Distinguished Alumni

William (Billy) Kappaz is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Dorado Group, LLC, an investment company that has been an owner and operator of power generating projects and companies supporting sustainable and clean energy. During a 20-year career in the global power industry, Billy led the structuring, development and financing of independent power projects around the world. He is a recognized expert in project finance, having facilitated the first private investments in the power sectors of more than a dozen countries. Billy has also developed and published new rules and regulations governing various countries’ energy sectors, unbundled vertically integrated state-owned utilities, and established wholesale electricity markets – the result of which supported significant new investment in emerging market economies. Today, Billy leads the Dorado Group in a new direction making several direct investments in companies ranging from data analytics to professional sports leagues.

Billy serves on the boards of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington DC, Beauvoir -- the National Cathedral Elementary School and the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation. He actively supports several other institutions that focus on Catholic education, job training, workforce development and medical services for underserved communities. Billy is married with three daughters.

Timothy Welsh ’84 is the Vice Chairman of Consumer Banking Sales and Support at U.S. Bank. In this role, Welsh works with colleagues to provide consumers and small businesses with exceptional banking products and services in order to help them reach their potential and achieve their dreams. Previously, Tim was a Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company.

Welsh is a bold advocate for the community. He is a founder of the Itasca project, a dedicated team of business, government and not-for-profit leaders who are working to improve the quality of life in Minneapolis and St. Paul. He is a board chair for Greater Twin Cities United Way, president of the board of trustees at St. Paul Academy and Summit School, immediate Past Chair of the Board of GREATER MSP, Governance and Audit Committee Chair for the GHR Foundation, and as a member of the Boards of the Minnesota Orchestra, Commonweal Magazine, and Minnesota Philanthropy Partners. He holds a master's of business administration degree from Harvard Business School and a bachelor's degree in social studies magna cum laude, from Harvard University.

A graduate of the Class of 1977, Father Steve Katsouros didn’t know where life would lead him when he left Good Counsel. He remembers his father’s words, “You already speak English. Why would you need to major in it?”

Now some 40 years later, Fr. Steve still remembers the influence that the Xaverian Brothers and his lay teachers at Good Counsel had on his career choice and his dedication to education and service.

Following college, Fr. Steve was recruited by the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in Washington, DC to work as a childcare supervisor at Covenant House in New York City. He went on to be a teacher and administrator for Nativity Mission School, a school focused on educating poor and underserved middle school boys on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Fr. Steve was a co-founder, teacher, and administrator for the Gonzaga Program at St. Aloysius School, a school in Harlem for inner-city youth. Fr. Steve has served in several other schools, including nine years as President of Loyola School in New York City.

In 2011, Father Steve took over as Director of the Institute of Catholic Educational Leadership at the University of San Francisco and quickly built a national reputation for its programs.

Fr. Steve is a Jesuit priest, ordained in 1998, 21 years after he left Good Counsel. He studied theology at the Weston Jesuit School of Theology, now a part of Boston College School. Like all Jesuits, Fr. Steve is seriously educated. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Maryland, a master’s in reading education from Fordham University, a master’s in philosophy from Loyola University of Chicago, a master’s in education from Harvard University, and a doctorate in educational administration from Columbia University.

Fr. Steve’s visionary educational leadership makes him sought after as a board member and consultant. He has served on the Good Counsel Board of Directors. He currently serves on the boards of Regis University and Cristo Rey Jesuit High School. He is an invited participant on the Board of Loyola University Chicago. He is a consultant to Saint Meinrad Seminary, Edmund Rice Christian Brothers Schools, Saint Catharine College, Carondelet High School, Provincial Assistants for Education, and St. Vincent DePaul School.

Over the past three years, Fr. Steve’s lifetime of dedication to education and service to the poor and marginalized have found their ideal setting. He is the founding Dean and Executive Director of Arrupe College of Loyola University Chicago.

Named after the Jesuits’ 28th superior general, Father Pedro Arrupe, who challenged society to think of new ways to educate young people, Arrupe College offers a unique, two-year program to motivated students with limited financial resources and an interest in transferring to a four-year institution after graduation. The university not only seeks to develop students educationally but also provides the financial, social, and community support to ensure that students graduate with little or no debt. Arrupe College is making a crucial impact in Chicago under Fr. Steve’s leadership.

A graduate of Good Counsel’s class of 1979, Mr. Richard M. Jeanneret, warmly remembers a great sense of community among the students and how the Xaverian Brothers made an extra effort to connect and motivate him to excel in every facet of life.

A son of a diplomat, Mr. Jeanneret grew up in several different countries such as Iraq, Yemen, Iran, Turkey, and Jordan before attending St. Elizabeth’s School. During his time at Good Counsel, Mr. Jeanneret immersed himself in Yearbook, served as the Editor in his junior and senior years. He was a member of the National Honor Society, played soccer, and enjoyed the Spanish club.

After graduation, Mr. Jeanneret received his Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Boston College.

Today, Mr. Jeanneret works at EY, a multinational professional services firm where he is Americas Vice Chair of Transaction Advisory Services and a member of the Americas Operating Executive. Based out of EY’s New York office, he leads over 3,600 colleagues in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Israel.

Mr. Jeanneret has more than 30 years of experience with mergers and acquisitions, public company spinoffs, initial public offerings, and securities offerings. He is recognized as a thought leader and is regularly quoted in top-tier media and has frequently appeared on television and radio including Fox Business; Bloomberg TV; and NPR.

Mr. Jeanneret is active with many charitable and civic activities. He currently sits on the National Board of Directors of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. He is also a Board Member of the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts. An avid supporter of the arts, Mr. Jeanneret has been generous during our campaign to build the Performing Arts Center.

Mr. Jeanneret attributes a big part of his success to his supportive wife, Lisa: “There is no way I could have had success without my wife. She is my partner throughout everything. She has made me a better person both personally and professionally.”

The Jeannerets reside in Great Falls, Virginia and they have four children: Katie, Tim, Amy, and Henry.

A graduate of Good Counsel’s Class of 1968, Mr. William T. “Bill” Riley, Jr., has always taken the Xaverian Brothers’ teachings to heart. He recalls that the Brothers and other faculty members had a significant influence on him. He was impressed that they would dedicate their lives to teaching high school boys!

Mr. Riley believes that each of us who receives the gift of education and many opportunities in life should give back in service to help the less fortunate.

Upon leaving Good Counsel, Mr. Riley attended Georgetown University where he earned his bachelor’s degree. He started his first job in accounting the day after his graduation. Today, an accountant for more than 40 years, Mr. Riley is a partner in the firm of CohnReznick, LLP, and currently works in New York City as the Northeast Regional Director of the firm’s Affordable Housing Industry Practice.

Mr. Riley serves in two roles for his firm’s community service efforts. He is on the board of the CohnReznick Foundation, which provides philanthropic support, particularly to children’s causes, in the 26 cities where the firm has offices. He also oversees and supports the community service efforts of the individual offices across the country including the Community Service Day when each office closes its doors and all employees work in their local areas.

Mr. Riley serves on the board for several organizations including the New York Housing Conference, the New York State Association for Affordable Housing, Stevenson University here in Maryland, the Maryland Chamber of Commerce, and on the board for Washington Redskins’ Ryan Kerrigan’s Blitz for the Better Foundation, which provides support for children. He also serves on Dr. Barker’s President’s Counsel of Advisors.

Mr. Riley was a member of the Maryland Chamber of Commerce for nine years and served as its chairman for two. He was also chairman of the Maryland Association of CPA’s. He has received the American Red Cross Lifetime Achievement Award for Community Service and was named “Baltimore’s Smart CPA” by Baltimore Smart CEO magazine.

Mr. Riley recalls that Good Counsel prepared him well for success in college and his career through rigorous and disciplined instruction in a structured environment. He wrote for the school newspaper, was on the baseball team, was a member of the National Honor Society, and played intramural sports. One of his favorite teachers and coaches, Tom Kolar, is still here helping to shape young minds.

He and his wife of 42 years, Margaret, had five children, one who is deceased, and one grandchild. Their three sons and one daughter have each pursued a career in business, but none is an accountant. He enjoys swimming, biking, attending sporting events (he is a passionate Redskins fan), travel, and spending cherished time with his granddaughter.

When told he had been selected as the 2015 Our Lady of Good Counsel High School’s Distinguished Alumnus, in his humble manner, Mr. Riley said, “There must be some mistake!”

Rev. Robert B. Lawton, S.J., Ph.D. ’65 was the valedictorian of his graduating class and received numerous academic awards including the GC Senior Gold Medal Award for Sodality, Outstanding Scholar Trophy, and Religion Trophy for Outstanding Catholic Gentleman. He was also a member of GC’s National Championship Debate Team.

He went on to graduate summa cum laude from Fordham University where he studied classics and was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa Honors Society. He later earned a doctorate in near eastern languages and civilizations at Harvard University where he was a Danforth and a Woodrow Wilson Fellow. He taught theology as an assistant adjunct professor at Georgetown University from 1977-1979.

Father Lawton was ordained as a Jesuit priest in 1981. Following his preparation for ordination from 1979-81, Fr. Lawton traveled to Germany to conduct independent study in both German and theology. In 1982, he accepted an assistant professorship teaching Hebrew and Aramaic at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome, Italy, a post he held until 1984.

He served as assistant dean at Georgetown University from 1984-89 and then as dean from 1989-1999. Father Lawton later served as the president of Loyola Marymount University (LMU) in Los Angeles from 1999-2010 and led the university through a time of rapid and progressive change.

Father Lawton has served as a trustee of LMU, Boston College, Fairfield University, Loyola High School of Los Angeles, and the University of Scranton. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the William H. Hannon Foundation, and former member of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, the United Way of Greater Los Angeles, and the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation.

Today, Fr. Lawton resides at the Colombiere Jesuit Community in Baltimore.

This morning we recognize Mr. Thomas R. Johnson, Class of 1976, with the 2013 Distinguished Alumnus Award.

Tom Johnson has spent the majority of his working life with apparel companies. Early in his career, he worked with major retailers Gap Incorporated, Brooks Brothers, and David’s Bridal.

Today, Mr. Johnson is the Chief Executive Officer of Aéropostale, Inc., a mall-based specialty retailer of casual apparel for young women and men. Mr. Johnson has been with Aéropostale for 19 years.

Under Mr. Johnson’s leadership, Aéropostale has achieved record sales, delivered record earnings and recorded its fourteenth consecutive year of same store sales growth. During his time with Aéropostale, the Company has grown from a 220-store chain to a powerful, multi-brand, global teen retailer with over 1,000 stores in 50 states, Puerto Rico, Canada, and many other countries around the world.

While Mr. Johnson is focused on driving Aéropostale’s financial successes, he also strives to make Aéropostale a philanthropic example for its community. In April 2010, the Aero Cares Foundation was launched to take care of employees and their families in times of need. Aero Cares has paid over $500,000 in tax-free grants to Aéropostale employees.

Mr. Johnson also helped establish various charitable campaigns, such as Coats for Kids and Holiday Bears. His Company partners with Fashion Delivers® to donate nearly $4 million in product to assist charities across the country. And Aéropostale’s annual ‘Teens for Jeans’ campaign, since its inception, has donated and collected over 3.6 million jeans for homeless teens across the United States. This year, the New York and New Jersey office employees participated in a two-day philanthropic project to help refurbish classrooms and other spaces for several high schools in need. Mr. Johnson also serves on the advisory board of Women’s Initiative, a non-profit organization assisting high-potential, low-income women who dream of business ownership.

The Distinguished Alumnus Award honors one of our own who has demonstrated a commitment to faith, service, and Good Counsel; who has achieved professional success; and who has made significant contributions to society through leadership, volunteerism, and philanthropy.

Our honoree personifies the spirit and values Our Lady of Good Counsel High School seeks to instill in students. Please join me in welcoming our 2013 Distinguished Alumnus, from the Class of 1976, Mr. Tom Johnson.

Our Lady of Good Counsel High School is proud to recognize our distinguished alumnus/alumna with an award presented annually to a graduate whose life personifies the spirit and values our school seeks to instill in its students. The Distinguished Alumni Award honors those who demonstrate a commitment to faith, service and Good Counsel; who have achieved professional success and who have made significant contributions to society through leadership, volunteerism and philanthropy.

Mr. Alfred Checchi '66, our third recipient, received this honor on Thursday, April 26, at the Feast of Our Lady of Good Counsel Mass in the Kane Center. Following the Mass, a luncheon was held at Manor Country Club to honor Al.

Craig Vincent ’12, Good Counsel SGA President, introduced Mr. Checchi to the entire student body with these words.

The recipient of this year’s Alumnus of the Year Award is Mr. Al Checchi, Class of 1966.

Al was born near Boston but grew up in Montgomery County and came to Good Counsel from St. Michael’s. He began at the Wheaton campus on Georgia Avenue in September 1962.

At Good Counsel, Al was an outstanding student – a member of the National Honor Society and a National Merit Commended Student. He even found time to become a Certified Montgomery County Great Books Discussion Leader while still a high school student. He was Assistant Editor of the school newspaper The Talon and worked on The Falcon yearbook. He participated in JV Basketball, Varsity Track and played football all four years; he was the starting halfback on the Varsity Football team. For all those commitments, Al still found time to be involved as a leader in student government. He always had an interest in politics. Al was Class President and Student Activities Council (SAC) President; in fact, Al was elected president of every class from the fourth grade through high school. Not content to serve only at Good Counsel, Al was also President of Montgomery County Student Government Day and Treasurer of the Montgomery County Association of Student Governments.

Between freshman and sophomore year here at Good Counsel, 15-year-old Al accompanied his father to the Lincoln Memorial to witness the greatest civil rights demonstration in US history, the legendary “I have a dream” speech of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

In his recent book (published in September), Al describes his time at Good Counsel as a powerful influence on the man he became. He also describes one summer night two years after graduation with his best friend and quarterback from his Good Counsel football team, Bobby Rafferty. After playing golf together, Bobby had insisted that Al ride shotgun; Bobby was squeezed into the back seat of his brother’s car. Minutes later, a car ran a stop sign and slammed into their Volkswagen Bug. Bobby was killed instantly. That event remains one of the formative experiences of Al’s life.

Upon graduation Al attended Amherst College in Massachusetts, a college he chose because he heard it was the most difficult to get into. He graduated in 1970 with economics and American studies majors. He later attended Harvard where he completed an MBA.

Al entered corporate America where he promptly distinguished himself. At Marriott Corporation, headquartered not far from [Our Lady of Good Counsel High School] in Bethesda, he rose quickly as he developed approaches that moved the corporation from hotel ownership to more lucrative hotel development and management at home and abroad.

In his 30's, he helped investors acquire a major stake in Disney. And, while only in his early 40’s, Al organized a $3.65 billion buyout of Minnesota-based Northwest Airlines; he served as co-chairman of the airline for a number of years.

Al is perhaps best known on the national stage for his unsuccessful 1998 campaign for the Democratic Party’s nomination for Governor of California. He ran against Lieutenant Governor Gray Davis and US Congresswoman Jane Harman. He was a staunch advocate for education reform, proposing a 10% across-the-board cut in all state bureaucracies to pay for more teachers, computers, books and universal preschool and after-school programs. Though he led in early polls and used a large amount of his personal wealth, Al came in second to Davis who went on to become Governor of California. Davis was subsequently recalled by the voters of California and was succeeded by someone you probably know of, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Today, Al remains as passionate as ever about what our nation can be. He blogs regularly about the current political climate on the Huffington Post website. He has recently published a book, The Change Maker: Preserving the Promise of America. He argues for getting away from today’s partisan politics and the adoption of common sense policies aimed at creating the greatest good for the greatest number.

Al is married to his wife Kathryn, and has three children. Aside from his many business pursuits, Al spends a lot of time with his family and his grandchildren, which are his delight.

In today’s world, the loving, good person, even alone can make a difference.

This message was introduced as Good Counsel’s philosophy of education in the late seventies, well after the time that Al Checchi walked the halls of our school in Wheaton. Yet, the words that were clearly defined by our Xaverian heritage is the core of this year’s Distinguished Alumnus Award recipient’s philosophy. The motto, entwined with the teachings of our Xaverian Brothers—the call to serve others and to make our world a better place—truly describes the path that Al Checchi has chosen for his own life.

As a very prominent and storied leader in business, politics and public service, one would expect our honorary guest to be a hard, calculating and self-absorbed personality. Yet, what is so striking about Al Checchi upon meeting him, is his modesty and his passion and clear vision for making our world a better place. Al’s affable, pragmatic and charismatic personality, undoubtedly, have been the fundamental traits that have earned him respect by his co-workers and constituents alike.

Al took his seat in the front row among our entire student body during GC’s large assembly on April 26. Flanked by Dr. Barker and several of Al’s Good Counsel classmates, one could not help noticing that he shifted his focus many times from his colleagues and craned his neck to capture the 360 degree view of the future leaders of tomorrow. He was seemingly captivated by those who will carry on the Xaverian heritage.

Al had come home to a fraternity of sorts. He was “one of us”—a GC family member who truly understands the culture of Good Counsel and the worthiness of a GC education. After receiving his Distinguished Alumni Award, students, alumni, faculty and staff members sat transfixed with Al’s words outlining his journey that began in the halls at our former Georgia Avenue location.

Although Al was honored to receive the Distinguished Alumni Award, he was also very gracious and reverent to his fellow classmates. “I’m being singled out as an outstanding alumnus, but virtually all of the people I remember at Good Counsel—my friends—would qualify for the award also. Basically, we were all cut out of the same mold. We had similar values that were inculcated in us.” At the conclusion of his speech, Al was met with a warm, thunderous applause, from students and adults alike, who were anxious to shake his hand.

THE ROOTS OF LEADERSHIP AND SERVICE

Al Checchi gives gratitude for his formative years at Our Lady of Good Counsel High School. “As far as I’m concerned, I got the basics at Good Counsel. I learned to read, to write, to think critically because of [my involvement in] the Student Government—this is where I learned to speak publically,” said Al. “If I look at my activities when I was in high school, my first entrepreneurial activity was at Good Counsel. We wanted to raise money for the student government, so we put on a concert—a hootenanny. It was professionally done, from the lighting to the sound, to organizing the event and selling advertising. It was a smashing success! I think what really impressed me was how many skills we learned.”

Although Al Checchi concedes that during his time at Good Counsel the academic and extracurricular offerings, such as the arts, were much fewer than today, Al was very prepared to go on to college. “I didn’t encounter anything more challenging in college that I couldn’t handle. In fact, the man that I was graduating from Good Counsel is the man I am now.”

Al still remembers quotes he studied in English class. He believes he became a businessman from his experience producing and executing the hootenanny. And his yearning to serve the public began in high school, during a very transitional time in our history. “It was an amazing and historic period of transition in America,” said Al. “The world that was there when I graduated high school to the world I graduated from college, had so much change.” Learning the fundamental Christian principals—the sense of community indoctrinated at GC—and how they are applied to government, along with his own activities as a student leader, gave him a lifelong interest in the public sector. “I’m being honored for the things I learned at Good Counsel.”

“Everyone had a sense that ‘no man is an island.’ GC built an awareness of community,” said Al. “What motivated me throughout my career in the business or the public service environments, was a sense of responsibility for the people around me—a view that the job of a leader is to knit people together and have them understand where their mutual interests lie, rather than what divides them. This is what I tried to do in business and in the public arena.

“Everything I became and learned about leadership, I got from Good Counsel.”
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WALKING THE TALK

Al Checchi’s book The Change Maker: Preserving the Promise of America, ends with a call for citizens to take a leadership position—a place where the government ought to go—“because our country is not getting it from the politicians.” Since writing the book, Al has written approximately 25 articles for the Huffington Post, in which he tries to present a non-partisan and substantive view on public policy.

Al is currently drafting an amendment to the US Constitution. He is working with Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson, co-chairs of President Obama’s Deficit Commission, to compose a constitutional amendment on public debt. He is vetting with Simpson-Bowles, but he also plans to bring it to the Harvard and Yale Law Schools to have their constitutional scholars scrub the language. “I would expect to spend the next year or so trying to push for its ratification,” said Al. When asked about his efforts to amend the Constitution and likening the possibility of an amendment to moving a mountain, Al says, “Yes, but I’ve done that my entire career. Almost everything I did, people said ‘you can’t do it.’ I’ve assessed this, and I think it can be done.” Whatever skills and experiences he’s had, have come to bear on this. The amendment process involves talking to various constituencies, explaining why a change is in their best interest and receiving the required two-thirds vote of Congress and ratification by 75 percent of the States. “Given what I am proposing, I think it is entirely doable,” asserts Al. “We have amended the Constitution 27 times, so it can be done.”

INVESTING FOR THE FUTURE: GOOD COUNSEL TODAY

When discussing the basis of his book, Al firmly believes that education is the most important element outside of family for advancement of the individual and society. “The high school period—a time that a person is physically and mentally maturing and preparing for college, is probably more critical than college itself,” contends Al. “And so, anyone who is concerned about the future, the next generation or future generations, would want to focus on making an investment in the high school years. Good Counsel happens to have a lot going for it—and isdoing it right, as experienced by all the rest of us. That’s a great investment. You’re investing in a winner.”

Mr. Steve Richter graduated from Our Lady of Good Counsel in 1975. He went on to Catholic University for his undergraduate studies in Biological and Ecological Engineering. Steve went on to accomplish a great deal after graduating, including founding Richter & Associates, Inc., a utility engineering firm. Mr. Richter has worked on many significant projects such as The Peterson Companies—National Harbor; The US Department of Transportation Head Quarters M Street, SE; The German Ambassador’s Residence; and The Chinese Embassy.

He currently is serving his third term on the Our Lady of Good Counsel Board of Directors, Chair of Plant Committee, coordinates parking activities and parking security for all home football games. Steve serves as the Class Representative for his 1975 class, along with being an active participant in Career Day at Good Counsel.

Mr. Richter’s affiliations include, being President of the Silver Spring Boys and Girls Clubs from 1991- 1994; is presently serving on County Executive Ike Leggetts’ committee regarding the reliability of Pepco’s electric system; is a member of the Maryland-National Capital Building Industry Association; as well as coach football, baseball, basketball, and soccer at St. Judes’, St. Peter’s, Olney Boys and Girls Club, and the Olney Soccer Club.

Mr. Steve Richter truly exemplifies the Xaverian values through his work at Our Lady of Good Counsel, as well as volunteering his time at many other WCAC schools as well (Holy Cross, St. John’s, Archbishop Carroll, Elizabeth Seton). Because of Steve’s leadership, volunteerism, and philanthropy work, Our Lady of Good Counsel is proud to present this award to Mr. Steve Richter on Sunday, December 5, 2010.

David Higgins, MD '75
2009

James Arnaiz, Sr '63
2003

David Higgins, MD '75
2002

George Arlotto '81
2001

Michael Murtaugh, Jr '81
2000

John Poulos '77
1999

Thomas Dickerson '66
1998

Rev. Robert Lawton, S.J., Ph.D '65
1996

David Higgins, MD '75
1995

John Howard '62
1988