Canton Central Catholic and St. Thomas Aquinas Merge Boards, Not Student Bodies

August 10, 2017

In an annoucement today, August 10, 2017, it was revealed that St. Thomas Aquinas and Canton Central Catholic would merge their school boards but not their student bodies.  Daniel A. Gravo will now serve as the new president of Central Catholic High School and St. Thomas Aquinas High School and Middle School, they new board is also listed.  A communication was then sent out to the families of students at each of the schools.  The communication can be read below.

New President and Board of Central Catholic & St. Thomas Aquinas! Bishop Murry announced the selection of Daniel A. Gravo as president and a new governing board of both Central Catholic and St. Thomas Aquinas High School at a press conference today at Walsh University. John Sirpilla, the new board chair, noted that the communities at both schools “are grateful for the decades of leadership provided by Father Kaylor and Father Dyer. This new team is honored to continue the legacy that they, their boards, and their teams have given to the Stark County Catholic education community.” Superintendent Mary Fiala looks forward to working with this new team “to strengthen our mission of Catholic education in Stark County and to move it to the next level. They join dedicated administrators, teachers, parents, alumni, and friends in the community who already work together to educate and serve our students in Stark County. Mr. Gravo brings a wealth of experience in strategic planning, advancement, marketing, relationship building, and quality programming that will greatly benefit our schools.” Gravo will lead an effort to restructure the administrative teams, increase enrollment, and build financial resources for Catholic education in Stark County. Gravo has more than 20 years of experience working for faith-based educational institutions. For 12 years he worked for Walsh University as the director of compliance and eligibility. He was also a coach and the assistant athletic director. While working at Walsh he was named the 2005-2006 National Football Foundation Northeastern Ohio Chapter College Assistant Coach of the Year. In 2007, he moved to the Walsh Advancement Office, as the director of alumni relations where he led programming and engagement for more than 12,000 alumni across the globe. In 2013, Gravo moved to the Early Childhood Resource Center (ECRC), a ministry of the Sisters of Charity Health System, which is focused on the healthy development of young children, by improving the quality of their early education and care. At the ECRC, he was the director of development, successfully leading the organization’s fundraising initiatives and meeting their yearly development goals. Gravo returned to higher education in 2015, as director of major gifts and intercollegiate athletics at Malone University. His accomplishments there include securing major gifts from a variety of sources, growing the sponsorship program, and building strong relationships with donors, alumni, and friends of the university. Gravo is a true product of Catholic education, having attended Catholic school from elementary through graduate school. He has a Master of Arts in Education from Walsh University, a Bachelor of Arts in History from John Carroll University, is a 1991 graduate of St. Thomas Aquinas High School, and attended Our Lady of Peace Elementary School in Canton. He and his wife, Jill, have two children, McKenna and Jackson, who attend Holy Cross Academy’s St. Paul Catholic School. 3 Newly Appointed Stark County Catholic Schools Board of Directors After careful consideration, these members of the community have been appointed by Bishop George Murry as the new governing board over both Central Catholic and St. Thomas Aquinas. Board members will work closely with the newly appointed president, Daniel Gravo, to increase enrollment and build financial resources for Stark County Catholic Schools. Chairman—John A. Sirpilla, CEO, Encourage Leadership & Healthy Living, LLC Religious–Fr. Pat Manning, Associate Professor of Theology, Walsh University Robert F. Belden, CEO, The Belden Brick Co. Lisa Codispoti, HR Advisor, Consolidated Employer Solutions Shawn Dougherty, Vice President of Commercial Lending, Home Savings Bank Eric Dublikar, MBA, Business Development Executive, Employers Health Kevin Finefrock, Associate Dean, School for Professional Studies & Director of External Programs, Walsh University Lorrie Fuchs, Attorney at Law Bruce T. Gordon, retired partner, Accenture LLC; Business Manager, St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Parish & School Dr. John J. McGrath, Retired President, Stark State College Karen McQueen, Attorney at Krugliak, Wilkins, Griffiths, & Dougherty Co., LPA Anthony Olivieri III, Owner & Co-President, Buell & Olivieri Insurance Russell E. Phillips, Jr., Managing Partner, The Phillips Organization Edward J. Roth III, President & CEO, Aultman Health Foundation Thomas Schervish, Owner & CEO, Stark Management Services Mike Valentine, CEO, Binary Defense Systems, LLC