Reverend Father Maurice Mei Akwa, Board, Chaplain

Father Maurice Akwa, an extern from Cameroon, is parochial vicar of St. Lawrence Catholic Church in Alexandria. His assignments include diocesan spiritual director for Catholic Men and Women’s associations; diocesan ecumenical coordinator; chaplain and coordinator of the Association of Widows and Orphans. After minor seminary, he was not allowed to return to Bambui after his pastoral year in Small Mankon, 1990-91, so he taught English, English literature, civics and religion at Sacred Heart College, Mankon, 1991-93. He has been in choirs, coached basketball, acted with a seminary troop and public theatre club, and began a Cameroon Catholic Community for the Washington metro area in 2006.

“Working as director of schools in three dioceses combined for three years, and being a formator in the Major Seminary for 14 years, makes my world view very broad and humbling. As a pastor of souls I have come to realize how fragile we are as humans and remain open 24/7 to be of online and direct assistance to all.”

Joe Tiago, Founder and President

Joe has been a member of the Knights of Columbus for almost 25 years and is currently a fourth-degree member in good standing. He held several office chairs at the Council, Assembly, and State levels, including serving as Grand Knight in Columbian Year 2014/2015, demonstrating excellent and collaborative leadership which led his Council to receive the Star Council Award. He was twice Navigator of his Assembly. He served the State Council as District Warden, District Deputy leading his district to achieve the Star District Award during a challenging pandemic year, State Membership Director, and State Convention Chairman. Joe previously served on the Board of Directors for Marian Homes, a Virginia 501(c)(3) whose mission is to increase the options for adults with intellectual disabilities to live independently, as well as the Mount Vernon Columbus Club, a nonprofit charitable corporation dedicated to supporting the neighbors and strengthening the communities they serve. Joe and his family are Springfield residents and active parishioners of Nativity Catholic Church in Burke, VA.

J. Charles “Chuck” Curran, Vice President

Chuck, a native of Washington, D.C., graduated from Georgetown University and Georgetown University Law Center. Mr. Curran was employed on U.S. House of Representative staffs and was the Associate Director of the National Coal Policy Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies for six years prior to entering the practice of law.

Chuck is a long-time member of the Knights of Columbus and the Ancient Order of Hibernians where he has held various positions in both organizations. He sits on the Boards of Directors of three 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations; Viridiane’s Hope for Children’s Health & Education, Corp., KOVAR Corporation, and the Irish Cultural Center of Virginia, Inc. Chuck’s professional interests include volunteerism, alternative dispute resolution and Mental Health, especially including assistance to Persons with Intellectual Disabilities as well as education for disadvantaged persons. He is a volunteer Conciliator for the Fairfax County Bar Association at the Fairfax County Virginia Circuit Court, assisting other attorneys in efforts to resolve various Motions pending before the Court.

Allison Hetzel, Board, Treasurer, Communications Director

Allison is the Vice President of the National Curriculum and Training Institute based in Phoenix, AZ. Allison, her husband Scott, along with their three children, CJ, Will, and Julia Grace, have been residents of Springfield, VA since 2017. Before that, they travelled around the world, living in Georgia, California, Japan, and Germany. Scott retired from the Army in 2024 and pursues civilian life as a government contractor.

Barry “BJ” Dysart, Board

Barry grew up in Los Angeles and benefited from 8 years of Jesuit education at Loyola High School and Santa Clara University where he graduated with a BS in Psychology in 1968.  After graduation, he entered the U.S. Navy and earned his wings as a Naval Aviator in 1970.  During his 28-year career he flew F-4 Phantoms and FA-18 Hornets and commanded Strike Fighter Squadron 137 and USS CONCORD (AFS 5). During his service years, he also earned a MA in Management from Salve Regina University.

After retiring from the Navy as a Captain in 1996, he joined Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) where he worked for 25 years as a Business Manager on contracts providing IT services to several Federal agencies before retiring for a second time in 2021.

Barry and his wife Lynn, who have been blessed with five children and five grandchildren, have been active members of Nativity Catholic Church for more than 30 years. It was after a mass one Sunday in 2001 that he was invited to Join the Knights of Columbus father Sikora Council 7992.  He was a very active Knight and quickly took on officer positions, ultimately serving as Grand Knight in the 2005-2006 Columbian Year. During his tenure as Grand Knight, the council received the Star Council award and was recognized by winning the statewide service awards for both the Life and Community categories. As a commitment to service, he travelled to Kentucky each June for 20 years to help build a home for a needy family with a team from the Council.

In February 2025, he traveled to Cameroon with the VHCHE mission where he learned first-hand of the conditions there and impact that VHCHE can have on lives of the Cameroon people, especially its children.

Tom Snee, Board

Tom Snee is a retired Navy Master Chief /Surface Warfare Specialist, and a Vietnam Veteran with over 30 years of naval service. He has testified before the House and Senate Armed Services and Veterans Affairs Congressional Committees. In addition to these testimonies, he served as a panel member for the Senate Congressional Educational Reform for Educators. Tom holds an M.Ed, in Education Leadership from George Mason University, Fairfax, VA; a BS in Liberal Arts/Psychology from Excelsior College, Albany, NY; and an AS in Liberal Arts from Mohegan Community College, Norwich, CT. In 2016 he was bestowed an Honorary Bachelor’s Degree for Alumni Services, from Excelsior College.

Following his Navy retirement, Tom worked for the FRA as the Veterans Service Officer and Membership/Branch Development Coordinator. In August of 2000, he transitioned careers and became a Middle School Teacher/Administrator. With a strong education and training background, he managed curriculum development, increased student assessments, and enhanced student appraisals, for incoming high school freshmen. He currently serves on the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Catholic Schools Certification Team. Mr. Snee also serves on many boards including Excelsior College, Albany, NY; and the Board of Educators at Mount Vernon/Gunston Hall (historical sites). He is also the author of two books: “What’s Up, Life”, and “You Raise Me Up”.

Scott Kokotajlo, Board

Scott is a long-time parishioner at St. Bernadette Parish in Springfield, VA where he currently volunteers and previously taught at the elementary and middle school levels for a decade.  He and his wife, Marie (Ret. Air Force) raised five children and traveled the globe broadening their worldview and astonishing at God’s fingerprints in the most unlikely places.  Together, Scott and Marie passionately support the vulnerable in their community by fostering children in Fairfax County.  In 2024, Scott was put in contact with Joe and was very excited to join him on the February 2025 trip to Cameroon.  He appreciated the opportunity to participate in changing the lives impacted through VHCHE.  Serving on the board as member-at-large is an honor and a privilege.

Frank Guest, Board Emeritus

Frank Guest is a fifth generation native of Washington DC and has been a resident of Springfield Virginia since 1979. In 1971 he began a 30-year Naval career as a Surface Warfare Officer until his retirement as a Captain in 2001. He commanded the Destroyer USS Moosbrugger (DD-980) homeported in Charleston SC and later, as Commodore, led the seven ships Destroyer Squadron 31 in Pearl Harbor HA. His career included 10 years ashore in various budget and finance assignments and 20 years afloat assigned to various operational ships and staffs. In his Naval career he visited over 50 countries bordering every major ocean. Frank received his BS degree in Marketing from the University of Maryland and later received an MBA from George Mason University and an MA in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College in Newport RI.

Following his Navy Career, Frank began a successful second career as a Senior Defense consultant in the private sector, first rising to Senior Associate with Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH) in Arlington VA and then Director and Senior Vice President in a Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB) IT firm in Sterling, VA.

In 1991 Frank joined Springfield Council 6153 of the Knights of Columbus and has been active ever since. He has served in numerous Council, Assembly, District, and State leadership positions including Grand Knight twice with a Star Council award, Faithful Navigator, Color Corps member, District Deputy twice, and numerous years on the State Council Staff in various Youth Program positions.

Donna Piscitelli, Board Emeritus

Donna Piscitelli is a retired school administrator in Fairfax, Virginia. An educator for 30 years, Donna has taught English and Drama, been a school counselor and a school based administrator. She has been writing for children for many years. Donna Piscitelli lives in Alexandria, VA with her husband, Steve and they have four children, ten grandchildren and a yellow lab. She is active in her church and in Christian outreach. Donna has published many little books designed to help children and families learn more about the Catholic faith.

Katherine (Kate) von Alt, Board Emeritus

Kate spent the first 30 years of her professional career working at the Texas State Health Department Laboratory in many different aspects of diagnosing infectious disease. Her undergraduate degree is in Microbiology, including a certification from the American Society of Clinical Pathology (ASCP). With a graduate degree in Public Health – Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Kate assisted with a research project working on the prevention of childhood exposure to pesticides in the Rio Grande Texas Valley. In her current working role, Kate continues her work in Microbiology for Sonic Health Care, one of the largest diagnostic laboratory medicine companies of the world.  

Kate is a native New Yorker, but has lived in the Austin Texas area for 35+ years. She has twin sons, Duncan and Garrett.  Garrett sadly passed away in 2008 at the age of 15. Kate now shares 5 more children, 2 grandchildren and a Golden retriever named Tessa and a pug named Peppa with her husband Stan.

Kate served for over 12 years on the Board of Directors for a nonprofit grief support center in Austin Texas called the Christi Center. She still volunteers with the Christi Center, offering grief support. Kate is an avid dog lover, she is an active volunteer with her therapy dog Tessa, she also volunteers with The Dog Alliance, helping to train service dogs for veterans with PTSD and children with learning disabilities. Kate’s an avid gardener with a focus on raising and enticing butterflies. Living in Austin, Kate and her husband Stan enjoy listening to live music, eating yummy foods and share the love of traveling.

Alicia Petersen, Chair, Youth Advisory Council

Alicia Petersen has over 20 years of experience in leading teams, organizational development, group facilitation, curriculum design and training. Alicia thrives on working with groups to align learning objectives with leadership goals and desired outcomes. She has created and streamlined learning programs and processes for governmental agencies (United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC)); public schools; businesses, nonprofit organizations, and faith-based institutions in-person and virtually to implement best practices; facilitate change management; and to improve communication, coordination, collaboration and cooperation. 

Over the past three years she has facilitated and created original content for synchronous online delivery for modules on Entrepreneurship; Conflict Resolution; Racial Reconciliation and Adult Learning Principles. She has also delivered six weeklong orientation courses for USAID (Introduction to the Program Cycle and Activity Design and Implementation) and catered to diverse audiences and different time zones. During this time, Alicia has logged more than 300 hours of synchronous facilitation and instruction via Zoom, Adobe Connect and Google Meets for six different clients.  This has been paired with another 100 hours of asynchronous support to clients during this time. Alicia has worked onsite in diverse settings including Germany, Zambia, South Africa, Kenya, Afghanistan, and Ukraine.

Chelsea Wright, Chair, Youth Digital Letter Exchange Program

Chelsea Wright is an undergraduate student at William and Mary and intends to major in International Relations and minor in Data Science, with an aspiration to pursue a career in international development or defense intelligence. She’s a member of the Jefferson Pre-Law Society and Kappa Kappa Gamma.

Chelsea founded the Teens for Global Empowerment project in 2022 with the hopes of raising awareness of the experiences of students in countries facing conflicts or human rights violations that are not as prevalent in the media. She worked with internally displaced students in Myanmar who were in the midst of an internal conflict sparked by the military junta that was facilitating systemic discrimination and violence toward minority communities. Students in her local community and at the IDP school in Kachin State were able to share thoughtful letters highlighting their life experiences, hobbies, and much more, creating a space for students to bridge geographical boundaries and gain a firsthand cross-cultural exchange.

Chelsea has been a volunteer with Viridiane’s Hope since her senior year in high school and collaborated in branching out this project to students at St. Anne’s Catholic School in New Melong, Cameroon, and the Emergence Bilingual School in Yaoundé, Cameroon. In total, over an outstanding 150+ invaluable letters were exchanged between both projects.