The Board of Directors
2025-2027
Patricia M. Smith
President: 2025-26
An inveterate joiner, Patricia M. looks for opportunities to use her skills. She auditions for voice over work (HerVoiceWorks.com) when not helping friends in affordable housing as the Executive Director of Tennessee Affordable Housing Coalition.
She had a long tenure with Tennessee Housing Development Agency, loved her work with the American Red Cross in Blood Services and will invite you to a blood drive at the drop of a...blood drop!
She and John Zipperer raised two lovely children who LIVE IN TOWN! She's a lector at St. Matthew Parish after many years at Holy Name, working with Room in the Inn and renovating a 100-year-old original duplex.
One of six, each of whom attended many years of Catholic schools, she a graduate of St. Cecilia Academy.
Open for You!
President-Elect
Beth Reardon
Treasurer
Lots of fun things about Beth. She and husband Dean, whom she met through CYO activities, raised three children and now have two wonderful grandsons. She has a life-long commitment to Catholic schools. She enjoys sewing, quilting, cross stitching, reading, cooking and gardening. She stitches “angel gowns” from donated wedding gowns for parents of still born babies and is ready for more gowns.
She grew up outside Buffalo, with five sisters and one brother.
She’s retired from a long career that included 33 years with the city of Belle Meade (lastly as city manager!) and after working full-time for most of her adult life and raising a family, is learning to slow down and realize that life doesn’t have to adhere to deadlines and a long to-do list!
Meg Mahon
Program Chair
Meg knows hard work.
She did all of her education post-high school at night and over weekends while raising children and working full time as an insurance broker. She attended Nursing School at St. Vincent’s Hospital, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Finance from Marymount College, Tarrytown, NY and earned her Juris Doctor at Fordham University, School of Law.
She has lived in California, Chicago, Washington, D.C. and London.
She is fluent in Spanish, and taught law in the Medical School in the Dominican Republic.
She has played French horn and Trumpet and can read Music well enough to sing at Mass.
She represented many different Catholic and Jewish health and social service organizations. She served as General Counsel at the Archdiocese of New York and on the Board of Directors of Dominican Sisters Family Health Services for 14 years.
All of that because she is a product of Catholic Education.
She became widowed; met and married Christopher Lund in 2014 who nursed her through a tumor in her pancreas which included a coma of three weeks.
She has now become certified in mediation.
Tricia Casa Santa, BS, RHIA (Ret.)
Secretary
Tricia joined NCBWL in 1997 after initiation
into the Catholic faith in 1996. She spent the first half of her career in hospital medical record
management and the second half as a data
manager for pharmaceutical research organizations.
Since retirement on 01-Apr-22, Tricia enjoys
volunteering for the Heimerdinger
Foundation, Ladies of Charity, and Nashville Sports Council. She enjoys cross-stitching and crocheting.
She is an active member of the Colonna Club. She and Chris are regular attendees at the Nashville Symphony, TN Performing Arts Center, Titans games, and charitable functions. They enjoy Notre Dame football and basketball.
Open for You!
Communications Chair
Sharon Alderman
Parliamentarian,
and Past President
Sharon has served the League as president, treasurer and active member since joining in 2005. She was introduced to us by Tricia Casa Santa while they both worked for the Music City Bowl.
She is a retired educator: one year in Ohio then 34 years both as a high school mathematics teacher and as a junior high school assistant principal. Upon moving to Nashville, Regions Bank was her employer for nine years, she took off a few years and then went back for 2 more years. She now purports to be comfortably re-re-retired!
She and husband Bud attend Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Springfield and enjoy five grandchildren.
A past member of Alpha Omicron Pi sorority, she belongs to the Nashville alumni chapter.
Mary "Mimi" Speciale
Membership
Mary (Mimi) Speciale is retired from HCA Healthcare after 37 years of service, where she served as the Corporate VP of Project Management and Education for the Performance Improvement and Case Management departments. She earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Houston and an Executive MBA from Vanderbilt’s Owen School of Business.
Mimi is originally from Portland, Maine and has also lived in Texas and California, in addition to TN. She has been in Franklin, TN for over 28 years. Her husband passed away a few years ago after a long battle with chronic diseases. Mimi is fortunate to have two children, Stephen and Kimberly who both have families of their own, living in AL and GA respectively. Her hobbies are gardening, hiking, skiing, traveling, and spending time with her four grandchildren and other family members.
Open for You!
Publicity/Outreach
Lisa Link
Social Action
After teaching in Atlanta Public Schools for 25 years, Lisa Link returned to Nashville a decade ago to marry Eric, her Father Ryan High School classmate, whom she reconnected with at their 25th reunion. She’s grateful to be back home, close to family, and especially thankful that her daughter moved to Tennessee with her—and will hopefully stay here as she recently got married.
Since moving back, Lisa has embraced her passion for service as a part-time photographer and full-time volunteer, offering her time and talents to a variety of educational and philanthropic causes. Most recently, she helped start a St. Vincent de Paul conference at Holy Rosary, where she and her husband are active in many ministries. In her "spare time", Lisa enjoys playing tennis, gardening, traveling, and board games.
As Social Media Chair, she is excited to help NCBWL members discover meaningful ways to make a positive impact in our community. She is passionate about connecting us with other organizations through service and volunteer engagement. She hopes to identify needs, mobilize resources, and create opportunities for meaningful outreach that reflects NCBWL’s mission and values.
Jennie Guinn
Spiritual Life
Jennie is a native Nashvillian who attended St. Edward School and Father Ryan High School. Jennie worked at St. Edward Church and School for 26 years as a teacher, administrator and Director of Religious Education. In 2021, Jennie followed God’s promptings to become a Catholic Life Coach. She added access to her guidance by becoming a podcaster, and radio show host who walks with women facing life’s unexpected turns. She helps them encounter the Father’s love, be transformed by the Holy Spirit, and find healing from pain and disappointment so they can magnify Christ with their lives. Through faith-filled coaching and heartfelt conversations, Jennie empowers women to rediscover hope and to live life with purpose and joy.
She encourages middle-life moms to strengthen their faith, reconnect in their marriage, gracefully navigate the relationship with adult children and their spouses, and to discover where God is calling them in this new season of life.
Jennie meets with women one-on-one, leads retreats, hosts a weekly podcast and weekly radio show on Nashville Catholic Radio called Catholic Moms in the Middle. You can learn more about Jennie’s coaching at Catholicmomsinthemiddle.com.
Janet Coscarelli
Hospitality
Janet has been an advocate for children, including those with language disorders and children who are hearing-impaired. She participated in Congressional testimony on the need for early detection of hearing loss and therapeutic services. She led the successful effort to require hearing tests for all infants born in TN hospitals. Remarkable to note: the bill passed unanimously.
She led the successful effort for policy implementation to require a certified audiologist for all cochlear apparatus implants and hearing aids for children. Served as director of the TN Head Start Collaboration Office to coordinate early childhood programs. Daughter of Italian immigrants - just a taste to get the conversation started.
She is interested in creating and sustaining crosswalks between business enterprises and educational / social issues impacting young children and families.
Open for You!
Special Events, Co-Chair
Open for You!
Special Events, Co-Chair
2023-2025
From left are Tricia Casa Santa, Ellen Wade, Courtney Conklin, Mary Rolando, President Claudia Weber, Lauren Barca, Sandra McSweeney, Patricia M. Smith, Trish Cronin, Connie Allison, Jeanne Colopietro and Karoline Mahoney.
2021-2023
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Lynne Warne, President
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Claudia Weber, President-Elect
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Lisa O’Neill-Sullivan, Programs & Second VP Elect
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Deb Fay, Treasurer Chair
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Janine Moore, Secretary Chair
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Cora Newcomb, Communications Chair
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Cheryl Pryor, Spiritual Life Chair
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Kim Hoover, Membership Chair
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Lisa Link, Publicity & Outreach Chair
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Faye Knochenmes, Hospitality Chair
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Veronica Moreland – Development & Pearls of Wisdom Co-chair
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Patricia Vance - Development & Pearls of Wisdom Co-chair
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Cindy Zwickel, Parliamentarian Chair
2019-2021
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Teri Hasenour Gordon, President
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Lynne Warne, First Vice President, Special Events
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Lisa O’Neill-Sullivan, Second Vice President, Programs
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Barbara Esteves-Moore, Communications and Marketing Chair
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Sandra Szejner, Treasurer
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Patricia Vance, Recording Secretary
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Donna Adams, Spiritual Life Chair
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Kim Hoover, Membership Chair
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Lisa Link, Publicity & Social Action Chair
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Deb Fay, Development Chair
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Deb Fay, Hospitality Chair
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Shelley Heile, Business Networking Chair
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Kathy Pohlid, Parliamentarian