Board of Trustees
Diane Pisido* – Board Chairperson
Diane is a proud graduate of Immaculate Conception School, Mater Christi Diocesan High School (now St. John’s Prep) and St. John’s University (B. S. in Accounting). Diane also received a M.B.A. in Finance from New York University and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Diane enjoyed a successful career in financial services in the fields of accounting, marketing, product management and strategic planning. Diane has worked for firms that include Lehman Brothers, Prudential Securities and Bank of America, where her most recent role as a Managing Director was to develop and lead a team of investment professionals charged with portfolio oversight for Merrill Lynch clients seeking the fiduciary services of U.S. Trust. Diane is currently dedicating her time to marketing and development efforts in the support of Catholic education.
Pat Mulè* – Board Vice-Chairperson
Pat was born and raised in Astoria where she attended Immaculate Conception School and Mater Christi Diocesan High School (now St. John’s Prep). She earned a B.S. in Accounting from St. John’s University and later earned a M.B.A. from Regis University.
Pat recently completed a long career in Corporate Tax. She most recently served as a Director of Tax for Bertelsmann Inc. where she was responsible for all aspects of federal and state tax compliance for Bertelsmann’s Education Group. Pat also lead an intern program where she mentored graduate students from Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business on various aspects of tax. Prior to joining Bertelsmann in 2014, Pat served for 15 years, as the VP of Tax for Gruner + Jahr Printing and Publishing Co., the US operations of the German owned publishing house. At G+J she was responsible for all aspects of tax compliance and reporting and served as the President of the managing general partner responsible for oversight of business transaction compliance. In addition, Pat served as the CFO of G+J’s US operations of Stern Magazine for over ten years. Pat is a member of the Ladies of Charity at St John’s University and she is a member of the Immaculate Conception Parish Finance Committee.
Kevin Johnson* – Board Treasurer
Kevin is a proud graduate of PS 166, Most Precious Blood School (Astoria), Msgr. McClancy Memorial High School, and the Baruch Honors College (B.A. in Accounting/M.S. in Taxation). With experience at major finance and accounting firms, including Goldman Sachs, Kevin currently works at Ernst & Young, LLP, specializing in real estate taxation.
Kevin was born and raised in Astoria, after his parents immigrated from their native country of Sri Lanka. With a strong Catholic foundation that traces back for generations, the entire family, including younger sister are firm believers in giving back to both the church and the community. As such, they are lifelong, active parishioners at Immaculate Conception Parish, with strong ties to the Academy. Kevin especially holds the school, parish, and neighborhood very close to his heart. Throughout the years, he has dedicated his time as: an alter server, Columbian Squire, Youth Ministry Treasurer, assistant basketball coach, Church Sacristan, and Knight of Columbus. Kevin also volunteers his time teaching 7th Grade religious education classes at the parish, on Sundays.
- Theresa Noel - Board Secretary
Theresa Noel is born and raised in Astoria, New York, Theresa Walsh Noel is a proud graduate of Immaculate Conception School-Class of 1970.
She also attended Mater Christi High School (Now St. John's prep) and graduated in 1974. She attended Hunter College-Bellevue School of Nursing and completed all clinical and liberal arts courses in 1978 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing. A Master of Science in Health Care Administration from St. Francis University was completed in 1999. Theresa recently completed a long and satisfying career in Nursing with a focus on Hospice, Home Care and Administrative positions in Regulatory Compliance for Acute Care Hospitals. In her retirement, Theresa currently splits her time and travels between New York and Georgia and is looking forward to being on the board.
Andrew Hopkins (“Dewey”)
Dewey is passionate about keeping children safe while playing sports. For over thirty years Dewey has been a proud volunteer for multiple basketball programs leading to his current positions as head Varsity Girls Basketball Coach for Monsignor Mc Clancy Memorial High School, Girls Athletic Director at Corpus Christi parish for the Catholic Youth Organization and head coach of the NYC Heat (AAU).
At Monsignor McClancy, Dewey established the girls’ basketball program during the year when the school transition to a co-educational high school and developed the program into the top program in Brooklyn/Queens Division II, winning both the regular-season and playoff crowns. Dewey has been honored with the 2019 Brooklyn Queens coach of the year awarded by league coaches; 2018 Heart 2 Heart recipient for his efforts in ensuring student athletes are trained in life saving skills; 2016 Brooklyn Queens coach of year awarded by Daily Tribute paper and 2016 All-Queens Girls Basketball Coach of the Year by Times Ledger. Dewey is married for 24 years with two daughters, a senior in college and a freshman in high school.
Paul Gerard Gallagher
Paul began his education at Immaculate Conception Academy in Astoria, graduating with honors in 2008. He then continued on to Monsignor McClancy Memorial High School (Class of 2012), where he cultivated a passion for business and finance. At St. John's University in Queens, New York, Paul earned a bachelor's degree in Accounting with summa cum laude honors in 2016, followed by a master's degree with distinction in Taxation in 2017. Prior to joining Deloitte & Touche LLP as a Tax Manager, Paul honed his skills and expertise as an intern at PwC and Grant Thornton, gaining invaluable experience in the accounting and taxation industries. Paul is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) licensed in the state of New York.
Paul and his wife, Daniela, are dedicated to making a positive impact on their community. They are active members of Immaculate Conception Church, where they volunteer their time and talents to support various church events and programs. Paul is also a distinguished 3rd Degree Member of the Knights of Columbus. Paul is committed to leveraging his acumen and expertise to make a meaningful contribution to the world, both today and for generations to come.
Michael Mele
Michael was born and raised in Westchester County, and involved in his local parishes of Sts. John and Paul in Larchmont and Holy Name of Jesus in Valhalla (Altar Server, Choir Member, Eucharistic Minister, and member of the youth groups). He continued his study of music and history and thanks to his being bilingual, was chosen to be a foreign exchange student studying and living in Uruguay and visiting Argentina. His pursuits eventually led him to SUNY Oneonta to study Secondary Social Studies Education. After college he spent time freelancing in the Theater and then returned to his first love of education in the Connecticut local public-school system. He spent 10 years in that system running theatre programs and working in Special Education. His philanthropic skills landed him a job working in Development for The Metropolitan Opera where he stayed for almost 5 years. He currently works in Institutional Advancement at Pratt Institute where he focuses on Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement. Michael currently resides in Astoria and is a cantor at Immaculate Conception Parish.
Dennis Pope*
Dennis was educated at St. Matthias School (now Academy) in Ridgewood, Queens, and at Brooklyn Preparatory High School. He received his B.A. (English Literature) from Cathedral College of the Immaculate Conception and his M.A. (English Literature) from Fordham University and was a theology student for two years at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception.
Dennis was an English Language Arts teacher (8th grade) at St. Cecilia School for two years, then taught English and Drama at Our Lady of Perpetual Help High School for 12 years. He created OLPH’s first computer lab in the early 1980’s, and taught adult computer education. Dennis then began his 29-year career in Human Resources, first with Anchor, Dime, and Washington Mutual banks, and then at Teachers’ Retirement System of NY City. He worked in multiple areas of HR (especially HRIS [Human Resource Information Systems], Benefits, Compensation, Training, Payroll, and EEO [Equal Employment Opportunity] investigations) and served as the Deputy Director of HR for TRS when he retired.
Anna Rocchio
Anna was born in Italy and emigrated to the US where she grew up in Corona, Queens. She attended Our Lady of Sorrows, Christ the King HS, Queens College majoring in Education, and Xavier University Cincinnati, Ohio where she was awarded a Masters in Montessori Ed. In addition to her Montessori degree, Anna also holds a Masters in Reading.
After college Anna joined the Vista Program and served in Kentucky. Four years were spent working in a Community Center in Newport, Ky. The next two years were spent in Manchester, Ky where she started a Montessori Pre-School Program.
Her teaching experience also include Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Elementary School in Jamaica and PS 110 in Greenpoint, Brooklyn where she has retired from as the Assistant Principal.
In her retirement she volunteers at Calvary Hospital, Catholic Charities and Marguerite’s Pantry. Anna is also a member of the Ladies of Charity at St. John’s University where she has also been a member of the Sunday Community for over 40 years.
*Member of the IMMAC Board of Directors since the founding of IMMAC in 2017.