Vicky Rajca, RSCJ, a Religious of the Sacred Heart, holds an MSA degree from Notre Dame in Financial Administration. She has worked in the Network of Sacred Heart Schools and in the not-for-profit sector as a teacher, a Chief Financial Officer and Director of Operations. She has served on several Sacred Heart School Boards of Trustees, as well as on the Finance and Investment Committees of the Society of the Sacred Heart, United States-Canada Province.
Team
Administration
Vicky Rajca, RSCJ
Director of Finance and Operations
CEDC
Laryn Kragt Bakker
Director, CEDC
Laryn Kragt Bakker serves as the Director of the CEDC office. He double-majored in Graphic Design and Computer Science. These fields overlap in the realm of web design and development and keep both sides of his brain happy. He has been working at CEDC since 2003.
Beth Ponticello
Art Director, CEDC
Beth Ponticello, an award winning designer, holds a BFA from the Corcoran School of Art + Design in graphic design. For more than two decades, she has been working for the Center for Educational Design and Communication (CEDC) as its Art/Media Director. Besides her work in design, she also enjoys photography.
Conference Center
Clara Dorsch Callahan
Director, Conference Center
Clara Dorsch Callahan holds a BBA in Marketing and a BA in English from Marymount University. Throughout her career Clara has been involved in meeting and event management within the hospitality, technology, and non-profit sectors. For the past 15 years she has worked with faith-based non-profit entities.
EIL
Reyna González, RSCJ
Director, EIL; Consultant, SHERPA
Reyna González, is a specialist in non-profit organizational management and popular education methodology. She has more than 20 years of experience as an educator, administrator and consultant. Her areas of expertise include, among other areas, strategic planning, leadership training, especially for youth, as well as program development and evaluation. She serves as Co-coordinator of the Continental Popular Education Network of Sacred Heart.
She leads several youth oriented projects including the Summit Leadership Academy, border immersion programs and is the creator of the Call Me Back app, a tool for discernment and life exploration for young adults. She is Spanish-English bi-lingual.
Imma De Stefanis, RSCJ, Ph.D.
Consultant, EIL; Director, SHERPA
Imma De Stefanis is a Religious of the Sacred Heart with more than 25 years of experience as educator, administrator and consultant. She holds an MA from the University of California, Berkeley and a doctorate from Boston College in Applied Developmental Psychology. Her areas of specialty include: Strategic planning, facilitation, Board development and leadership training. She is English-Spanish bi-lingual.
Executive Director
Bridget Bearss, RSCJ
Executive Director
Bridget Bearss is a Religious of the Sacred Heart and Executive Director/Interim JPIC Coordinator of the Stuart Center. She has more than 30 years of experience as an educator, administrator and advocate for the work of Catholic Social Teaching, with experience and focus in the integration of spirituality, education, and creative design. She holds a degree in Education from Maryville University in St. Louis and an MA from Washington University in Educational Policies and Leadership. Blending the skills and experience of Dialogue, Theory U and Restorative Justice with participatory decision-making, she brings a passion for collective process with individual accountability and leadership to the work of the Stuart Center.
JPIC
Bridget Bearss, RSCJ
Interim JPIC Coordinator
Bridget Bearss is a Religious of the Sacred Heart and Executive Director/Interim JPIC Coordinator of the Stuart Center. She has more than 30 years of experience as an educator, administrator and advocate for the work of Catholic Social Teaching, with experience and focus in the integration of spirituality, education, and creative design. She holds a degree in Education from Maryville University in St. Louis and an MA from Washington University in Educational Policies and Leadership. Blending the skills and experience of Dialogue, Theory U and Restorative Justice with participatory decision-making, she brings a passion for collective process with individual accountability and leadership to the work of the Stuart Center.
Ministry
Fran de la Chapelle , RSCJ
Director, Office of Ministry
Frances de La Chapelle , RSCJ, has been a Religious of the Sacred Heart for over fifty years. During these years she has been a teacher in the elementary and secondary schools, has been an administrator on the College level as well as in several Sacred Heart Schools, has served on several Boards of Trustees for Sacred Heart schools, and has held leadership positions in the Network of Sacred Heart Schools as well as in Provincial Leadership.