Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees articulates the vision, mission, and overall policy for the Rochester Catholic Schools system. The Board of Trustees is comprised of thirteen members: six pastors, six lay members, and the Bishop of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester. The Bishop serves as President of the Board of Trustees and affirms Trustee membership. Meetings are held on the second Tuesday of the month during the school year (exceptions are made for Holy week, etc.) at Lourdes High School. If you would like to contact the Board of Trustees, please click here.
Bishop Robert Barron
President
Diocese of Winona-Rochester
Fr. James Steffes
Co-Chair
Church of the Resurrection
Mrs. Pamela Zeimetz Bowman '91
Co-Chair
Co-Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist Church
Mr. Michael Cook '02
Treasurer
Co-Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist Church
Michael was born and raised in Rochester, and is an alumnus of St. Pius X and Lourdes High School. His wife is an alumnus of LHS and they have 4 children, 3 of whom attend St. Francis. Michael is a project manager at Olmsted County supporting the County's solid waste and environmental resources department. He was fortunate enough to be part of 2 LHS state championship soccer teams and he and his family love watching and supporting LHS athletics.
Mr. Jeff Brengman '61
Co-Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist Church
Jeff is a former member of Pax Christi Catholic Church where he was Choir Director for 30 years and is now a member of the Co-Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist Church. As a lifelong resident of Rochester, he attended St. Francis of Assisi School for Grades 1-8 and graduated from Lourdes High School in 1961. His education background includes receiving his BA from St. Mary’s in Winona and MA in Educational Administration from St. Mary’s graduate school in addition to a 15-month sabbatical at IBM.
Jeff worked at LHS from 1971 through 1997 serving as a teacher in vocal music, religion and business and he was Dean of Students/Assistant Principal for 10 years. Additionally, he served as Principal/Head of School in St. Paul MN; La Crosse and Stevens Point WI. He and his wife have three adult children who are graduates of Catholic schools in addition to several grandchildren who attended Rochester Catholic Schools.
Mrs. Lisa Dierkhising
Pax Christi Catholic Church
Lisa is deeply committed to the values of Catholic education and has been an active volunteer within the Rochester Catholic Schools system for many years. Her passion for serving the community and her dedication to ensuring a quality education for all students will be a great asset to the board.
Lisa and her family are active members of Pax Christi parish. She has two children, one of whom is a Rochester Catholic Schools alum and another who is a senior at Lourdes High School.
Fr. Bob Horihan
Co-Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist Church
Fr. John Sauer
Pax Christi Catholic Church
Rev. John Sauer, pastor of Pax Christi Parish, has a long history of Catholic education. He attended his parish school, Holy Spirit, and Cathedral High School in St. Cloud, Minnesota. He graduated from St. John's University in Collegeville. Since ordination in 1985, Rev. Sauer has taught at Cotter, Lourdes and Loyola High Schools in the Diocese of Winona-Rochester. As pastor, he has supported schools in Winona, Austin, Litomysl, and Owatonna and looks forward to serving on the RCS Board.
Mrs. Melissa (Jensen) Saunders '97
Co-Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist Church
Melissa grew up as member of the St. Pius community, attending K-8 there and graduating from Lourdes in 1997. After graduation, she obtained her BA in Economics from Carleton College and her JD from William Mitchell College of Law. Melissa practiced law at Dunlap & Seeger, P.A. for the last sixteen years where she was an owner, member of the firm’s management team, and chair of the human resources committee. In October 2021, Melissa became the Director of Planned Giving at Carleton College. She has served on the boards of Samaritan Bethany, Inc., Families First of Minnesota, Honors Choirs of SE Minnesota, the Olmsted County Bar Association, and the Rochester Estate Planning Council. She has a child at St. John’s, a child at St. Pius, and another eagerly awaiting the start of preschool. Melissa’s husband Andy recently began working at Mayo Clinic in Child Life after fifteen years as a private school elementary teacher.
Mr. Nick Jarrett
Church of St. Michael
After growing up in the Twin Cities Nick moved to Rochester more than 11 years ago with his wife, Molly (Noser), to be closer to her family. Molly is an alumna of St. Francis of Assisi School and Lourdes High School ('07). Together they have six children, with their four oldest currently attending St. Francis of Assisi School. Their children will represent the third generation on Molly’s side of the family to attend both St. Francis of Assisi School and Lourdes High School.
Nick earned a BA in Finance from Concordia University, St. Paul, where he competed in collegiate golf and met Molly, who was a member of the women’s golf team. They founded Quarry Hill Family Dental, where Molly practices as a general dentist and Nick manages the business and daily operations.
Since moving to Rochester, Nick has been actively involved in the community. He has served on the board of St. James Coffee, participated in parish pastoral councils, supported and led the St. Francis of Assisi School HSA, served on the RCS Finance Committee, and coached youth hockey.
Fr. Luis Vargas
St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church
Fr. David Medow
Holy Spirit Catholic Church
Fr. Joachim Anumba
St. Pius X Catholic Church