At a recent gala celebrating business and community support for Catholic schools, Kelly Branaman – the Secretary for Catholic Schools and Superintendent of Schools for The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington – shared what she tells new Catholic school principals and teachers at orientation each year.
“Being a part of a faith community will enrich your life significantly. Be ready for it and open to it,” she said.
Speaking at the 31st annual Catholic Business Network of Montgomery County Gala held on Nov. 22, 2024 at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, where Branaman received the group’s Community Leader of the Year Award, she described how that message unfolded in her own life.
“I grew up on a dairy farm in Indiana, and I converted to the Catholic faith at the age of 21,” Branaman said. She added, “Never in my life, in my first reaching position at St. Ambrose in (Seymour), Indiana, with 12 fifth grade students in a Catholic school, did I ever imagine that I would be superintendent of (Catholic) schools in the nation’s capital.”
Appointed as the Secretary for Catholic Schools and Superintendent of Schools for The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington by Cardinal Wilton Gregory in 2020, Branaman works with the archdiocese’s Catholic Schools Office in providing leadership and support to 61 archdiocesan schools and with 29 independent Catholic schools in the District of Columbia and the five surrounding Maryland counties. Those Catholic schools serve more than 26,000 students.
The Catholic Business Network of Montgomery County, also known as CBN-MC, is an independent, non-profit organization of businesses and individual professionals working together to support Catholic education in Montgomery County, Maryland.
The CBN-MC Gala, the organization’s key fundraiser, raised a total of $142,000, with $61,000 of the money raised for need-based aid and scholarships at the gala. Nearly 380 people attended the sold-out event. Also at the gala, CBN-MC presented the Businessperson of the Year Award to John B. Veihmeyer, and Tim Tehan was posthumously recognized as the recipient of the group’s Paul Zurkowski Founder’s Award.
Jeanne Donatelli, the principal of St. Jude Regional Catholic School in Rockville, Maryland, introduced Kelly Branaman as the CBN-MC’s Community Leader of the Year, saying she epitomized a quote by St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta: “Never be so busy as to not think of others.”
“Kelly is a leader that demonstrates what it means to live out the Gospel message by striving to say ‘yes’ at every opportunity that is presented to her,” said Donatelli.
The St. Jude’s principal noted how Branaman, when she visits a Catholic school, “makes it a point to go to every class, to speak at each class, to listen to each student that has something to say to her, (and) to greet each faculty member, and most importantly, to thank each faculty member for their service and dedication to saying ‘yes’ to teaching in a Catholic school.”
Completing her introduction, Donatelli said, “Kelly is a leader we should all strive to be, a leader that is never too busy to think of others.”
Branaman has worked for the Archdiocese of Washington since 2003, earlier serving in roles for the Catholic Schools Office involving special education, curriculum and various leadership assignments. In 2018, she led the development and implementation of the first Archdiocesan Strategic Plan for Catholic Schools. That plan emphasizes Catholic identity, academic excellence, school enrollment and advancement, and governance and strategic planning. Branaman received the Lead, Learn, Proclaim Award from the National Catholic Educational Association in 2017 for her leadership and commitment to Catholic education in the Archdiocese of Washington.
The gala program noted how during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Branaman worked with school leaders and with the staff of the archdiocese’s Catholic Schools Office to ensure a successful return to in-person learning at local Catholic schools.
As she accepted the CBN-MC Community Leader of the Year Award, Branaman thanked the group for sharing in the mission of Catholic education by focusing its charitable work on grants and scholarships at Catholic schools and by honoring businesses and volunteers that support those schools.
In serving in Catholic educational leadership roles in the Archdiocese of Washington for more than two decades, Branaman said she has “had the benefit of learning so much from our school leaders… To be honest, as I am leading them, they are teaching me.”
The archdiocesan Secretary for Catholic Education and Superintendent of Schools offered special thanks to her Catholic Schools Office colleagues, saying, “We’re a small team of 18 professionals, and we accomplish a great deal as servant leaders to our school communities. They are the heroes and the backbone of every project, initiative and every aspect of our ministry.”
Thanking the Catholic Schools Office team “for walking this path with me,” Branaman said they reflect how “St. Vincent Pallotti called collaboration ‘holy cooperation.’” She added that, “We are in collaboration with God and with each other when we work together” for Catholic schools.
Earlier, Greta Vento, the president of the Catholic Business Network of Montgomery County, welcomed the gala guests, saying, “One of the greatest aspects of CBN-MC is the community it builds, a community that reminds me of the powerful, unifying force of Catholic education.”
Vento, who works as a program manager for the D.C. government’s Office of the Chief Technology Officer, also manages a family business in Peru that specializes in real estate. She described how she attended an all-girls’ Catholic school in her native Peru, “made possible by my father’s hard work and dedication.” Vento noted how, despite the hardship of Shining Path terrorist attacks in Peru during the 1990s, “the Catholic community remained a stronghold. Our values of faith and resilience ran deep, helping us navigate hardship and inspiring us to look towards brighter days.”
Now thousands of miles from her hometown in Peru, Vento said she has “found this same spirit of faith and community here in CBN-MC.” Vento, whose son attended Catholic schools in Montgomery County, said, “Catholic education remains a beacon, nurturing our future leaders with ideals of faith, hope, excellence and diversity.”
The Catholic Business Network of Montgomery County has awarded more than $1.6 million in scholarships to Catholic school students and in grants to Catholic schools since 2003. The CBN-MC provides Need-Based Scholarships to help families facing financial challenges keep their children in Catholic elementary schools. The group also sponsors an Essay Scholarship Program for seventh graders to earn scholarships for their eighth grade school year, and it provides School Project Grants to support special initiatives for Catholic schools in Montgomery County.
Susan Apgood, the emcee at the gala, is the founder of the media relations firm News Generation, and she now teaches at American University and mentors women entrepreneurs. Washington Auxiliary Bishop Evelio Menjivar offered the opening prayer at the gala.
Students in the choir from St. Jude Regional Catholic School in Rockville sang at the reception for the CBN-MC Gala, and the band from Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School in Takoma Park performed at the dinner.
Catholic School Business Partner of the Year
The CBN-MC Catholic School Business Partner of the Year Award honors a business that has made a lasting and meaningful impact in supporting Catholic education within local parishes.
Jeanne Donatelli, the principal of St. Jude Regional Catholic School, announced that the winner of the Catholic School Business Partner of the Year Award was Gringos & Mariachis and the Miranian family for their generous partnership with Mary of Nazareth Catholic School in Darnestown, Maryland.
Donatelli noted that the partnership between the Gringos & Mariachis Mexican restaurant – which has locations in Bethesda and Potomac – and the Mary of Nazareth school community “exemplifies commitment and support. Year after year, they graciously sponsor school events designed to build the school’s legacy and expand offerings for families. Their eagerness to provide delicious meals for faculty and staff is always greatly appreciated, nourishing the team while boosting morale. Additionally, their continuous support of the Home and School Association’s Restaurant Nights fosters community, allowing families to share meals while raising funds for the school. The school community is immensely grateful for their dedication to its mission.”
Catholic School Volunteer of the Year Award
The CBN-MC Catholic School Volunteer of the Year Award, which honors an individual who has shown exceptional commitment and support for Catholic education within a school and parish community, was presented to Katie May from Holy Redeemer Catholic School in Kensington, Maryland. Katie May has two sons who graduated from Holy Redeemer and a daughter who will graduate this school year.
“Katie has shared her time, talents and positive energy with the school,” said Jeanne Donatelli in announcing that award.
Katie May has served as the president of the Holy Redeemer Catholic School Board and was the driving force behind its latest strategic plan. She has also served on multiple Home and School Association committees at Holy Redeemer, helping to organize events including homecoming, bingo, the Cardinal 5K and Half Mile Fun Run, and the Shamrock ‘n Roll celebrated near St. Patrick’s Day. She also volunteers to serve hot lunch at the school.
Paul Zurkowski Founder’s Award
Susan Apgood, the gala’s emcee, announced Tim Tehan as the posthumous recipient of the Catholic Business Network’s Paul G. Zurkowski Founder’s Award, named for the founder of the CBN-MC who also founded the Our Parish Times newspaper. Tim Tehan died in February 2024 of complications from heart failure.
Tehan “built a remarkable life and career,” Apgood said. “He was a dedicated family man and community leader, excelling in financial services and youth coaching while leaving a legacy of generosity, loyalty and genuine connection with everyone he met.” Noting his contributions to CBN-MC over the years, Apgood added, “We remember him not only for his achievements, but also for the warmth and love he shared with his family and community.”
Lisa Tehan, who was part of the staff at St. Jane de Chantal School in Bethesda, Maryland, for more than two decades, accepted the award for her husband and was joined by their two daughters, Maggie, who is a real estate agent in the Washington area, and Katie, who recently graduate from the Physician Assistant Program at the University of Maryland in Baltimore.
“Tim was proof of the benefits and rewards of Catholic education,” said Lisa Tehan, who noted that he attended St. Jane de Chantal School and Our Lady of Mercy School in Potomac before going to high school at St. Francis Preparatory School in Pennsylvania, and then earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Loyola College in Baltimore.
Lisa Tehan noted that her late husband “always put the needs of others before his own,” which she said that he demonstrated through his charity and acts of service. “He always was there to help others,” she said, pointing out how he helped clients financially prepare for the future, and also volunteered as a coach with Potomac Youth Football, with the CYO girls’ and boys’ basketball teams at St. Jane de Chantal, and with the freshman football team at Georgetown Preparatory School in North Bethesda.
“He was great at making connections to help others succeed,” Lisa Tehan said. She added that Tim Tehan helped young athletes make connections with college coaches and future employers. “Tim’s actions and service both on the field and off made people around him, including me, a better person,” she said.
Catholic Businessperson of the Year Award
Msgr. John Enzler, the former president and CEO of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington who now serves as the agency’s mission advocate, introduced John B. Veihmeyer as the CBN-MC’s Catholic Businessperson of the Year Award recipient.
“He’s a man of God, he’s a man of integrity, and he’s a man of service…, said Msgr. Enzler, who added that “John Veihmeyer is a true Catholic who lives his faith” and is guided by a concern for how he can help others.
Veihmeyer, the former global chairman of KPMG International, a leading professional services organization operating in more than 150 countries, previously served at KPMG as the U.S. chairman and CEO and as the managing partner of its Washington, D.C., operations.
The graduate of the University of Notre Dame serves as the chair of its Board of Trustees, and previously served as the chairman of the Board of Directors of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington. Veihmeyer, a member of the Business Roundtable, also serves on the board of the Ford Motor Company and chairs the board of the Ladies Professional Golf Association. He and his wife Beth have been driving forces behind KPMG’s “Family for Literacy” program, which has provided nearly seven million books to children in need in the United States and in almost 20 countries. The Veihmeyers live in Potomac and have three children.
John Veihmeyer praised the faith and dedication of his parents who sent all six of their children to Catholic elementary and high school, and three of those children including him to Catholic college. He said his 16 years of Catholic education is “without a doubt a huge part of who I am today.”
The mindset of Catholic education, he said, can be encapsulated in a quote from Blessed Basil Moreau, the founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross that founded and sponsors the University of Notre Dame: “The mind cannot be cultivated at the expense of the heart.”
Tracing the impact of his own Catholic education, Veihmeyer said the nuns at St. Jane de Chantal School in Bethesda “taught us to be kind and nice to each other.” Then at St. John’s College High School in Washington that is sponsored by the Christian Brothers, “the focus was really on recognizing that each of us has unique gifts, and putting those gifts each of us has in service to others,” he said.
At Notre Dame, Veihmeyer said students and graduates learn “to be a force of good in the world, in whatever path you choose.”
His own family and Catholic school experiences have imbued him with “a strong sense of gratitude for all the blessings I’ve had in my life,” Veihmeyer said, adding that gratitude has made him a better professional, husband, father and friend.
As a Catholic business leader, Veihmeyer said he has been guided the belief “that everyone deserves respect, and every interaction you have matters.” When he was a teenager, the opportunity to work at the business that his father and uncle led strongly influenced him. “He (my father) wasn’t any different at work than he was at home. He was nice to people. He was generous. People loved working with him and for him,” said Veihmeyer, who said the lesson he learned was that “I didn’t have to be different at work than I was in my personal life.”
In accepting the Businessperson of the Year Award, Veihmeyer praised the Catholic Business Network of Montgomery County for making the gift of a Catholic education possible for families who couldn’t otherwise afford it.” Concluding his remarks, Veihmeyer encouraged the CBN-MC members to continue to “give someone else that gift of Catholic education. Let’s pay it forward and give it t some other folks who don’t have the opportunity to do that.”
For information on the Catholic Business Network of Montgomery County or to connect with the group, email cbnmontgomerycounty@gmail.com or visit its website at https://www.cbnmc.com/ .
