OUR BOARD
OF DIRECTORS

Lisa Williams is an attorney in private practice, a native of Orange County, and grateful for the gift of her faith and a passionate supporter of classical education.  She homeschooled her six children, four through high school and co-directed the first Catholic Schoolhouse community in Orange County.  She has been active in her church as a member of the choir, as part of 40 Days for Life and the pro-life ministry.   She has been a very active member of her local Toastmasters Club since 2013, where she has served as VP of Education and conducted Youth Leadership Programs for the Boys and Girls Club, teaching speaking and leadership skills to teens.  She is studying Latin for the pure enjoyment of it.  It has been a dream of hers to bring a Chesterton Academy to Orange County since she first discovered the Chesterton Academy model in 2010, which is why she is so excited to be a founding Board Member of the Stella Maris Chesterton Academy. 

After graduating UCLA with a BA in History, Marilee Goodwin began her career as a regional marketing manager for ADVO, a fortune 500 company. After dedicating time to raising four children, she returned to the workforce as a Music Teacher at St. Edward the Confessor Catholic School. Marilee has served on two boards, the Laguna Niguel RWF, a political organization, and 20 years with the Niguel Botanical Preserve. As Vice President of the Board, she oversaw budget allocations, organizing volunteer and fundraising events while working closely with the city of Laguna Niguel

Jéan-Paul S. Afif is a Financial Advisor. He is very active in the southern California community, formerly sitting on the Board of Directors for the Orange County YMCA, Connections for Children in Los Angeles, & Divine Mercy 4 Life. He currently sits on the Board for Obria Medical Clinics, a national Pro-Life women's crisis pregnancy center, Tepeyac Leadership Inc, a non-profit organization dedicated to civic leadership development for lay Catholic professionals, and the Santiago Retreat Center, a 501(c)(3) corporation, that exists to serve the Catholic communities of Southern California by providing facilities for retreats, marriage encounters, summer and science camps, along with special events in a safe and secure; stunningly beautiful 500 acre setting. Leading such a diverse and community involved lifestyle, Jéan-Paul is also known for his involvement as one of the executive producers for the recent Pro-Life film, Roe v. Wade, in which he had the honor of portraying Cardinal O’Connor.

Jéan-Paul is very committed to his church – St. John Maron in the City of Orange as part of the stewardship committee and leads the church youth group. Jean-Paul is also an Opus Dei Cooperator, and involved as a member of Legatus, the Order of Saint Sharbel, Order of St. Lazarus, Knights of Columbus, Catholics@Work OC, as a baptism catechist, and spiritual formation volunteer. Jéan-Paul lives in North Orange County with his wife, Krista, a school teacher, and their eight beautiful children, whom they homeschool.

Todd Inman is Director of Development - West for the Catholic Institute of Technology.  He is the father of many wonderful children and the husband of Maria Inman, who has home educated several of their children.  Two of the Inman's sons are fraters at St. Michael's Abbey in Silverado Canyon, California.  Todd has a background in philosophy.  He was development director for St. Monica Academy, a classical school in Pasadena, California.   He has a passion for education and was excited when the opportunity arose to be a part of the effort to bring a classical, Catholic high school to Orange County.

Cecil Edwards has taught students of all ages, from kindergarten through high school, as well as at the college and university level, in both the public and private sector.  Besides a bachelor’s degree in music education, he has four graduate degrees, including a PhD in Education.  In addition to his pursuits in academia, he served 36 years in the US Army, primarily in both the Reserves and National Guard, retiring in 2020.  Twenty-plus years ago, he and his late wife came across the weekly television broadcast of G.K. Chesterton: The Apostle of Common Sense, hosted by Dale Ahlquist on EWTN.  From that time to the present, Cecil has been a devotee of all things Chesterton, which may be one reason why he is so joyful.

Bio

Bio

Bio