Six join Seminary and School of Theology's Board of Overseers
October 08, 2018
The Board of Overseers has added five new members and a
returning member to the advisory board for Saint Meinrad Seminary
and School of Theology, St. Meinrad, IN.
The board advises President-Rector Fr. Denis Robinson, OSB, on
matters related to the school's programs and performance and
addresses strategic questions related to the future of the school.
Each member serves a three-year term.
New members joining the board are Esi Bani, Frances Brown,
Victor Neff, William Payne Jr. and Deneen Plessala. M. Diane Murphy
is rejoining the board.
Esi Bani is a jewelry, apparel and
accessory designer who resides in Louisville, KY, with her husband,
Prosper. She came to Louisville 21 years ago as associate professor
of Pan African literature at the University of Louisville, where
she taught until 2013.
She then turned her attention to design and jewelry making. Her
line of jewelry and apparel is called Esi Bani Handcrafted.
She graduated from Our Lady of Apostles Secondary School in Ho,
Ghana, in 1982. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University
of Ghana-Legion in 1987 and a PhD from the University of
Texas-Austin in 1996.
She is a member of the African Studies Association, African
Literature Association, Modern Language Association and the Ghana
Association of Louisville.
She and her husband are the parents of two children. She is a
member of Cathedral of the Assumption Parish.
Frances (Fran) Brown and her husband,
Charlie, reside in Louisville, KY. She assists her husband, who is
a deacon, with services at a nursing home and an assisted living
facility. Her main focus is a ministry of presence with residents
of St. Elizabeth's Catholic Charities. She also is a member of
their Advisory Council.
She serves on the Advisory Council for the Opportunities for
Life, a 24-hour helpline for persons in crisis pregnancy. She also
has been involved in prison ministry, Hispanic ministry and
Gennesaret Retreats. She retired from Jefferson County Public
Schools.
She earned a bachelor's degree in education from Spalding
University in Louisville and a master's degree in special education
from the University of Louisville. She completed a pastoral course
at the Mexican American Cultural Center in San Antonio, TX.
The Browns have two children and are members of St. Aloysius
Parish in Pewee Valley, KY.
She is a member of the Kentucky Coalition to Abolish the Death
Penalty, the Kentucky Education Association, and the Queen's
Daughters.
Victor Neff is director of financial
operations at Project Lead the Way in Indianapolis, IN. Previously,
he worked in public accounting and as an audit manager.
He earned a bachelor's degree in accounting, entrepreneurship
and international business from Indiana University in 2004. He
received a Master of Arts in Catholic Philosophical Studies from
Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in 2008.
Neff is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public
Accountants, Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, and the ACFE
Central Indiana Chapter.
He and his wife, Theresa, belong to St. Matthew Parish in
Indianapolis.
William (Bill) Payne Jr. is the director
of strategy advancement and innovation at Humana Military in
Louisville, KY. His past positions include public accountant,
internal auditor, manager and director of finance, executive
director of network and provider solutions, and advisor to the
president of Humana Military.
He earned a bachelor's degree in accounting in 1986 and a Master
of Business Administration in 2006 from Indiana University in New
Albany.
Payne is a current member of the Indiana University Alumni
Association. He has held several board positions at Providence High
School, including president of the Board of Trustees; as well as
treasurer of the Pine Hills Lake HOA and treasurer of TKE Omicron
Sigma Alumni Association.
He currently holds Fellow status with the American College of
Healthcare Executives and earned eight certificates of achievement
within the American Health Insurance Plans.
He and his wife, Sheri, are the parents of a son and are members
of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Jeffersonville, IN.
Deneen Plessala is the co-founder and
chief medical officer of Innovative Medicine Partners in Mobile,
AL. She also has been a physician/partner of Children's Medical
Group and worked in the Pediatric Clinics for the Jefferson County
and Mobile County Health Departments.
She served on the Board of Directors of the Junior League of
Mobile as vice president for community involvement and the project
development director. She is also the founder of Deneen's Designs,
a clothing and monogramming design and manufacturing company.
She and her husband, Kirby, are the parents of four children.
They are members of St. Ignatius Catholic Church.
Plessala received a bachelor's degree in biochemistry from
Louisiana State University in 1986. She received her MD degree from
LSU Medical School in New Orleans in 1990. She continued her
medical training at The Children's Hospital of Alabama, where she
completed her pediatric internship and residency at the University
of Alabama at Birmingham.
Returning to the Board of Overseers is M.
Diane Murphy of New Albany, IN. She served as president of
Your Community Bank Charitable Foundation and senior vice president
of community relations at Your Community Bank, retiring in August
2017.
Murphy attended Indiana University Southeast and graduated from
the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin in
Madison in 1994. In 2012, she received an honorary degree from Ivy
Tech Community College in college and community service. She
received the Leadership Southern Indiana George N. Lane Servant
Leader award in 2016.
She is a member of the Advisory Board of the Salvation Army,
Women's Foundation
of Southern Indiana, Housing Partnership, and Guerin Inc. She also
serves on the board of Baptist Health Floyd. She is a member of Our
Lady of Perpetual Help Parish.
She begins her seventh year of serving on the Board of
Overseers.
