Board

Regina Coeli Academy Board

The members of the Board of Directors are leaders in many local, national, and international organizations. They have expertise in education, theology, psychology, science, and business. This combined experience has enabled the Board to found the school, maintain it, and meet the demands of the curriculum and administration. The members of both the Board of Directors and the Advisory Board are:

Timothy J. Murnane, Chairman

Tim has been associated with RCA from the beginning but officially for about 14 years.  He has had an interest in Catholic education since his own children were very young.  He is a professional engineer with 41 years experience with the Rohm and Haas Company and has a BS and MS degrees in Structural/Civil Engineering from Villanova University as well as metallurgical engineering education from Drexel University.  He is the recipient of numerous professional awards during his distinguished career for technical excellence and significant contributions to Rohm and Haas.

Tim is the father of 9 children and 27 grandchildren and he has been a Catholic activist for the past 30 years.  He is presently one of the leaders of the Mid-Atlantic Knights of the Immaculata which sponsors an annual retreat and other activities that focus on male spirituality and leadership.  The group has grown rapidly in the last several years counting over 600 men including Tim’s five sons and several grandsons so far.

John Armstrong

John joined our board in 2016 and comes to Regina Coeli with a love for classical education and a love for the Regina Coeli mission. He is a strong believer in presenting young people with the highest academic standards in students’ earliest years. In his career as a financial advisor in Ambler, Pennsylvania John has over forty years of experience in private education finance. John’s hobbies include reading and being taught by his new grandchildren.

John F. Kasbar

John F. Kasbar has served as an attorney for the United States Army Corps of Engineers since 2003.  During that time he has developed experience in a wide range of legal practice areas and volunteered for several deployments in support of oversees contingency operations.  In 2011 he became a managing attorney and has served as Philadelphia District Counsel since 2016.  As District Counsel, John is responsible for leading the legal office and serving on the Corporate Board of the Philadelphia District, which has approximately 500 employees executing a diverse civil works and military mission totaling approximately $500 million per year.

John graduated from The Florida State University with honors with a B.S. in Pure Mathematics and a minor in Math Education.  He graduated from the University of Florida with a M.S. in Environmental Engineering Sciences with a concentration in Wetlands and Systems Ecology.  He also earned his Juris Doctorate with honors from the University of Florida where he served as Managing Editor for the Law Review.

As a father, devout Catholic, and former teacher, John is passionate about applying his leadership and management experience to serving Regina Coeli Academy in the fulfillment of its mission.  In addition to spending time with his family, including his three daughters attending Regina Coeli Academy, John enjoys cycling, watching EWTN, listening to Relevant Radio, and being an active parishioner at Immaculate Conception BVM in Jenkintown, where he has served as secretary for the Parish Pastoral Council since 2019.

Denise O’Connell

Denise O’Connell has a long history of commitment to Catholic education.  She taught for 29 years in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia before finding her way to Regina Coeli Academy. Denise has taught grades 1 and 2 at RCA and thoroughly enjoyed bringing the love of Our Lord to her students in a classical curriculum.  In 2020, she retired from teaching and is enjoying the time that stepping away has afforded her.  In 2021, Denise was invited to join the Board of Directors at RCA and she is enjoying her reconnection to her beloved school.

Denise holds a B.S. in Elementary Education with a minor in psychology from West Chester University. She and her husband Bill have two grown sons and seven grandchildren. In her free time, Denise enjoys spending time with her family and friends, reading, and going on long walks.

Jennifer Swierzbinski

Jennifer Swierzbinski is a marketing professional with over a decade of experience aiding Catholic organizations. Currently a stay-at-home mother, Jennifer previously was a marketing manager at The Catholic University of America where she focused on conducting competitive analyses and strategic planning for the creation of the Busch School of Business. Jennifer worked closely with the Dean, faculty and Board to support the school’s mission of educating virtuous business leaders; putting the human person at the center of business enterprise. Prior to her time at CUA, Jennifer was the Communications Director for Landings International, a Catholic nonprofit aimed at welcoming fallen away Catholics back to the Church.

Jennifer holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing from The Catholic University of America. She is a wife to her husband, Jeff, and a mother of three young children, Clare and Andrew, and Bridget Regina. Jennifer enjoys spending time outdoors with her family, reading, Catholic podcasts, and hopes to one day return to CUA to complete her MA in Moral Theology.

James Todd

Over the past 40 years, Mr. Todd has worked for a variety of companies both large and small including Fortune 500 and high-tech venture capital-funded companies. He also has significant entrepreneurial experience having worked for a small environmental testing company and most recently as a business owner of an e-commerce based software development company.

His background, skills, and expertise include sales, marketing, technology licensing, business development, project management, and business management & operations with both e-commerce and bricks and mortar businesses.

Mr. Todd volunteers time as an usher, choir member, and coordinator for special liturgical events. He also serves on the board of directors for a non-profit organization founded to provide assistance to Alumaku, a small village of approximately 4000 people, in southern Nigeria. Over the years he has also been actively involved in the Pro-life movement, founded a non-profit organization to battle Planned Parenthood funding in New Jersey, and was the founder of Pewsitter.com, a Catholic news aggregator website.

Mr. Todd, graduated in 1980 from the University of Nebraska with a degree in Agriculture.  He was born and raised in Nebraska on a family farm and has significant agricultural experience with farming and livestock operations.