Our Leadership Structure
Board of Governors
St. John Neumann Academy is an independent, private Catholic academy operating as a non-stock corporation in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Its Board of Governors has legal and fiduciary responsibility over the corporation and is responsible for all business of the school including, but not limited to, strategic planning, development, academic direction, marketing, and finance.
Director
The Director has overall responsibility for the academy’s day-to-day operations, enrollment of new students, marketing, and fundraising.
K-8th Grade School Lead Teacher
He/She will ensure that the curriculum is applied at all grade levels, oversee scheduling to ensure there is optimal time for teaching and learning, and manage the standardized testing and report card processes.
St. John Neumann Academy Leadership
Julia Wharton
Academy Director and Member, Board of Governors
Julia holds a B.S. in Communications with a minor in Marketing from Virginia Tech. Before founding SJNA, Julia was Vice President, Southwest Operations for a Virginia staffing agency. One school and four daughters later, she enjoys her free time by watching/attending Hokie sports and spending time with her family and new grandson.
Jenny Mishoe
Lead Teacher and 2nd Grade
Jenny holds a B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies - Elementary - and an M.S. in Educational Leadership from Radford University. She serves as a founding faculty member and Lead Teacher at St. John Neumann Academy where she also teaches Second Grade. Fun fact: She had the honor of teaching 2nd grade to both her daughters at SJNA.
Michael Hemphill
Member, Board of Governors
Michael Hemphill is a former journalist turned nonprofit marketing and fundraising professional. From 2015-2020 he served as marketing and development director at Roanoke Catholic School, leading the school’s efforts to win in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 the annual Roanoke Valley Gives Day, a 24-hour online fundraising competition featuring 165 of the region’s leading nonprofits.
In 2020 he launched Buzz4Good, LLC, which in addition to producing the TV show BUZZ provides marketing and fundraising strategies for nonprofits. In the of fall 2021 he began hosting the Buzz4Good! radio show and podcast. More at http://buzz4good.com.
Rick Knack
Member, Board of Governors
Rick Knack is a Chemical Engineer with over 42 years of experience in the explosives, chemicals and fibers industries and 13 years active Army Service. He ran his own chemical engineering consulting company for 18 years and is a Professional Engineer and Certified Safety Professional. He is also a Retired Lieutenant Colonel, US Army Reserve.
Michael Maiuri
Member, Board of Governors
Michael holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Physics from The Ohio State University. During his expansive career, he has served as the President and CEO at Smith Services, President and CEO at MTC, Executive at GE, Chief Operating Officer at Eastern Electric (Westinghouse levered buy-out), and Regional Manager at Westinghouse.
Robert F. Manning
Member, Board of Governors
Robert F. (Bob) Manning is a graduate of Virginia Tech and was commissioned in the U.S. Army in 1966. During his 26 years of service as a Signal Corps and Foreign Area Officer, he was assigned to Korea, Vietnam, Japan, Germany, the Pentagon, and various installations within the United States. Upon his retirement, he entered the education community as a U.S. History and Government teacher at the Middle and High School levels. He holds degrees from Virginia Tech and Marymount University and the Education Leadership Certification from George Mason University. His last assignment was as the principal of Linton Hall School, a private, independent, Catholic Pre-K through Eighth grade school, owned and operated by the Benedictine Sisters of Virginia. Bob currently is retired and resides at the Air Force Retirement Officers Community where he is currently the President of the Resident Council and Director of Communications of the local chapter of the Military Officers Association of America. Bob and his wife, Amy, have three daughters and six grandchildren.
Sandy Seay
Member, Board of Governors
Raleigh F. (Sandy) Seay, Jr., is President of Seay Management Consultants, Inc., a full service Human Resources Management consulting firm, located in Orlando, Florida. He holds degrees from Virginia Tech, Rollins College and Warnborough College and is the author of a host of articles and management guides in the field of Human Resources Management and Labor Relations. Seay Management Consultants has been in operation since 1966 and has more than 300 clients located throughout the United States. Sandy is a U.S. Army veteran, a convert to Catholicism, plays bluegrass, folk and western music on guitar, banjo and dobro, and is an Adjunct Professor of Humanities at Rollins College. He and his wife, Linda, have two daughters and three granddaughters.
Richard Wharton
Member, Board of Governors
Richard holds a BS in Business Finance from Virginia Tech. He has 35 years of experience in IT and currently serves as Director of Data Analytics for Identity Digital. Richard also volunteers as Chief Technology Officer, Head of Maintenance, and general handyman for SJNA. He and his wife, Julia, have four daughters, all of whom graduated as Neumann Knights.