Charles (Chick) Weiss, Ph.D., Chairman of the Board

Dr. Weiss received the B.S. degree from the University of Scranton and the Ph.D. in physiological psychology and neurobiology from Ohio University. He was an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Post-Doctoral Fellow in Neuroscience at Colgate University and a Research Fellow at the Brain Research Laboratory at Syracuse University. Chick joined the faculty of the Department of Psychology at Holy Cross in 1975, is an Associate Professor, and chaired the Department from 1984 to 1989. Chick is Holy Cross’s Grants Director and Shepherd of its Integrated Science Complex construction project. He is involved in the funding and operation of dozens of programs which link Holy Cross and the Worcester Public Schools. He has served on a number of boards of directors including Children’s Friend, American Red Cross and the Beverly School, Nairobi, Kenya. He is a founding Trustee and Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Nativity School of Worcester.

Wayne Archambo

George Eldridge

George A. Eldridge joined the Nativity Board of Trustees in December 2005. George's father in-law was involved in running Nativity Prep of Boston and introduced George to the Nativity school concept. While George is not from Worcester, the gift of giving back to others the blessing he received growing up is what motivates his continued interest and support for the school and the boys specifically. In his professional life, George has been the Senior Vice President, Finance and Administration, since September 2006 for Targanta Therapeutics Corp., a publicly-traded biotechnology company located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. George has been in the biotechnology industry since 1993 working for a number of successful companies. Prior to joining the biotechnology industry, George was an investment banker at Kidder Peabody & Co., Inc. Mr. Eldridge received a M.B.A. from the University of Chicago and a B.A. in Government and Economics from Dartmouth College.

Margaret Florentine, Board Secretary

Robert Grenon, Board Treasurer

“As a parent and a coach for many children over the years, I did not expect the emotional effect that the school has had on me personally. To experience the positive impact that the school makes on the young men that attend Nativity and they on each other, is truly inspiring. Nativity School is a special place.”
Robert E. Grenon is a lifelong resident of the Worcester area. He is a graduate of Clark University and received his MBA from Babson College. Bob is the Controller for the College of the Holy Cross and was previously a Vice President with Chess King Stores. He is active with other non-profits in Worcester and has sat on several boards. Bob serves as the Treasurer of the Board of Trustees for the Nativity School of Worcester.

Eric Harthun

James Hayes, S.J.

James M. Hayes, S.J., is the rector of the Jesuit community at Holy Cross and is currently chairing the Mission and Identity Committee for the President and Associate Chaplain in Campus Ministry at the college. He previously served as an associate chaplain at Holy Cross, as a vocation director and assistant for international ministries for the New England Province of the Jesuits, and as superior of the Ignatius House Community in Boston. He has been a member on the Board of Trustees for Nativity School of Worcester since becoming the rector of the community in August 2004. Father holds a bachelor degree from the College of the Holy Cross and master’s degrees from Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA, Regis College University of Toronto, Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley and Loyola College in Maryland. He was ordained at St. Joseph Chapel at College of the Holy Cross in June of 1985.

William Haylon

“It is hard to put into words what the Nativity School of Worcester has meant to my family and to me. It has provided an incredible lesson about a world that we had previously largely ignored, and it has been a wonderful lesson of the true goodness of people and the ability to really make a difference in our world. One of the most impressive places I have ever seen.”
Bill is currently Chairman of Neighborhood Diabetes, Inc., a rapidly growing provider of diabetes, supplies, education and support throughout the Northeast. A longtime entrepreneur, he previously led other start ups, focusing each time on streamlining fragmented “low tech” industries. Sterling Collision Centers, Inc. was a highly modern chain of auto body repair shops across seven states that was eventually sold to Allstate Insurance. Before You Move, Inc., a call center and web-based moving services company, was ultimately acquired by Monster.com . Previously, Bill also worked at Bain & Company. He is a graduate of Williams College and Harvard Business School.

Shirley Kelly

Shirley Kelly, a 1983 graduate of the College of the Holy Cross, joined the Nativity School Worcester board in March of 2007. For Shirley, who is familiar with the Worcester area and a mother of six, the importance of education is a top priority and being able to empower some of Worcester's less fortunate young men is a gift. Shirley spends most of her time involved in her children's various schools and activities.
"When I first visited NSW, my tour guides were two young men from the school. They were polite, courteous and very well-spoken. Immediately, I sensed the pride these young men had for their school and it was infectious. I have had the joy of watching the growth and development of the young man my husband and I sponsor. He is remarkable and the gratitude that he and his family show makes me feel very fortunate to be a part of their lives."

Anthony J. Kuzniewski, S.J.

Anthony J. Kuzniewski, S.J. is a professor in the Department of History at the College of the Holy Cross. He also serves as archivist for the New England Province, as chaplain to the Holy Cross Athletic Association, and as trustee at Cheverus High School in Maine. In 2002, he received the Distinguished Teaching Award as a member of the Holy Cross faculty. His most recent book is Thy Honored Name, A History of the College of the Holy Cross, 1843-1994 (The Catholic University of America Press, 1999). He is currently at work on a project regarding Jesuit leadership in the United States between 1820 and 1860. Father Kuzniewski received his M.Div. from Loyola University in Chicago, a B.A. in history from Marquette University, and his M.A. and Ph.D. in history from Harvard University. He is a member of the American Historical Association, Organization of American Historians, American Catholic Historical Association, Polish American Historical Association, Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences in America and the Kosciuszko Foundation.

Veronica Listerud

Veronica is currently the Director of Adoption and Family Services program at Children's Friend, Inc., a private, non-profit human services agency that has been serving children and families in the greater Worcester community since 1849. Children's Friend provides mental health servies, adoption services, services to school age mothers and has a grief center for children who have experienced the death of someone very close. Before joining Children's Friend in 1995 as an Individual/Family therapist, Veronica worked with the severely mentally ill and battered women and their children. She graduated from Boston University with a B.A. in Psychology in 1989. She later earned an M.S.W. in 1995 from Simmons College School of Social Work. Veronica is a lifelong Massachusetts resident: she grew up in Dorchester, MA, and currently lives in Uxbridge.

Sean McGrath

Bishop Daniel P. Reilly

Paul Reville

Paul Reville is the president of the Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy, and serves as the Director of the Education Policy and Management Program and a lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He also serves as the Co-Chair of the National Center on Time & Learning. Paul is the former executive director of the Pew Forum on Standards-Based Reform, and was the founding executive director of the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education. He also served on the Massachusetts State Board of Education from 1991-96 and chaired the Massachusetts Commission on Time and Learning, as well as the Massachusetts Education Reform Review Commission. Most recently, Paul was appointed the chairman of the Massachusetts State Board of Education by Governor Patrick.
Before this recent appointment, Paul served on Governor Patrick’s Transition Team and as chair of the Governor’s Pre-K-12 Task Force on Governance. Paul comes to the Nativity Board as a representative of All Saints Church and a lifelong educator with a deep interest in the success of urban children. Last year, he edited the book, “A Decade of Urban School Reform: Persistence and Progress in the Boston Public Schools.” He is a graduate of Colorado College and Stanford University.

George Tetler, III

Michael Tsotsis

Kelsa Zereski, CFRE

Kelsa Zereski is a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) who currently serves as the Director of Fundraising and Development at Fallon Clinic Foundation in Worcester, MA. Concerned with community well-being, the Fallon Clinic Foundation actively raises grant money to support health-related initiatives in Central Massachusetts. Kelsa is a lifelong resident of Central Massachusetts who resides in Shrewsbury, MA and is a graduate of Assumption College with a B.A. in Marketing. Over the years, she has served as a Trustee and Corporator for a number of local charities. She has also volunteered her time on many special event committees for charitable auctions. In addition to her interest in bettering the greater Worcester community, Kelsa is a Co-Vice President of the Worcester-area Women in Development Group.

With two teenage sons, Kelsa has personally seen the challenges facing adolescent boys. She recognizes the need for a school such as Nativity, which also addresses the needs and challenges that families living in vulnerable inner-city neighborhoods face each day. Since she joined the NSW board, Kelsa has seen small, everyday successes turn into leaps of development and growth for Nativity students and its graduates.