Board of Trustees

Hannah Brink

Chair

Hannah Brink began her time in the Angelus Academy community as a student herself from 5th to 8th grade. The school has always held a special place in her heart given her late father, Michael Allman, was the chairman of the Board of Trustees and her mother, Sally Allman, a long-time member and former Director of WAY. After graduating with her degree in Early Elementary Education from Franciscan University of Steubenville, she returned to Angelus to serve as the 3rd grade teacher for 6 years. Hannah has earned her Master’s degree from Creighton University in Independent school leadership. She and her husband, Daniel, moved to Manassas, where she has continued her dedication to Catholic education as the resource teacher at All Saints Catholic school. She and Daniel welcomed their first son in 2023. Hannah bring a wealth of knowledge from her own education and her time teaching in the classroom as well as a unique passion for the Angelus Academy mission given its prevalence in her family growing up. She is honored to serve as a member of the board. The Brink family are parishioners at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Gainesville.

Betty Jo Lash

Vice-Chair

Mrs. Lash, a member of the Women’s Apostolate to Youth (WAY), is a graduate of Swarthmore College (BA in Psychology) and Harvard University, Graduate School of Education (M.Ed. in Counseling). An educator for over 35 years, Mrs. Lash has served Angelus Academy as: Admissions Director, Division Principal, Assistant Principal, teacher of Religion, Computers, Little Messengers, Art and Drama. She is the recipient of the St. John Bosco Award, given to those who have selflessly served the mission of Catholic education and led others in the spirit of St. John Bosco. She has also held positions at Harvard University, Pomona College, Georgetown University and Sleepy Hollow Preschool. She and her husband Jon are blessed with four children, who have all attended Angelus Academy, and two amazing grandchildren. They are new parishioners of St. John’s in Front Royal, VA given a recent move to be closer to mountains. Mrs. Lash enjoys hiking, swimming, and discovering the treasures of local wineries.

Jomy Methipara

Treasurer

Jomy and his wife Jeslyn have four children, two of which currently attend Angelus Academy (KG and 1st grade). Jeslyn is an active room parent and volunteer for Angelus. The Methiparas are active parishioners of an Eastern rite church called St. Jude Syro Malabar Catholic Church in Chantilly. Jomy and Jeslyn have held leadership roles for parish and diocesan high school, college and young adult ministries for over twenty years, as well as speaking roles for numerous youth and young adult retreats and conferences. Jomy currently teaches Theology of the Body to the 10th grade catechism class at St. Jude. Jomy grew up in the Chicagoland area before moving to Northern Virginia almost fifteen years ago.

Professionally, Jomy is a business attorney who advises entrepreneurs, business executives and general counsel on corporate and securities law matters such as corporate formation and structuring, mergers and acquisitions, contract negotiations, and efforts to raise capital. Jomy is also well experienced in intellectual property law matters. Jomy represents clients including Fortune 500 companies, startup companies, technology companies, and individual inventors before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

Jomy earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Juris Doctor from University of Illinois at Chicago John Marshall Law School. Jomy and Jeslyn are blessed to be a part of and serve the Angelus community.

Christa Hurley

Secretary

Christa Hurley grew up in Northern Virginia and attended elementary and high school in the Diocese of Arlington. After earning her degree in Elementary Education and History from the College of William and Mary, she taught for three years in a Diocesan elementary school. Christa has been a member of the Women’s Apostolate to Youth since college. She and her husband, Sean, have five children, four of whom have been involved in the Little Messengers preschool program and attend Angelus Academy. Christa taught seventh and eighth grade Religion at Angelus in its early years. She is involved in the Angelus Academy Mother’s Sodality and assists with the annual Gala and Auction, the school’s largest fundraiser. The Hurleys are parishioners at Queen of Apostles Church.

Rev. John C. De Celles

Chaplain and Clergy Consultant

Father John De Celles is the Pastor of St. Raymond of Peñafort Parish in Springfield, and Chaplain to both the Women’s Apostolate to Youth (WAY) and Angelus Academy. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from the University of Texas at San Antonio, a Master of Divinity and a Master of Arts (Moral Theology) from Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, MD, and a Sacred Theology Licentiate from the John Paul II Institute for Studies in Marriage and Family in Washington, DC. After college he worked as a Certified Public Accountant for eleven years, most of that time at the international accounting firm Arthur Young & Company (now Ernst & Young). He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Arlington in 1996, and served as Parochial Vicar in various parishes in the Diocese before being named to St. Raymond’s in 2010.

Raymond St. Pierre

Head of School

Mr. St. Pierre earned a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from Bridgewater State University in Massachusetts in 1991 and a Master’s degree in Mathematics Education from the University of Pittsburgh in 1994. Since then he taught mathematics in two public high schools in Maryland and has several years of experience in teaching at the university level while serving in university-level administration as well. The recipient of numerous awards, Mr. St. Pierre was most notably honored to receive the Maryland Council of Teachers of Mathematics Award in 1997 for “Outstanding High School Mathematics Teacher of the Year” for the entire state of Maryland. As the Head of School, Mr. St. Pierre enjoys working collaboratively with the faculty and staff as we continue implementing our Catholic liberal arts curriculum in the classical tradition. He gets the most joy out of being in the classrooms to see all of the beautiful things that our students and teachers are doing. Mr. St. Pierre and his wife, Ginny, live in Alexandria. Their son, Joseph, who was in Little Messengers at Angelus Academy during the school’s inaugural year in 2000 prior to his being homeschooled for seven years, resides in Worcester, Massachusetts. The St. Pierres are active parishioners at St. Lawrence the Martyr Church in Alexandria where Mr. St. Pierre serves as Organist and Music Director.

Maria Ammirati

Maria Ammirati has been a part of the Angelus Academy family since almost the beginning. She taught fourth grade and was the office administrator as well as helping with kindergarten assessments, standardized testing, NAPCIS certification, library, and a host of other things to keep the building running. Maria is a graduate of the Catholic University of America where she earned a degree in Elementary Education and attended Dowling College for Reading Education and Computer Science. She was born and raised in New York where her family was active in their home parish, attended Catholic schools, spent a lot of time outside, and at the beach. She has worked in retail management and customer service and was once a licensed massage therapist. She is a member of St. Raymonds parish. Maria has worked for the Arlington Diocese for 20 years and currently works at Nativity parish. The mission is the reason she joined and stays a part of the Angelus Academy family.

Christy Karako

Mrs. Karako holds a BA in history from the University of Dallas and a Master’s of Library and Information Science from the Catholic University of America. While living in California, she taught third grade, fourth grade, and middle school. Since joining the Angelus Academy faculty, she now teaches K-8 library classes and seventh grade humanities. Mrs. Karako and her husband, Tom, have one child attending Angelus Academy and two recent graduates who now attend St. John Paul the Great High School. They are parishioners at Queen of Apostles in Alexandria.

Jennifer Lawler

Jennifer Lawler, a life-long Fairfax County resident, is a member of the Women’s Apostolate to Youth (WAY), where she has served on the council for many years as both secretary and treasurer. She is a graduate of George Mason University where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Mathematics as well as an Master’s of Business Administration (MBA). Since 2001, she has been involved as a parent, resource room assistant, preschool aide, and general volunteer at Angelus Academy. She and her husband have three children who have all attended Angelus Academy – profoundly affecting the entire family. They are parishioners of Holy Spirit parish in Annandale.

Julie Maimone

Mrs. Maimone has been teaching at Angelus Academy since 2002. Her primary responsibilities are teaching advanced Latin and religion/faith formation to 8th graders, but over the years she has also taught Latin and religion to all middle school classes; music, cursive handwriting, and Greek/Latin roots to the lower grades; and she has been the teaching assistant for kindergarten and preschool. She has her Bachelor of Arts Degree in English Composition from George Mason University. She has also completed certificate programs in Scripture, History, Catechetics, the Catechism, and Philosophy through the Institute of Catholic Culture. Mrs. Maimone is a founding member and current Director of the Women’s Apostolate to Youth (WAY). All four of her (now adult) children attended Angelus. Her favorite thing about teaching at Angelus Academy is the way in which all disciplines—not just religion classes—point the children toward God. She is a parishioner at Saint Leo the Great in Fairfax.