyton V and William, who both attend Trinity.

Nina Wessel English '92 
Spouse: Patrick English

Upon graduation from Dartmouth College, Nina Wessel English ’92 went to work for the Manhattan District Attorney's Office. She then moved to the West Coast, receiving a law degree from the UCLA School of Law. Nina's legal career began with a clerkship for Honorable F. A. Little, Jr., the former Chief Judge of the U.S District Court, Western District of Louisiana. She then practiced law for several years at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett in Los Angeles. In 2004, Nina returned to New Orleans with the firm of Gordon Arata McCollam Duplantis & Eagan, where she became a partner practicing commercial litigation and labor and employment law. Two years ago, Nina elected to take a break from law and is currently devoting her time to philanthropic pursuits. She serves as Board Chair for New Orleans People Program and as Board Vice-Chair and coach for Girls on the Run, New Orleans.

Nina is a 1992 graduate of Sacred Heart and has remained actively involved with the Rosary, including serving as a member of the ASH Alumnae Board and as Parents' Annual Giving Campaign Chair. She and her husband Patrick are proud parents of three current Sacred Heart students: Maria (Class of 2024), Colette (Class of 2027), and Emeline (Class of 2031).

Kathleen Gibbons Favrot '53 
Spouse: Tim Favrot (deceased)

Wilmer J. Jacobs 

Wil Jacobs originates and manages a commercial loan portfolio as an officer of Hope Enterprise Corporation. He has a particular focus in deploying a New Markets Tax Credit allocation and funding projects utilizing historic tax credit and housing tax credit equity. Wil is proud of his role as Housing Director of the Louisiana Recovery Authority where he devised initiatives to restore housing after the hurricanes of 2005. In this role, he also directed the planning and construction of thirteen housing developments, including five planned communities, across southern Louisiana. Wil previously furnished debt for buyouts and merger and acquisition transactions in the leveraged finance group of a national bank in the Midwest.

The father of Isabella (Class of 2025), Wil is active in the Fathers’ Club at Sacred Heart and chaired its Mardi Gras fundraising activities during the 2016-2017 school year. He is the Past Chair of Café Reconcile and serves on the boards of the Audubon Nature Institute and the New Orleans School Facility Finance Foundation. Wil was a founding board member of the Crescent City Community Land Trust and has also completed service on the boards of the Stuart Hall School for Boys and St. Augustine High School, his alma mater.

Wil holds a B.A. from the University of New Orleans and an M.B.A. from the University of Michigan. He lives in Lakeview with Isabella and his son Nicholas.

Susan Read Johnson '64 
Spouse: Doug Johnson

Susan Read Johnson ’64 is an active leader and volunteer at Sacred Heart and in the New Orleans community. She is currently a member of the Sacred Heart Capital Campaign Committee and the Future Founders alumnae leadership giving circle and has served on the Rosary Sacred Heart Alumnae Board. She also serves on the boards for Children’s Hospital, the Archbishop Hannan Community Appeal, The Selley Foundation, and the Preservation Resource Center.

Susan was the founding member of the Impact 100 Women’s Giving Circle, an initiative of the Greater New Orleans Foundation. Following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, she volunteered with Citizens for 1 Greater New Orleans, an organization that was formed to reform the levee board and public school education, and traveled to Washington, D.C., with the Women of the Storm to raise money to rebuild the city.

Susan has previously served on many additional boards, including the Junior League of New Orleans, United Way, Maison Hospitaliere, Longe Vue House and Gardens, Hermann-Grima/Gallier Historic Houses Archdiocesan Spirituality Center, Catholic Charities, National Donor Awareness Foundation, Ochsner Hospital Board of Councilors for Women’s Health, and Lambeth House Foundation.

Susan has been recognized for her volunteerism on many occasions. She is the recipient of the St. Elizabeth’s Guild Volunteer Activist Award, the Family Service of Greater New Orleans TOP Award, the Order of St. Louis Award given by the Archdiocese of New Orleans, the Young Leadership Council Role Model Award, and the Tulane University Emeritus Club Lifetime Achievement Award. Additionally, she has been honored as Outstanding Fundraising Volunteer by the New Orleans Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Junior League Sustainer of the Year, Children’s Hospital Sugar Plum Ball Honoree, Honorary Chairman of “Sentimental Journeys” at Longue Vue, and St. Charles Avenue Activist of the Year.

Susan is a 1964 graduate of Sacred Heart and 1968 graduate of Newcomb College, where she majored in American studies and was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. She and her husband, Doug, have three daughters who are graduates of Sacred Heart: Courtney Johnson LeClercq ’87, Leslie Johnson McClanahan ‘89, and Kelley Johnson Daniel ’91. Her granddaughter, Susan LeClercq, is a current student at Sacred Heart (Class of 2022).

Sr. Lynne Lieux, RSCJ (Grand Coteau ’76) 

Mark A. Major
Spouse: Sharon Major

Mark A. Major is the Deputy CEO of Administration and Finance for the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority, which operates bus, streetcar, ADA para-transit and ferry services. In this capacity, Mark’s team includes accounting, capital and operating budgets, federal and state grants, human resources, procurement and treasury. Mark has over 35 years of financial and transit management experience and has been a major contributor to the RTA’s overall success. Most recently, Mark led the effort to refinance all of the RTA’s outstanding long-term debt resulting in $9.8 million present value cash savings.

Mark grew up in New Orleans and graduated from St. Stanislaus High School in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. He received his undergraduate degree in Accounting and an M.B.A. from Loyola University New Orleans.

Mark and his wife Sharon are parents of Hunter (Class of 2017), who attended Sacred Heart since enrolling in kindergarten. In the Summer of 2016 Hunter traveled to France for the inaugural Faces of the Heart Conference, which traced the life of St. Madeleine Sophie Barat. Hunter graduated from New York University May of 2021.

Mark was the 2016-17 President of the Sacred Heart Fathers' Club. He is the Chairman of the Algiers Development District Board of Commissioners and serves on the Board of the Good Shepherd Nativity School.

Octavio Mantilla
Spouse: 

Laurie Weiss Nuell (Carrollton ’75) 

Laurie Weiss Nuell is a community activist and philanthropist. She is the co-founder of the Jay Weiss Center for Health Equity at the University Miller School of Medicine and served on the board of the Public Health Trust and is currently the Chair of The Children's Trust. She is a full-time volunteer for Partners in Health and a frequent visitor to Haiti and is a founding board member of the Friends of Zanmi Beni, a residential children's center in Port-au-Prince. In partnership with the Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart, Laurie and her family have been instrumental in building and operating a large school in LaColline, Haiti.

Laurie attended the Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart in Miami, FL, and attended Tulane University. Laurie's mother is from New Orleans, and her father and oldest daughter attended Tulane as well. She currently serves on the board at Carrollton and is a past Chair of the Board. Laurie also chaired the bi-annual AASH conference that was held in Miami in 2011 and has served as a member of the Network of Sacred Heart Schools Board for the past seven years.

Laurie resides in Miami and is the mother of one son and two daughters, who both attended Carrollton. She also has two adorable granddaughters; the eldest who is a member of the Class of 2029 at Carrollton. Laurie has the proud distinction of being the first third generation family at Carrollton.

Sr. Vicky Rajca, RSCJ (Eden Hall ’65 and Maryville ’69) 

A professed member of the Society of the Sacred Heart since 1979, Sr. Vicky Rajca, RSCJ, has worked within several institutions owned and/or run by the Society of the Sacred Heart. She currently serves as the Director of Conference Center and Chief Financial Officer/Director of Operations for the Society of the Sacred Heart and Stuart Center in Washington, D.C. Prior to this role, she was the Chief Financial Officer at the Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in Bethesda, MD, for 22 years and was then the Director of Finance at the Perry School Community Services Center in Washington, D.C., for nearly eleven years. She has also served as Assistant Provincial Treasurer for the Society of the Sacred Heart, Assistant in the Admissions and Development Office at the Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart in Princeton, NJ, and in various teaching positions at several Sacred Heart Network schools.

Sr. Rajca holds a Bachelor of Arts in sociology from Maryville University in St. Louis, MO, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame. She has been a member of the Board of Trustees at Princeton Academy of the Sacred the Heart, Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart, and St. Anselm’s Abbey School. She has also served on investment and finance committees for the Religious of the Sacred Heart United States/Canada Province and the Association of Independent Schools of Greater Washington.

Mark C. Romig 
Spouse: David Briggs

A native New Orleanian, Mark is the Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of New Orleans & Company, the New Orleans tourism industry’s destination marketing and sales organization. His public relations career has spanned more than 42 years and has taken him from U.S. presidential campaigns to public relations and marketing counseling, from teaching in college classrooms to the 1984 Louisiana World’s Fair. In 2013 Mark became the Stadium Announcer for the NFL’s New Orleans Saints in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, succeeding his father, Jerry (who served in the same role for 446 consecutive Saints home games over 44 years). 

Active in his community, Mark recently served as the appointed volunteer President and CEO of the 2018 NOLA Foundation, the organization responsible for organizing the City of New Orleans’ Tricentennial celebration in 2018.  He is also working in several other volunteer roles, including past Chairman of the Board for the Louisiana Travel Association. Among his community activities, Mark is a member of board of directors of the Audubon Nature Institute, Le Petit Theater and the Emeril Lagasse Foundation, WYES-TV, Fore!Kids Foundation, and the Academy of the Sacred Heart. He also serves on the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s Travel and Tourism Advisory Council.  Mark is also serving as the President of the Board of Directors for the Parking Facilities Corporation (PFC), which operates the long term and economy parking garages at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. 

Mark is a graduate of Brother Martin High School (’74) and the University of New Orleans (UNO) (’78) and was named the 2016 Alumnus of the Year for UNO. In 2017, Mark was awarded the Ordre national du Mérite (National Order of Merit) by the French government for his work in helping to advance the cause of French-American relations in New Orleans. For his work to help strengthen the relations between Spain and Louisiana Mark was awarded the Order of Civil Merit, in its degree of Encomienda (Commander) by His Majesty the King Felipe VI. He was the recipient of the 2018 Silver Medal from the New Orleans Advertising Club, its highest honor, for outstanding achievements in his career and for his service to the community. In 2019, he was presented with the Ella Brennan Lifetime Achievement in Hospitality Award by the New Orleans Wine and Food Experience and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the New Orleans Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. 

Mark is a former member of the Xavier University Board of Trustees, former Chairman of Project Lazarus, former member of the Board of  Commissioners of New Orleans City Park, past International President of Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity and former President and Chairman of the Board of the Allstate Sugar Bowl Committee.

Tracey T. Schiro
Spouse: John Schiro

Tracey T. Schiro serves as Executive Vice President, Chief Risk and Human Resources Officer for Ochsner Health. Currently employing more than 30,000 staff across Louisiana and Mississippi, Ochsner is Louisiana’s largest employer, healthcare provider and educator of healthcare professionals. 

Tracey joined Ochsner Health in 2007 as Assistant Vice President, Compensation, Benefits, and Human Resources Information Services and has advanced her role at Ochsner Health through a collaborative and strategic leadership style. In 2012 she was promoted to Vice President, Human Resources Employee Services where she led HR operations and HRIS teams. In 2017, Tracey was promoted to Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer and in 2019 took on leadership of Risk Management. In 2021, Tracey was promoted to Executive Vice President, Chief Risk and Human Resources Officer. Prior to joining Ochsner, she worked for Coca-Cola Enterprises for 10 years in progressing HR leadership roles.

Tracey is a native of New Orleans and earned her Bachelor of Science in Management with a Human Resources concentration in 1996 and her Master of Business Administration in 2011 from the University of New Orleans.

Tracey serves on the Louisiana Workforce Investment Council as appointed by Governor Jon Bel Edwards in 2019. She also serves on the Delgado Community College Foundation Board, The Academy of the Sacred Heart Board of Trustees, and the University of New Orleans Alumni Board.

Tracey and her husband, John, are the parents to two children, Gianna (Class of 2031) and Jude (Christian Brothers). Tracey and John support many Sacred Heart events annually;  ASH auction, Congé, Father’s Club Golf Tournament, Lower School Book Fair.

Beth Lowry Speck (Duchesne Houston ’71) 
Spouse: David Speck

Beth Lowry Speck is an educator and leader residing in Houston. For 35 years, she served in various roles at Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart in Houston, including teacher, Campus Ministry and Social Awareness program coordinator, Alumnae Director and Director of Admission. She then spent one year as Interim Head of the Early Child and Lower School at Annunciation Orthodox School in Houston and now offers professional consulting services in private education to schools and individuals. Beth currently serves on the Alumnae Board at Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart in Houston and is a Sacred Heart Associate. She has also served as Chair of the Cenacle Retreat House Governing Board and President of the Associated Alumnae/Alumni of the Sacred Heart National Board. An alumna of Duchesne, she holds both a master’s and bachelor’s degree from the University of St. Thomas in Houston and is currently working towards earning certification in Catholic School Leadership. Beth and her husband David have been married for 35 years and have two daughters who are both Sacred Heart graduates.

After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Beth worked very closely with students relocated from New Orleans to help them find their “Sacred Heart home away from home” at Duchesne. She has also maintained strong ties with the Rosary through the AASH, the national Sacred Heart alumnae organization, and other connections. She is honored to be part of the Rosary’s Board of Trustees, which gives her the opportunity to stay connected to a very important part of her Sacred Heart heritage and to serve a community that she loves and admires.

Margaret Mentz Thompson '10
Spouse: 

Julie Prieur Varisco '94 
Spouse: Vinnie Varisco

Julie graduated from the Academy of the Sacred Heart in 1994 and the University of Texas at Austin in 1998 with a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science. Upon graduating, she worked at Montgomery Securities in San Francisco. She moved back home to New Orleans to be closer to family and joined Johnson Rice & Company. She earned her Series 7 Certification and worked as an equity analyst until 2005. With a new family on the horizon, Julie decided to shift her finance career to real estate, and in 2007, she obtained her real estate license.

Julie is passionate about the Rosary and enjoys offering her time and energy to support it.  She has served on the Alumnae Board for eight years, with her involvement ranging from Reunion Weekend to the Santa Party. Currently, she serves on the Alumnae Association Executive Board as the VP of Events. As a current parent, Julie has enjoyed serving on auction committees, as room mother and in the lunch room. "Being involved at school is important and rewarding for both the parent and the child.  I love to see with my own eyes all the good that goes on at the Rosary each day. I love to see the girls in action. And I also love the simple things like the huge smile on their faces when they spot me in the lunch line... it’s priceless!"

Julie and her husband Vinnie reside in Old Metairie with their son Charlie (3rd grade at Stuart Hall School for Boys), and  daughters, Leah (1st grade) and Rosie (Prek). In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, dining out, traveling and running. "I am grateful to serve on the Board of Trustees and to work with fellow Board Members to pursue the Goals and Criteria of the Rosary as defined by the Society of the Sacred Heart. I have many fond memories here, and the fact that I am able to give back as an alum, a parent and now a Board Member is an honor."

Helen Read Young, CFRE '88
Spouse: Tim Young

Helen Read Young ’88 is a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) and has enjoyed a career in non-profit fundraising and development that began at Sacred Heart in 2001 as the Director of Alumnae, Development and the Capital Campaign. From there, Helen served as the Director of Institutional Advancement for Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans for almost 10 years, before coming “home” to Sacred Heart as the Director of Institutional Advancement and Capital Campaign until 2019.

Helen is also actively involved as a volunteer at Sacred Heart, currently serving on its Alumnae Board. She is also a founding member of Sacred Heart’s Future Founders leadership giving circle. Beyond Sacred Heart, Helen currently serves as Chairman of the People Program Board, the Le Petit Theatre Board, and on the Executive Committee for the NOMA Volunteer Committee. Helen also serves on Catholic Charities’ Development and Marketing Committee, and she is a sustaining member of the Junior League of New Orleans.

Helen has served on several Boards, both locally and nationally, including the national University of Notre Dame Alumni Board, Friends of City Park, and Save Our Cemeteries.

Helen is a 1988 graduate of the Rosary and a 1992 graduate of the University of Notre Dame, where she received a Bachelor of Arts—Cum Laude. Helen and her husband, Tim, have two children: Charles “George” Smith III and Julia Tyler Smith; Julia is a graduate of Sacred Heart’s class of 2019.