Board of Trustees

Dr. Theresa Topic - Chair

Theresa Topic is an anthropologist (PhD Harvard) with extensive experience of university level teaching and administration. She taught for many years at Trent University and served as Director of the Anthropology Graduate Program and as Master of Peter Robinson College. Relocating to London Ontario in 1996, she served a term as Academic Dean at Brescia University College (the Catholic women's affiliated college at University of Western Ontario) followed by 9 years as principal. Most of her archaeological research has been carried out in northern Peru.

Bishop Daniel J. Miehm - Chancellor of Sacred Heart College

His Excellency, Daniel J. Miehm, is the thirteenth and current Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Peterborough. Bishop Daniel Miehm was born in 1960 in Kitchener, Ontario. After studies at St. Jerome's College, University of Waterloo and St. Augustine's Seminary in Toronto, he was ordained to the Priesthood on May 6, 1989, at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Hamilton.

Bishop Miehm holds a Master of Divinity degree from St. Augustine's Seminary and a Licentiate in Canon Law from the University of San Tomasso (Angelicum) in Rome. Following his Priestly Ordination in 1989, Bishop Miehm served as Associate Pastor of St. Francis Xavier Parish, Stoney Creek and of the Cathedral of Christ the King, Hamilton. Upon completing his Canon Law degree, Bishop Miehm spent several years serving the Toronto Regional Marriage Tribunal. He was Pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, Hamilton and of St. Ann Parish, Ancaster. In June 2012, he was appointed Founding Pastor of St. Benedict Parish, Milton. Bishop Miehm also served as member and representative on various Councils in the Diocese of Hamilton as well as Chaplain for the St. Thomas More Lawyers' Guild. His Excellency was appointed Auxiliary Bishop for the Diocese of Hamilton on May 7, 2013. He was Moderator of the Pastoral Offices and had oversight of the Permanent Deacons in the Diocese. On a national level, he serves as the Liaison to the Canadian Catholic Campus Ministry. Bishop Miehm also co-chairs the Hindu-Catholic Dialogue, one of several inter-religious dialogues sponsored by the Canadian Bishops.

Dr. Richard Alway

Dr. Richard Alway is currently President of the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, and serves as Chairman of the C.D. Howe Memorial Foundation, Chair of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada and Vice-Chair of the Official Residences Committee of the National Capital Commission. Previously, he was President and Vice-chancellor of the University of St. Michael's College, at the University of Toronto, for three six-year terms and recently served as Ministry Supervisor of the Toronto Catholic District School Board.

Dr. Alway has served on or chaired a number of national cultural boards and advisory committees, including the Board of Trustees of the National Museums of Canada, the National Gallery of Canada, the National Museum of Natural Sciences and the National Postal Museum. He was Chair and CEO of the Ontario Heritage Foundation and served on the board of the Canadian Opera Company.

He has also served on the boards of several voluntary associations, including the Canadian Educational Standards Institute, St. Michael's Hospital and the Belmont House Foundation.

In addition to his service as Publisher of the Catholic Register at the request of Cardinal Emmett Carter, Alway was the founding Chairman of the Cathedral Council of St. Michael's Cathedral. He has served as a member of the Millennium Planning Committee of the Archdiocese of Toronto and was a member of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities of Canada. A founder of the Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute, he served as Vice-chair of its board and Chair of its executive committee under His Eminence Aloysius Cardinal Ambrozic. He served as Acting Director of the National Gallery during its construction phase in Ottawa.

President Alway is an Officer of the Order of Canada (appointed a Member in 1989, promoted in 1998) and a member of the Order of Ontario (2000) in recognition of his public service contributions. In 1999, he was appointed Knight Grand Cross with Star, Order of St. Gregory the Great, by His Holiness Pope John Paul II.

Reverend Father Joseph Devereaux

Fr. Devereaux is presently the Chancellor of Temporal Affairs and Judicial Vicar for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Peterborough Ontario, and pastor of Our Lady of Assumption Parish, Otonabee. He obtained a Bachelors Degree in Metallurgy and Material Science from McMaster University and was employed as the Senior Manufacturing Engineer in the Methods Department of Esco Corporation (Port Hope), until he discerned a call to ministry. He began studies for the priesthood and was ordained in 2000. He holds, a Masters of Divinity Degree (St. Augustine Seminary, Toronto) and a Masters in Canon Law (University of Saint Paul). He presently serves as a Board of Trustee member for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Peterborough Good Shepherd Foundation and Sacred Heart of Peterborough. He is a member of the Canadian Canon Law Society.

Dr. Paul Marrocco

Dr. Paul Marrocco is a Diagnostic Radiologist whose current practice is at Northumberland Hills Hospital in Cobourg Ontario. He is currently the quality control officer, head of mammography and the radiation safety officer. He has previously practiced in a group servicing Hospitals and clinics in the Peterborough area, Lindsay and Campbellford. He has been the chief radiologist for 3 separate terms and has served on hospital committees including Medical Advisory Councils.

Dr. Marrocco has previously served on, and been chairman for Wayside Academy and Holy Family Academy, two private elementary and secondary schools in Peterborough Ontario, and for the Canadian Samaritans for Africa, a charitable organization. He has served on parish advisory councils.

Reverend Father Andrew Ayala

Fr. Andrew holds a Licentia in Philosophy from the Angelicum (Rome) and is in the third year of his Ph.D. in Theology at St. Michael's University College (UofT). He has taught Philosophy, Theology and classic and modern languages for more than ten years in different institutions in Argentina, Italy and Peru. Besides some publications, he has also edited several music recordings.

Mr. Kevin Heffernan

Kevin Heffernan is an Assistant Vice President with State Street Corporation (STT), one of the largest financial service firms servicing institutional investors, including mutual funds, insurance companies, foundations, and corporate and public retirement plans. Joining State Street as an Investment Fund Accountant in 1997, Kevin was promoted to Manager, then Client Relationship Officer, servicing high profile Canadian Pension and pooled fund clients and leading teams in providing outstanding service. Recognized for his extensive business, application and organizational knowledge base, Senior Management asked Kevin to join the business continuity team in 2008. Kevin was promoted to Assistant Vice President and appointed by State Street Trust Company Canada's Board of Directors to the position of Business Continuity Manager in 2012. Kevin is currently responsible for managing and developing the business continuity program in Canada, including incident management, application testing, staff testing and recovery solutions. Kevin was presented the prestigious State Street Canada Award in November 2014 for demonstrating the highest level of commitment, engagement and performance.

Kevin presently serves as Board of Trustee member in the capacity of Treasurer for Sacred Heart College and Chair of the Finance Committee. Kevin also serves as a Director/Member of Diocesan Finance Committee for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Peterborough and a board member for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Peterborough Good Shepherd Foundation. Kevin holds a number of local and provincial leadership positions with the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic Fraternal Charitable organization- including President of Peterborough Columbus Club Inc.

Kevin and his wife Robin have three sons and one daughter, who are all active in their Roman Catholic parish community. Kevin is a graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Canadian Studies.

Sister Mary Rowell, PhD

Mary Rowell is a Sister of St. Joseph in Canada. She currently serves as the Vocation Director and Director of Initial Formation for her Congregation. She is also President of the National Association of Vocation and Formation Directors (Canada).

Originally from the U.K. Sister Mary studied there. She firstly studied Nursing and was for many years a Clinical Nurse and Nurse Educator in the U.K. and in numerous countries in Asia and South-East Asia, China and the Indian sub-Continent, where employed by Orbis International, she helped set up programmes in ophthalmology and blindness prevention.

Sister Mary also holds a B.A. in philosophy and an M.A. in Medial Law and Ethics from the University of London and a PhD. In Theology from the University of Durham in the U.K.

Sister Mary is on the Faculty of the Toronto School of Theology at the University of Toronto (St. Michael's and Regis Colleges) where she teaches courses in Moral Theology, Catholic Social Teaching, Bioethics, Ethics and Christian Leadership and Worship, Sacrament and Ethics. She also serves as a Supervisor for graduate students undertaking Master of Arts and Doctoral Programmes.

Mrs. Michelle Griepsma

Michelle Griepsma brings a lot to the Sacred Heart College Board of Trustees, given her extensive education and experience. She currently serves as the Board Chairperson for the Peterborough Victoria Northumberland Clarington Catholic District School Board. She has her Certificate of Catholic School Governance from the University of St. Michael's College; Counselling Skills Fundamentals from the Centre for Loss and Life Transition, Colorado; Ontario Core Indigenous Cultural Competency Health Training; and a Diploma from Sir Sandford Fleming College in Hospital Management. She has also had great involvement with Hospice Services as the Bereavement Program Coordinator, and the Respect for Life Office with the Diocese of Peterborough.