Board of Trustees
The Academy of the Holy Names, Inc. Board of Trustees is the Academy’s governing board. The primary responsibility of the Board of Trustees is to support, develop and strengthen the mission entrusted by the Sisters of the Holy Names. The trustees establish goals and policies pertaining to the operation and development of the educational and financial programs for the school.
2022-23 Board of Trustees
Officers
- Daphne McConnie - Chair
- Kim Dingle - Vice Chair
- Ed Bulleit - Treasurer
- Kalinda Campbell ’00 - Secretary
- Sister Kathleen Griffin, SNJM - At Large
Daphne McConnie - Chair
Daphne Ingram McConnie was born and raised in Texas where she attended Texas A&M University. There, she received a bachelor's degree in business administration with a double major in marketing and management and a minor in economics. She was selected as one of 30 students globally to complete a course of study at The Paris Fashion Institute in France. After completing Dillard Department Store's Executive Development program and a nine-year career as a buyer, she attained an MBA with a specialization in International Management at St. Mary’s University.
McConnie moved to Tampa in 1997 after marrying her husband, Andreas. She volunteered and served on the board of the American Cancer Society in Tampa and chaired their Cattle Baron’s Ball fundraiser. McConnie and her husband, Andreas, have two children who graduated from AHN, Luke ’16 and Macy ’18. While their children attended AHN, McConnie actively volunteered for the Academy. She coordinated Community Service Day for the lower school, served as Mothers Association president, treasurer, and Sending Roses chairwoman (coordinating meals and rides for AHN families and staff in crisis). She and her husband served as Parent Annual Fund chairs and Senior Endowment committee chairs. Annually, they enjoy playing in the Dads Club Golf Tournament and attending the AHN auction.
Kim Dingle - Vice Chair
Kim Dingle has been substantially engaged in full-time ministry for the past 15 years. Among other activities, she was associate teaching director and worship leader at Community Bible Study in Tampa for 10 years. She is actively involved at South Tampa Fellowship Church, serving on the praise and worship team, leading music for Vacation Bible School, and other important church committees. She served on the Academy of the Holy Names' Mothers Association as high school vice president for two years.
Prior to her life in ministry and motherhood, Dingle was employed by Tech Data corporation, Solomon Brothers, and Price Waterhouse. She was born and raised in St. Louis and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration from St. Louis University. She also obtained her CPA license.
Kim and her husband, Phil, are the parents of 2019 Academy alumnae, Ashley and Lauren.
Ed Bulleit - Treasurer
Ed Bulleit is managing partner for MBS Capital Markets LLC. Previously, he was managing director/partner for Prager & Co LLC/New York; and managing director of finance for William R Hough & Co Inc. Bulleit received his undergraduate degree from Notre Dame and an MBA in finance from the University of Tampa. Bulleit and his wife, local TV newscaster Kelly Ring, are parents of salutatorian Kendall ’17, as well as two sons, Clark and Raleigh. While their daughter was in school, Bulleit was a generous contributor to the Academy and was a valued member of the campaign financing sub-committee. His previous volunteer work includes serving as a member of the finance committee at Christ the King for three years and as a board member and treasurer of Tampa Bay Little League for five years.
Kalinda Campbell ’00 - Secretary
Kalinda Campbell has over 18 years of experience in diversity and inclusion strategy, talent acquisition, and talent management across various industries, including energy, consumer packaged goods, insurance, oil and gas, and professional services.
She currently oversees the diversity and inclusion talent strategy for Nordstrom, Inc. In her role, she is responsible for creating strategies and programs to help Nordstrom meet their 2025 goal of increasing the representation of Black and Latinx populations in people manager roles by at least 50% and having at least 50% of their internship program participants come from underrepresented populations, with the goal of increasing the demographic diversity in all corporate and leadership positions to reflect the North American population.
Campbell is a dedicated community volunteer and serves on the boards of Writers in the Schools Preservation Houston, Memorial Park Conservancy, and Stages Reparatory Theater. She is currently serving in leadership roles with Writers in the Schools as the board chair and on the Executive Committee of Memorial Park Conservancy as the chair of the Engagement Committee. She previously served on the Junior League of Houston board and held a leadership role as community vice president. Her civic efforts include being an appointed member of Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner’s Economic Policy Committee, helping shape Houston's future as it relates to jobs, economic development, and small business growth.
Campbell holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Spelman College.
Sister Kathleen Griffin, SNJM - At Large
Sr. Kathleen’s career has been dedicated to education, social concerns, pastoral care, and planning /development. She holds an MA in educational administration from the Catholic University of America and an MA in theology with a concentration in systematics from the Washington Theological Union in Silver Spring, Md. Adult faith formation and lay leadership/empowerment have been central to her ministry vision.
In 1965, she began her teaching career at St. Gabriel’s elementary school in Washington, D.C., where she also served as principal from 1970-1975. Excellence in education has always been her only standard. Her parish assignments include ministry at Blessed Sacrament in Chevy Chase, Md., St. John-St Ann Parish in Albany, NY and Annunciation Parish in Washington, D.C.
Sr. Kathleen enjoyed a brief teaching assignment at Sacred Heart Academy in Tampa and served as interim/transition principal at the Academy of the Holy Names in Silver Spring between 1982-1984. She also was assistant to the secretary for parish life and development in the Archdiocese of Washington.
In 1984, Sr. Kathleen joined the New York Province leadership team, where she served in several capacities, completing her full-time work in 1993. During her years of service on the team, Sr. Kathleen was involved with the restructuring of Province finances to address our retirement/health care issues, and the corporate restructuring of Province-sponsored works, moving from Advisory Boards to Boards of Trustees. She has served as trustee/director at the Our Lady of Mercy Life Center in Albany, and as a trustee on the AHN Albany Board.
Members
- Ernie Garateix
- Kim Wilmath Hill ’05
- Sherisha Hills ’98
- Sister Kathleen Hilton, SNJM
- Dan Johnson
- Martha Minahan
- Paola Schifino
- Velen Diaz Thompson ’83
- Joann Wehle
- Jason Woodside ’01
- Kevin Whitney, President (ex-officio)
Ernie Garateix
Ernie J. Garateix was born and raised in Florida, where he attend Florida State University and earned a bachelor's degree in business administration in finance and management. After graduation, he was hired by USF&G Insurance based out of Baltimore. Garateix was assigned to various corporate initiatives with the company and ultimately was brought back to Tampa to manage a nationwide claim center. He later went on to work for other organizations, including FCCI Insurance Group and American Integrity, and helped these organizations expand their operations. In 2012 he helped form Heritage Insurance, the third largest Florida homeowners carrier, which operates in 11 states. During his tenure at Heritage, Garateix has held the positions of Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President. He was named Chief Executive Officer in November 2020.
In 1995 Garateix married his high school sweetheart, Yvette. They have two children, Samantha A'18, and Andrew, who attends Jesuit High School. Both children attended Nativity Catholic School, where Yvette was a 1st-grade teacher and Ernie volunteered as chairman for Novemberfest for several years. He is also actively involved in the community as co-chair for the Tampa Special Olympics Regional Event, executive sponsor for the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree Program, and executive sponsor for Habitat for Humanity. Garateix and his wife also served on the Senior Endowment Committee and as sponsors of the Dads Club Golf Tournament.
Kim Wilmath Hill ’05
Kim Hill is a communications leader with experience in higher education, government, business and the media. She currently serves as assistant vice president for public relations and communications at the University of South Florida, overseeing a team that includes media relations, internal communications, executive communications and a multimedia news bureau. Hill previously held communications roles with the Tampa Bay Times, the Florida Board of Governors, and ReliaQuest, a global cybersecurity firm. She received her bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Florida and a Master of Business Administration from the University of South Florida. Hill is a member of Women in Leadership and Philanthropy at USF.
Hill attended the Academy of the Holy Names thanks to the generosity of an alumna donor, which inspired her to later establish her own scholarship at Academy. She previously served as a member of the Holy Names Alumni Association Board of Directors. Kim lives in Tampa with her husband, Chris, and sons, PJ and Charlie.
Sherisha Hills ’98
Sherisha Hills is the Director of Parks and Recreation for the City of Tampa. Hills is a graduate of the Academy of Holy Names and earned a master’s degree in business administration from Nova Southeastern University and a Bachelor of Science in recreation leisure service management from the University of Florida. She began her career in local government as a team supervisor for the City of Tampa Parks and Recreation and progressed through the ranks as projects and services coordinator and parks manager to director of the city’s third-largest department. Prior to working for the city, Hills worked as a program director for the YMCA in both Union, New Jersey, and Tampa. She is active in the community as chair of the Mayor’s Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee, vice president of the Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful board, member of the Glazer Children’s Museum board, and a big to her little with the Boys and Girls Club. In addition to her full-time job and community commitments, she also finds time to coach youth sports and mentor youth in the community.
Sister Kathleen Hilton, SNJM
Sister Kathleen Hilton, SNJM, background in education includes teaching roles from the elementary to university level. She spent many years at the University of North Carolina, where she was a history professor, dean of graduate studies, and later as associate vice chancellor for academic planning and special projects. Sister Kathleen is currently chairperson of the Board of Heritage University in Toppenish, Wash. She resides in Portland, Ore.
Dan Johnson
Dan Johnson grew up in the Midwest and attended Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. He moved to Florida upon graduation and became a Certified Public Accountant. He has spent almost 30 years in public accounting and is currently a Managing Director at CBIZ MHM, LLC. His primary role at the firm is managing large client relationships and transitioning new clients to the firm. Johnson serves as the North American Regional Director for the Kreston International Global Audit Group, is the Board Chair for the American Cancer Society Southwest Florida region, and is a member of the Finance Council at Christ the King Catholic Church.
Dan and his wife, Jeanine, have three children. Their daughter Morgan graduated from AHN in 2021, while their son Mitchell graduated from Jesuit in 2019. Their youngest daughter Stella is enjoying pre-school. Dan has three sisters that graduated from AHN, Meg ’92, Julie ’95 and Molly ’01, as well as sister-in-law Melissa ’94. Dan’s mother, Mary, served as the high school principal at AHN in the late 1990s.
Martha Minahan
Martha Connors Minahan was born in Albany, New York, where she graduated from the Academy of the Holy Names in 1963. Following graduation, she joined the Sisters of the Holy Names for 11 years. During this time, she completed her undergraduate degree in mathematics from the College of St. Rose and was sent to teach at Boys Academy in Tampa from 1968-1974. Minahan went on to teach math at Jesuit High School while attending USF and earning her master’s degree in guidance and counseling. At Jesuit, she met and married her husband, Coach Bill Minahan, who passed away in 2013.
Since that time, Minahan established and serves as president of her own non-profit, The Bill Minahan Scholarship Award, which offers financial assistance to high school football and flag football players in Hillsborough County. Over the past six years, the award has honored 33 student-athletes and has given out more than $50,000 in aid. Much of her time is devoted to fundraising for the non-profit.
Minahan is an avid baseball fan and has attended a game at every baseball stadium in America and Canada. She is also a crazy Notre Dame football fan, and has attended a home game for the Irish every year for the past 35 years. Minahan is also a member of the LifeLink Legacy Board, in honor of her husband, who had a kidney transplant that lasted more than 27 years.
Paola Schifino
Paola Schifino is president and co-founder of Schifino Lee, a full-service strategic marketing firm that delivers evocative advertising, branding, social media communications and integrated digital campaigns for national and global clients, including AT&T, Gerdau and WellCare. Schifino grew up on the Caribbean island of Curaçao and speaks English, Spanish, Dutch, and Papiamento fluently, and is conversational in Italian. She received a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of Florida and a Master of Business Administration in international marketing from the University of South Florida. Schifino has been named to the “Tampa Bay Business Journal’s” 40 Under 40 list and was a finalist for the “Tampa Bay Business Journal’s” Business Woman of the Year in 2008 and 2013. Schifino Lee was the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year in 2007.
Shifino currently serves on the advisory boards of the Zimmerman Advertising Program at USF and Academy Prep Centers for Education. She and her husband, Bill B’74, are parents to Amanda ’13, Julia ’15 and Will ’15. While her children were at AHN, Schifino was involved with the auction committee, and she and Bill served on the Parent Annual Fund committee. The Schifino family has a longstanding history of service to the Academy. William J. Schifino, Sr. and his wife Lois are both former trustees. The Schifinos generously supported the Bridge to the Future campaign and the high school softball program and continue to support the Link Scholarship Program.
Velen Diaz Thompson ’83
Velen Diaz Thompson is a wealth management advisor with The Valdes Group at Merrill Lynch. Thompson focuses on the wealth management process for individual retirement planning strategies, assisting clients in determining their long-term financial goals and implementing customized investment strategies. The investment strategies are designed to meet individual client needs and preferences along with protecting clients from personal and market risk factors. The objective of the wealth management process, coupled with the appropriate investment strategies, is to manage, grow and preserve each client's wealth.
Thompson joined Merrill Lynch in 2004 after spending 16 years with national and regional banks in the private banking and wealth management fields. In 1997, Velen achieved the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification awarded by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards. She also has obtained the Chartered Retirement Planning CounselorSM certification awarded by the College for Financial Planning.
Thompson received her Bachelor of Science in multinational business operations with a minor in Spanish from Florida State University. She was born and raised in Tampa and graduated from the Academy in 1983. Currently, Thompson resides in Tampa with her husband, Jeff, and their two children, Christina ’16 and Phillip JHS ’19. She enjoys her family as well as her involvement in the community, especially her children's schools and church parish, Christ the King.
Joann Wehle
Joann Wehle is the vice president of marketing and sales for TECO Peoples Gas System, a local gas distribution company. She has been employed by the TECO family of companies for over 32 years. Wehle attended catholic schools throughout her life and graduated from St. Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana. She obtained her CPA license and worked for Coopers & Lybrand and Honeywell before joining TECO. Her husband is a Tampa native and attended Tampa Catholic High School and the University of Notre Dame, where they met. Both are avid Notre Dame Fighting Irish fans.
Their daughters are both graduates of AHN, Meaghan ’12 and Allison ’17. During their tenures, Wehle was a supporter of the AHN dance team. She also served on the Corpus Christi Catholic (Temple Terrace) School Advisory Board for many years. The Wehle family has many ties to the AHN family including Sr. Dolores Wehle, SNJM, who served as principal of Boys Academy from 1975-1977. In addition, the family has many legacy graduates from Sacred Heart Academy and Jesuit High School.
Jason Woodside ’01
Jason Woodside is a 2001 graduate of the Academy of Holy Names middle school and a 2005 graduate of Jesuit High School. After high school, Woodside attended Florida State University where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in finance and a law degree. While in law school at Florida State, Woodside was inducted into the legal honor society, Phi Delta Phi, and spent his time outside of the classroom helping the less fortunate with their legal issues at the Legal Services of North Florida. Following law school, Woodside took a position in the Illinois state government, where he worked on protecting children from abuse and neglect and advised on public policy matters affecting less fortunate families. After his time in Illinois, Jason returned to Tampa where he currently practices labor and employment law, representing employees throughout the state. Woodside recently concluded his service on the Holy Names Alumni Association Board and currently volunteers at Metropolitan Ministries, where he provides free legal help to the community.