Meet the School Board

The school board members answered a series of questions and submitted pictures of themselves so the Lourdes community can learn more about them.

Andrew Thorson

How are you connected/associated to Lourdes?

When I joined the Lourdes Board of Trustees, I had moved to the Oshkosh area six months earlier and had started a new job in Neenah. My boss in Neenah was on the Board of Trustees, and she knew I was Catholic, experienced in facilities management, and had young children. She asked me to join the Board, and I agreed.

What made you join the Board?

I felt that I could contribute my expertise to the system and help them excel in providing Catholic education to the greater Oshkosh community. I have served previously on the Pius High School Project Lead The Way Board, and I really enjoyed it.

Why do you think a school board is necessary/important?

The Board of Trustees is important for the school because it can provide oversight and assistance to the people who are running the school on a daily basis. The group of stakeholders who make up the board represents a wide range of people who are invested in the school. By having representatives from all five parishes, members of the clergy, and members of the community, I think that the board represents a wide cross section of our community, and, therefore, allows the board to make decisions that are best for everyone who has an interest in the school. The important characteristic of the board is that it represents a wide variety of expertise that the school may not already possess. This additional expertise helps the school run more effectively and efficiently.

What is your role on the Board?

I am chairman of the Board of Trustees, chairman of the Facilities Subcommittee, and I have served on the master planning and new building ad hoc committees.

Are you a part of a subcommittee? If so, which one and what do you do?

The Facilities Subcommittee meets monthly to discuss the current and future facility needs and to review and revise the facilities five-year plan. The Facilities Committee consists of local community members and the Lourdes Academy Directors of Facilities and Technology and Business. The Master PlanningCommittee looked at all of the needs and wants of the system, prioritized them, and then set goals for administration to make those needs and wants a reality. The new building committee has been working with Ganther Construction and Architecture to develop the plans for the new school additions on the current campus.

What is your occupation?

I am currently employed as the Assistant District Administrator of Business Services for the Neenah Joint School District. Prior to that, I was Director of Facilities for the Neenah Joint School District, and I was also a civil engineering consultant for an engineering firm in Milwaukee.

How long have you been on the board?

I have been on the Board for eight years.

Tony Wihlm

How are you connected/associated to Lourdes?

I have two children in the Lourdes system: one in fifth grade and one in third grade. My wife, Michelle (Kapral) also attended Lourdes High School along with her 15 siblings. Michelle was previously on the board and was asked to join as an alumni. She served on the Board for two, three-year terms.

What made you join the board?

Through my wife’s experience on the Board and through the timing of the Board needing a Treasurer when she was transitioning off the Board, she suggested I join to share my financial and operational experience with not-for-profits. Lourdes Academy, at that time, needed some extra attention to their financial stability, and I thought I could help.

Why do you think a school board is necessary/important?

A school board is necessary to provide governance over the system and its senior management. A board is usually constructed of a varying group of individuals through experience, careers, and skills. Day to day management of the system is run by the senior management team and administration. The Board is important for developing policy, approving major system initiatives, compliance, and overall performance of the system and the President. The diversity of the Board allows for fair, transparent, and well-rounded governance of the school system. Most importantly, a school board helps develop a strategic plan for the school system. The board must also project ahead for multiple years to provide direction for future volunteers and administration.

What is your role on the board?

I am the Treasurer for the school board and, therefore, chair of the Finance Committee. We review the financials on a monthly basis, work through the budget process, review investments or debt as needed, approve all audits and tax filings of the school system, capital asset planning, and, from time to time, review financial policies including internal controls of the finance department.

Are you a part of a subcommittee? If so, which one and what do you do?

I also serve on the Lourdes Academy Foundation Board as a liaison to the Lourdes Academy School Board. The Foundation Board reviews investments and endowments that are held by the Foundation to support Lourdes Academy in future years to come. This board is also designed to be a long term fundraising board to ensure there are resources for Lourdes Academy for years to come and for the next generation. The Foundation has also been working to revitalize the connection to the alumni of the school system from these past 60 years.

What is your occupation?

I am the Director of Finance for the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. (EAA) here in Oshkosh where I am a Certified Public Accountant. I worked in the public accounting industry working with not-for-profits for 10 years. I have been working for EAA for the last eight years which is also a not-for-profit.

How long have you been on the board?

I have been on the Lourdes Academy Board since November of 2017.

Diana Hellmann

How are you connected/associated with Lourdes?

I have been involved with the Lourdes school system for 27 years. My children went to Lourdes from preschool all the way through high school.

What made you join the board?

After Kyle, my youngest, graduated high school, the school board president asked me to join the board.

Why do you think a school board is necessary/important?

I think the school board is necessary because every school needs a governing body in order to run properly.

What is your role on the board?

I’m the secretary on the school board, so my job is to record the minutes we discuss, to vote, and to listen to parent feedback and incorporate it into our meetings.

Are you part of a subcommittee? If so, which one and what do you do?

I am a chairman on the subcommittee for Advancement and Development. My role is to help make decisions to make the school better. I am also on the Executive Board.

What is your occupation?

I am the Deputy Treasurer for Winnebago County. I work for Winnebago County in the Treasurer’s office.

How long have you been on the school board?

I have been on the school board for six years. My first two years I was only a board member; I didn’t have an official title. However, the old secretary stepped down, and I was then offered the position.

Gavin Meyers: Student Representative

Senior Gavin Meyers represents Lourdes Academy students at the 2019-2020 school board meetings as a student representative.

Meyers said he sits in on the monthly school board meetings with junior Rudy Kuklinski and speaks on behalf of the student body to discuss the positive and negative aspects of student life at Lourdes. Meyers said he also updates the board members on the impacts of previous school changes along with the benefits and disadvantages they have on the students.

Not only does Meyers update the members on these changes, but he also informs them of changes he would like to see implemented within the school. Some of the issues Meyers said he has been a part of include dress code, student events, standardized testing, and parking lot changes.

Meyers said he feels that a school board is a necessary aspect for a school to improve its curriculum, student life, and other school hosted events. He also feels that student representatives are a vital part of a school board as the representatives bring in first-hand examples and personal opinions about the improvement of student life.