Stephen Ray

Steve Ray is a convert to the Catholic Church and the author of three best-selling Ignatius Press books (Crossing the Tiber, Upon this Rock, and St. John’s Gospel). He speaks at conferences around the world and is a regular guest on Catholic Answers Live, The Journey Home and has appeared on many other radio and TV programs, including Fox News. He is a writer, producer and host of the 10-part video/DVD series “The Footprints of God: the Story of Salvation from Abraham to Augustine” filmed entirely on location in the Holy Land and surrounding countries. Steve and his wife Janet are certified guides to the Holy Land and lead pilgrimages throughout the Middle East and Rome. He owns Distinctive Maintenance with 600 employees in Michigan and is a member of Legatus. He lives in Michigan with his wife Janet. He has four children and six grandchildren.

Term: Appointed September 2004

Anthony C. Rea

Anthony C. Rea is President and Owner of Fairmount Properties and Area Construction, Inc., developers and design-build contractors. Mr. Rea emigrated to the U.S. when he was sixteen years old and became an American citizen five years later. In 1964, he received a B.S. in Architectural Engineering from Lawrence Technological University. He is a licensed architect in the State of Michigan. Mr. Rea currently serves as Audit Committee Chair for the Executive Committee of the Papal Foundation, a Board Member of Legatus Detroit Chapter, St. Hugo of the Hills Parish, Michigan Opera Theater, Angel’s Place and the Verdi Opera Association. Other affiliations include: past president of Legatus Detroit Chapter, Cardinal Club of Detroit, Notre Dame Library Endowment for Italian Studies, Vatican Arts Restoration, Vatican Libraries, Lennon Center (Non-judgmental council for women anticipating abortion), St. Vincent de Paul, Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, Thomas Moore Law Center, Alliance for Marriage, and the Bloomfield Hills Country Club. In 2003, Mr. Rea received the “Family First Award” for his charitable work in the community. He resides in Bloomfield Hills and has five children.

Term: Appointed September 2004 

Alan  D. Reynolds,  AICP

Alan D. Reynolds is the Chairman and CEO of WilsonMiller, a multi-disciplined planning, design and engineering firm with 10 offices and 600 employees throughout Florida.  His specific areas of expertise include environmental design, land use planning, strategic plans, rural land stewardship, and community design. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, American Planning Association and the Urban Land Institute.  Reynolds has served as the principal planner for more than 100 communities, including several recognized as leading examples for the integration of the natural environment with sustainable development. he led a team in the creation of Florida's first Rural Land Stewardship Plan in Collier County, and served as the Principal Planner of Ave Maria New Town and University.  Reynolds received his degree in Environmental Design from Miami University and also studied abroad at London's Architectural Association and in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Term: Appointed November 2007 

Patrick j. rooney, sr.

Patrick J. Rooney, Sr. is currently the president and chief executive officer of the Investment Corporation of Palm Beach (d/b/a Palm Beach Kennel Club) in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Mr. Rooney was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, one of five sons (including twin brother John) of Arthur J. Rooney.

He attended St. Peter’s Grammar School on the north side of Pittsburgh, went to high school at North Catholic and graduated from Mount Saint Mary’s College in Emmitsburg, Maryland with a major in history and business. He played football and baseball at North Catholic and at Saint Mary’s he was captain of the college tennis team.

After graduating from Mount Saint Mary’s he was employed by C.G. Hussey Company of Pittsburg as a sales representative.  He was a member of the Pennsylvania National Guard from 1960-1966.

It was in 1963 that Mr. Rooney began his pari mutual career starting as assistant racing secretary at Brandywine Race Track in Wilmington, Delaware and serving in the same capacity at Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. From 1964 to 1969 Mr. Rooney was general manager at Liberty Bell.  He served as president of Continental Racing Association in Philadelphia from 1969 to 1973, a thoroughbred operation. Mr. Rooney served as president of Green Mountain Race Track in Pownal, Vermont from 1973 to 1992 and has been the president of Palm Beach Kennel Club since 1978.

Mr. Rooney married Sandra Sully of Hazelwood, Pennsylvania on October 20, 1962, and they have seven children.  His personal interests include golf, history, sporting clays and travel.  In addition to his Florida residence Mr. Rooney has a home in Hellertown, Pennsylvania.

Term: Appointed June 2010

Gerald a. saracini

Gerald Anthony Saracini was born and raised in Poplar Bluff, MO. He started his parochial education at Sacred Heart Schools in Poplar Bluff.  He attended Chaminade Preparatory School in St. Louis, MO. Jerry attended the University of Missouri in Columbia and received his MBA in business administration from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, Arkansas.

Jerry began his business career with Anheuser-Busch, Inc. in 1964 as a Marketing Manager in Little Rock, Arkansas.  In 1972, Jerry and his wife Sandy purchased C & C Distributors, Inc., an Anheuser-Busch wholesale distributor in northeast Arkansas. Jerry is very active in the community and his church.  He was instrumental in the building of St. Cecilia’s Catholic Church in Newport.  Jerry serves as Lector and is on the parish council. He has served on several bank boards including Merchants and Planters Bank Holding Company and Greers Ferry Lake State Bank. He is past president of the Newport Rotary Club, Newport Country Club and chairman of the Newport-Jackson County Industrial Development Commission.

Mr. Saracini has given much to his community with financial support to the Jackson County Learning Center, Willa Black Daycare, Newport School District, Arkansas Sheriffs Youth Ranch and the downtown revitalization project. Arkansas State University-Newport, Sigma Chi Fraternity, Iron Mountain Depot and St. Jude Research Hospital in Memphis, TN have all been recipients of Jerry’s generosity.

Jerry continues to serve as President and CEO of C & C Distributors, Inc. and is involved in the business on a daily basis. He travels often and enjoys his winters in Marco Island, Florida.

Especially devoted to his faith and family, Jerry has exemplified a life of giving. He truly lives the scripture “to who much is given, much is expected.”  He is married to Sondra Schwab Saracini and has three daughters and eight grandchildren.

Term: Appointed June 2010 

George P. Schwartz, CFA

Mr. Schwartz is a Chartered Financial Analyst and a Chartered Investment Counselor. For forty years he has been an investment counselor, analyst, and portfolio manager. Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, he graduated from Catholic Center High School and the University of Detroit, where he majored in Finance. From 1967 to 1974, he was an Investment Research Analyst with two New York Stock Exchange member firms in Detroit. From 1974 to 1980, he was Senior Investment Officer and Chairman of the Investment Committee of National Bank & Trust Company of Ann Arbor. He is President, CEO, and CIO (Chief Investment Officer) of Schwartz Investment Counsel, Inc., a registered investment adviser headquartered in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, which he founded in 1980. His organization manages stock and bond portfolios for endowment funds, foundations, pension funds, hedge funds, and mutual funds including the Schwartz Value Funds and the Ave Maria Mutual Funds (a family of six no-load Catholic mutual funds). He is a member of several investment professional organizations and is a published author. He has five grown children, six grandchildren and lives in Plymouth, Michigan with Judi, his wife of 39 years.

Term: Appointed August 2005

Frank D. Stella

Entrepreneur, supporter of education, healthcare, business, community and church leader are all terms that could easily describe Frank D. Stella. He is Founder, Chairman and CEO of the F.D. Stella Products Company, designers and distributor of food service and dining equipment located in Detroit, Michigan. The company was founded in 1946, and today leads a network of affiliates servicing markets in Michigan and throughout the U.S. Frank is also Chairman and CEO of Stella International, New York, a consulting, joint venture and importing firm. An alumnus of the University of Detroit College and Commerce and Finance, Frank as devoted his life to the betterment of others. He was decorated by the Government of Italy three times and received its highest decoration “Grande Ufficiale”, and was awarded a doctorate in business by the Gentium Pacem University in Rome and has received many honorary degrees. Frank has held seats on the boards of numerous civic, business and education organizations and received numerous awards and honors for him commitment and dedication. He was drafted as a private in World War II, and was honorably discharged as a Major in the Army Air Force. He is listed in Who’s Who in America, the World and in the Midwest, Men of Achievements, Community Leaders of America and the Michigan Social Register.

Term: Appointed September 2005

Robert M. Thomas

Robert M. Thomas is CEO of Two Rivers Ranch, Inc., Hickory Hills Land Company, Crystal Springs Preserve, and Balsam Gap, Inc.  Robert is a third generation Tampa, Florida native and a 1977 graduate of the University of Richmond in Richmond, Virginia.  He is responsible for the management of over 17,000 acres of low intensity agricultural operations in Hillsborough, Hernando and Pasco Counties in Florida and 5,000 acres in Jackson County, North Carolina.  His natural resources management activities include cattle, timber, wildlife, water, recreation and real estate development.

Mr. Thomas was the recipient of the 1993 Agricultural Conservation Award from the American Farmland Trust and the 1994 Florida Audubon Society’s Corporate Conservationist of the Year Award.   In 1995 he received the Land Conservationist of the Year Award from the Florida Wildlife Federation and the National Wildlife Federation for his “outstanding contributions to the wise use and management of the nation’s natural resources.”  In 1999 the Florida Department of Agriculture honored him with an Ag-Environmental Leadership Award.  In 2001, the Thomas Family and Two Rivers Ranch were presented a Service To Mankind honor from the Tampa Sertoma Club.

Robert is a member and Treasurer of the Florida Land Council, a member of the Agriculture Advisory Council (AAC) Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, the Citizens Advisory Committee of Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority (TBARTA, CAC) and the University of Tampa Board of Fellows. He is a longstanding member of Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla, the University Club of Tampa and Avila Golf and Country Club.

Term: Appointed June 2010

Mary L. Thul

Mrs. Thul was born and raised in Cincinnati, OH. She attended Catholic school grades 1-12, graduating from Summit Country Day School in 1951.  Mrs. Thul then attended the University of Cincinnati where she was a member of Theta Phi Alpha, the Catholic sorority, and in 1955 she received her B.S. in fine arts.  Married in 1956, she has seven children and as a full time mother, resumed her love of art having ten 2-women shows as a member of the Cincinnati Art Club and Women's Art Club.

She moved to Naples, FL in December 2007. As a strong believer in authentic Catholic education, she was naturally drawn to Ave Maria.  

Term: Appointed June 2008