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25th Annual
Salute To Catholic School Alumni
“Growing A Legacy of Excellence”
Galt House Hotel • March 18, 2015 • Doors Open 6 pm • Dinner & Program 7 pm
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Tables and individual seats are available. Contact the Catholic Education
Foundation at (502) 585-2747 or visit our website at www.ceflou.org.
The Catholic Education Foundation is dedicated to the growth and vitality of Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Louisville.
We Welcome You To The 25th Annual
Salute To Catholic School Alumni
The Catholic Education Foundation welcomes you to the 25th annual Salute to Catholic School Alumni honoring
seven Catholic school alumni who have distinguished themselves by their personal career accomplishments and service
to others through community involvement. In addition, we will present the Community Service Award to a civic leader for
commendable service to the community at large, and an outstanding Catholic school educator will be recognized with
the Father Joseph McGee Award.
Now in our twenty-fifth year of celebrating the special achievements of Catholic school alumni, this evening has three
purposes. First, we salute all Catholic school alumni by spotlighting a select group of honorees. Second, we call attention
to the Foundation’s fundraising efforts for tuition assistance to families who cannot afford the gift of a Catholic education
for their children. Finally, we illuminate the excellence of Catholic school education and its importance to our community.
We invite you to join us in a toast to these great Catholic schools and their outstanding alumni.
2015 Keynote Speaker &
Co-Chair
2015 Co-Chair
Most Reverend
Joseph E. Kurtz, D.D.
President & CEO
Ruth W. Brinkley
KentuckyOne Health
Archbishop of Louisville
2015 Salute To Catholic School Alumni Honorees
P. Doug Borders
Doug Borders retired in 2005 from a career of 37 years in hospital and health care management. He served 16 years
in positions in convalescent care management and then held senior management positions at Lourdes Hospital in
Paducah, Mary Chiles Hospital in Mt. Sterling, and Mercy Hospital in Owensboro. From 1995 until his retirement, he
served as senior vice president of Catholic Healthcare partners and president and CEO of Mercy Health Partners Kentucky
and Indiana region.
Doug graduated from St. Augustine Elementary School and High School in his native Lebanon in Marion County. He
studied at Xavier University in Cincinnati and then Bellarmine University, where he received his B.A. in business administration. He then earned his MBA from Murray State University.
Doug’s community service has included board memberships at Sansbury Nursing Home, Providence Retirement Home,
Owensboro Mercy Health System, the Kentucky Hospital Association, Sacred Heart Village, Marcum & Wallace Memorial
Hospital and the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce.
Doug has received distinguished service awards from the University of Kentucky’s College of Allied Health Professions,
the American Red Cross, and the United States Jaycees, as well as an Award of Excellence from the Kentucky Hospital
Association.
Doug and his wife, Sue, worked and raised their children Lewis, Stephen, and Laura in Western Kentucky, where they
were active in their parish and where Doug chaired the renewal and restoration capital campaign for St. Stephen’s
Cathedral in Owensboro. The couple joined Saint Patrick parish when they moved to Louisville in 2008.
Paul G. Fultz
In January 2010, Paul Fultz became managing partner of the Louisville office of KPMG LLP, an international audit, tax
and advisory professional services firm. He began his career in public accounting in 1991 and became a partner with
KPMG in 2003. In addition to directing KPMG’s strategy and growth in this market, he continues to serve the firm as an
audit and SEC reviewing partner and is the firm’s National Restaurant Segment Leader.
Growing up in Louisville, Paul attended St. Denis School, entered Bishop David High School, and graduated from its
successor Holy Cross High School, laying an academic and spiritual foundation for his future. He earned his B.S.B.A
degree in accounting from the University of Louisville.
His commitment to service extends to the Louisville community as a board member of the Fund for the Arts and Junior
Achievement of Kentuckiana. Paul also serves on the finance committee of Greater Louisville, Inc. and is a United Way
Tocqueville Society member. He is a member of the American Institute for Certified Public Accountants and the Kentucky
Society of Certified Public Accountants. Paul and his wife, Jennifer, are members of Saint Albert the Great parish and have
two children, Jaclyn and Aaron.
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John P. Hollenbach
As a managing member of Horizon Commercial Realty and a partner of Hollenbach-Oakley Development, John
Hollenbach’s name has been associated with some of the Louisville area’s highest profile commercial developments of
the last two decades: Blankenbaker Crossings Business Park, Eastpoint Business Center, Blankenbaker Station Business
Park, and Oldham Reserve. His firm has been involved with projects totaling over 2,500 acres and $1 billion in investment
for clients employing more than 10,000 workers.
John graduated from Holy Spirit Elementary School and Trinity High School, where he has served on the Alumni Board,
the school’s Foundation Board, and the Hall of Fame selection committee. He received a bachelor’s degree in marketing
and business administration from the University of Kentucky, and worked in sales in Cincinnati before returning to
Louisville to begin his commercial real estate career at NTS Corporation.
John currently serves on the Old National Bank Advisory Board, The Olmstead Parks Conservancy Board and the March
of Dimes REACH Awards nominating committee. A graduate of Leadership Louisville, and Bingham Fellows, he has served
as a board member of the Building Industry Association (BIA), Jeffersontown Chamber of Commerce, and the Commercial
Council of Louisville.
John and his wife, Heather, are active members of Holy Spirit parish and have two children, John, Jr. and Hannah.
Reverend J. Ronald Knott
Father Ronald Knott is a retired priest of the Archdiocese of Louisville, but his work is far from complete. In his service
to the Church that began in 1970, Father Knott founded the Institute for Priests and Presbyterates at the St. Meinrad School
of Theology where he earned his Master of Divinity degree. He went on to earn a Doctor of Ministry degree from
McCormick Seminary in Chicago.
Putting his education and commitment to work, Father Knott established two Catholic mission churches in an area of
Louisville where Catholics were very sparse. Through the revitalization of the Cathedral of the Assumption and outreach
to the downtown community, the church saw growth from 110 members to well over 2100 members.
Father Knott has written several books that encourage and mentor those entering seminary. He has gained an international reputation for his continuing work with priests and is well published in such periodicals as The Record; America;
Seminary Journal; and Pastoral Review. He has also published three collections of homilies and 12 collections of his
weekly columns.
Currently, Reverend Knott works with presbyterates through priest convocations, retreats and study days in the United
States, Canada, Ireland, Wales, England, the Bahamas and Barbardos. Father Knott has been recognized with the Louisville
Forum’s Fleur de Lis Award, the National Conference of Christian and Jews Award, the National Federation of Priest
Councils’ Touchstone Award and the St. Meinrad’s Distinguished Alumnus Award.
Rosemary Bisig Smith
During a 34-year development career, Rosemary Bisig Smith earned a reputation as an exceptional fundraiser with a gift
for managing spectacular events with healthy bottom line results. By the time she retired last year as executive director
of the Catholic Education Foundation, she had grown the Salute to Catholic School Alumni Dinner and the much younger
Salute to THE GAME Luncheon into the largest, most financially successful events in a party town with a crowded calendar
of non-profit events.
Previously, as Director of Stewardship and Development of the Archdiocese of Louisville from 1990 to 2004, Rosemary
implemented a full Stewardship education program, with emphasis on children and youth. Under her development leadership, the Archdiocese raised $20 million in the Endowment for Excellence capital campaign (which provided the seed
money for the Catholic Education Foundation) as well as $43 million in the annual Catholic Services Appeals. She was a
nationally-recognized speaker in the International Catholic Stewardship Council and provided in-service and stewardship
education for dioceses across the country.
Rosemary began her non-profit career as development director at her alma mater, Assumption High School, in 1980,
raising funds for the school’s first capital campaign and initiating several events, most notably the annual Rocket
Spectacular gala and the Walk for Assumption.
Hailing from a family of eleven siblings in St. Agnes parish, Rosemary attended grade school there before graduating
from Assumption. Long-time members of the Church of the Ascension, she and her late husband, Bob, raised a family of
six children: Laura, Dawn, Robert, Melinda, Melissa, and Colleen.
Peggy Noe Stevens
Peggy Noe Stevens has dedicated herself to others by building their personal and professional presence through the
thriving image branding business she founded in 2008, Peggy Noe Stevens and Associates. As a trained and certified
protocol, image, and experiential marketing expert, she uses a customized approach for both individuals and companies
who desire to improve their brands.
Young Peggy was adopted by a loving Catholic Italian family through Catholic Charities, one of many times the Church
touched Peggy’s life. She calls her education by Catholic sisters, teachers, and priests “a consistent and constant beacon”
that she has relied upon and cherished throughout life. Peggy graduated from St. Martha Elementary School and Mercy
Academy. She received her B.A. from the University of Kentucky and worked for Hyatt Hotels Corporation before joining
Brown-Forman Corporation in 1990, where she managed travel services and event planning before transitioning to
positions where she marketed some of the company’s major brands, including Woodford Reserve and Jack Daniels.
In addition to serving clients across multiple industries through professional coaching, speaking engagements, and
seminars, Peggy has authored numerous articles, and her second book, Professional Presence, was recently published.
She founded the Bourbon Women Association in 2011 and was the first woman in the world to become a Master
Bourbon Taster.
Peggy and her husband, Ernie, are members at St. Margaret Mary parish and have two sons, Ernie Utah and Tanner.
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Gary C. Ulmer
Louisville Bats President Gary Ulmer started his Catholic education journey at Holy Spirit Elementary School and St.
Xavier High School. After earning his B.A. at the University of Kentucky, he worked at Liberty National Bank (now Chase)
and became vice president of corporate banking before leaving in 1993 to take the helm of Louisville’s professional
baseball franchise, then known as the Redbirds. Gary has overseen the team’s name change, its move downtown to
Louisville Slugger Field, and a change of its Major League affiliation to the Cincinnati Reds. The Bats won the AAA
Governor’s Cup in 2001 and are consistently among minor league franchise attendance leaders.
Gary chairs the St. Xavier High School board of directors and is a board member of Bellarmine University, the Louisville
Community Foundation, the Louisville Sports Commission, the Boy Scouts, and US Bank. A member of Downtown Rotary,
he has also served on the boards of the Convention and Visitors Bureau, Better Business Bureau, Metro United Way,
Salvation Army, Children’s Hospital Foundation, Main Street Associates, and Friends of the Waterfront. Gary was named
International League Executive of the Year in 2007 and was recently inducted into the St. Xavier High School Hall of
Honors.
Gary and his wife, Leslye, are active members of Holy Trinity parish and have three children, Conrad, Olivia and Clark.
Community Service Award
Sponsored by Fifth Third Bank
John S. Asher
For more than 30 years, John Asher has been a trusted voice in our region, first as a reporter at Louisville radio stations
WHAS and WAVG and, since 1997, as the primary spokesman and vice president for Racing Communications at Churchill
Downs RaceTrack, the home of the Kentucky Derby.
He serves on the boards of WLKY-32’s “Spirit of Louisville Foundation,” which oversees the annual Bell Awards for community service, Simmons College of Kentucky and GuardiaCare Services. His previously served on the boards of the Kentuckiana
Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International, which honored him as “Volunteer of the Year” in 2004;
the Catholic Education Foundation; the Western Kentucky University (“WKU”) National Alumni Board, which presented him
with a “Summit Award” for volunteer efforts in 2008; and Presentation Academy.
Asher was one of 128 individuals recognized in 2010 by the Leadership Louisville Center (“LLC”) as Connectors, a group
whose members are successful because of their distinctive style of "trusted leadership." LLC honored him in 2012 with
its “Spirit of Yes!” award for positive leadership and commitment to the community. Other honors include five Eclipse
Awards for Outstanding National Radio Coverage of Thoroughbred Racing, Knights of Columbus Bishop Spalding Council
No. 2761’s Dean Eagle Award, GuardiaCare’s 2014 Joan Baldwin Award for dedicated service, and a 2008 “Summit Award”
from the WKU National Alumni Board of Directors in honor of his volunteer efforts.
A native of Leitchfield, Kentucky, John is a WKU graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism. He and his wife, Dee,
are members of Holy Spirit parish and have three daughters.
Father Joseph McGee Award
Sponsored by Norton Healthcare
Theodore J. Elsesser
For nearly four decades, Ted Elsesser has dedicated his life to be a teacher of religion and English at Sacred Heart
Academy, where he currently chairs the religion department. Providing his students the opportunity to serve and
demonstrate their faith is an important part of his role as a teacher. Ted sponsors the Interact Club at Sacred Heart (a
Rotary International high school program), and each week he takes students to Mercy Sacred Heart Village to visit and
work with residents. Past community involvement of his Sacred Heart students includes service at the Americana Center,
Arcadia Center, and Project Women (now Family Scholar House).
Ted studied at Catholic grade schools in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and attended seminary high schools, graduating
from St. Thomas Seminary in Louisville. He received his B.A. from Bellarmine University, pursued graduate studies at St.
Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore, and earned his M.A.T. from the University of Louisville.
Ted and his wife, Sharon, have a son, David, and are members of Our Lady of Lourdes parish, where Ted is a sacristan and
a member of the RCIA team.
History Of Salute To Catholic School Alumni
For over 200 years Catholic schools have contributed significantly to the social, spiritual and economic fabric of our entire
community. The Catholic Education Foundation is pleased to present the Salute to Catholic School Alumni dinner as homage to
this proud legacy. The Foundation has honored men and women whose Catholic education prepared them for professional,
entrepreneurial, religious, educational and civic leadership roles.
The Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to the growth and vitality of Catholic education in the
Archdiocese of Louisville. The Catholic Education Foundation has awarded over $19 million in the areas of (1) tuition assistance for
families, (2) religious education for parishes and schools, (3) professional development for educators and catechists, and (4)
technology enhancements for parishes and schools.
The Ford
Family
MAJOR SPONSORS
(As of 2/4/15)
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The Lechleiter
Family