Leadership at SMA
Our Interim Principal
We are delighted to announce the appointment of James Viviani as SMA's interim school leader. Mr. Viviani will serve in this role until July 1, at which time our new Principal, Sister Laurie-Marie Parisi, C.R., will come aboard.
Already serving as Dean of Students and middle school religion teacher here at SMA, Mr. Viviani has now taken on the day-to-day leadership of the building. A former police officer with experience teaching in the Police Academy and an active member of St. Mary's parish, Mr. Viviani is also in formation to become a deacon in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany.
Thank you, Mr. Viviani, for taking on this crucial role! We are blessed to have you here!
Fr. Scott VanDerveer, Pastor
Fr. Scott VanDerveer, a passionate educator and life-long learner, is the pastor and leader of St. Mary’s Parish and SMSA. Fr. Scott was born and raised in Rochester, received a degree in Journalism & Mass Communication from St. Bonaventure University and went on to earn a Master’s in Education at Boston College.
After spending time abroad serving in Up with People program, he took a position as a high school theology teacher for five years at Cristo Rey Catholic High School in Boston. In 2007, he took a middle school teaching position near his maternal relatives in Albany, while he took a closer look at what it would mean to follow the pull he had felt for so long toward religious life.
In 2009, Father Scott returned to Boston to study at Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary as a seminarian of the Diocese of Albany. He earned a Masters of Divinity degree and was ordained as a priest on June 8, 2013 at age 38.
His first assignment was at St. Mary’s Parish in Oneonta then went on to become pastor of two parishes: St. Mary’s in Coxsackie, and the Church of St. Patrick in Ravena. In September 2021, he became the pastor of St. Mary’s Parish and SMA.
SMA School Board
Established according to Diocesan guidelines, the SMA School Board serves in an advisory role to the school's administration, providing critical support and guidance in the areas of Catholic Identity, Buildings and Grounds, Recruitment and Retention, and Fundraising and Development. School Board members must adhere to an established Code of Ethics and Conduct.
Interested guests are welcome and encouraged to attend school board meetings, which are regularly held at 5:45 pm on the 4th Monday of each month. Guests should check the School Calendar and/or the latest Kerry Blue Newsletter for possible changes to times, dates, and locations.
Board Membership
Non-voting Members:
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Father Scott VanDerveer, Pastor
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James Viviani, Interim School Leader
Voting Members
Executive Team:
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Michael Feeder, President
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Kathleen McNulty, Vice President
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Kate Fowler, Secretary
Membership:
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Francine Buser, Finance and Development Committee Chair
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Janet Curley, School Grant Task Force Captain
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Neelo Jaikeran, PTA Representative
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Mark Olechowski, Finance and Development Committee Assistant Chair
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Mary Tully, Buildings and Grounds Committee Chair