ANDREW T. AOYAMA
Senior Vice President (Retired)
Business Oversight & Operational Risk Management
MetLife

Andy Aoyama is a retired senior vice president of MetLife and most recently headed the Business Oversight & Operational Risk Management Department of MetLife’s Retirement and Income Solutions (RIS) division. This Department was housed within the Company’s US Business segment and RIS was responsible for over 20 percent of MetLife’s total operating earnings.

Andy joined MetLife in 1982 and has over 37 years of experience in the insurance industry. He led a team that was responsible for various initiatives including financial controls, industry strategy and public policy, and various administrative projects within RIS to support the US Pension Risk Transfer business, the Structured Settlements business, the Institutional Income Annuities business and the Stable Value business (a component of many 401(k) plans).

Previously, Andy led the Structured Risk Solutions Group within RIS. This group comprised two significant product groups – Stable Value / Investment Products and Torts & Settlements – and two cross-RIS functions – Business Transformation and iBusiness Solutions (business technology function).

Prior to joining RIS, Andy spent 20 years in the MetLife Investments Department. Most recently, he was responsible for all aspects of MetLife’s commercial mortgage-backed securities portfolio. He also held different staff and investment positions at MetLife, including leading two funding subsidiaries and managing MetLife’s asset-backed securities portfolio, non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities portfolio and residential whole loan portfolio. Earlier in his career, Andy was an investment analyst in Chicago and spent five years originating and managing private placements for MetLife in the Midwest.

Andy received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Claremont McKenna College and a Master of Business Administration degree from the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago. He also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and held FINRA Series 7 and Series 24 designations (registered representative and registered principal).

Andy is and active member in the Order of Malta, American Association  since 2008. He was the former Connecticut Area Co-Hospitaller and current President; Malta Human Services Foundation; The Foundation serves as the funding vehicle for the grant making of the Order of Malta, American Association. Andy and Virginia have attended five annual Lourdes Pilgrimages, most proud of his involvement on the Orange Team.

Andy and his family have attended Saint John Parish in  Darien, CT for 18 years. His involvement includes former Lay Trustee of the Parish and Eucharistic Minister. Community service includes Darien Boy Scouts as Andy is a former Board Member, Andrew Shaw Memorial Trust, Sponsoring organization for Darien Boy Scouting.

Foundations in Faith is blessed to enthusiastically welcome Andy as the Chairman of the Board!

The Most Reverend Frank J. Caggiano was installed as Fifth Bishop of Bridgeport on Thursday, September 19, 2013 at St. Theresa Church in Trumbull.

On February 22, 2014, he formally convoked the 4th Synod of the Diocese of Bridgeport, the first in 32 years, as an opportunity for renewal and pastoral planning.

More than 8,000 faithful turned out for the Synod Closing Mass Celebration at Webster Bank Arena on September 19, 2015. Under his leadership the diocese has launched the Catholic Service Corps, the Diocesan Leadership Institute, ongoing Strategic and Pastoral Planning, Foundations in Education to support Catholic schools, the Face of Prayer social media campaign, and other initiatives to renew the liturgical and pastoral life of the diocese.

Born and raised in the Gravesend section Brooklyn, he was admitted to Yale University in 1977, and transferred to Cathedral College of the Immaculate Conception, where he graduated summa cum laude. After briefly working in the publishing industry, he was ordained to the priesthood on May 16, 1987, in the chapel of the Immaculate Conception Center in Douglaston, Queens.

A noted catechist, Bishop Caggiano was invited by Pope Benedict XVI to deliver World Youth Day talks in Sydney in 2008, Madrid in 2011, and by Pope Francis to serve as a catechist at World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro, 2013. In 2016, he led a delegation of almost 300 young people to World Youth Day in Krakow, where he served as a catechist. More recently he delivered a major talk at World Youth Day REUNITE held in Washington, D.C.

He presently serves on four committees of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB): Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis; Subcommittee on the Catechism; Orthodox Union Catholic Dialogue; Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth.

On July 28, 2018 he was one of five American bishops elected by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to represent the United States at the XV Ordinary General Assembly: Young People, the Faith, and Vocational Discernment held in October at the Vatican.

Alicia is a Finance Manager for Travelers Insurance Companies with a demonstrated history of working for nearly 15 years in the insurance industry. She holds an undergraduate degree in finance from Florida A&M University and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration.

Additionally, Alicia is an entrepreneur having recently launched a small business as an independent sales consultant for Paparazzi Accessories.

Alicia and her family reside in Bridgeport and are active in the community.

Lorraine Carrano, RN, BSN, MBA is a graduate of St. Vincent’s School of Nursing and Sacred Heart University. Lorraine has enjoyed a diversified nursing career in the both hospital inpatient, critical care and outpatient settings as well as in the community as a school nurse before moving into hospital senior leadership as Corporate Vice President of Mission and Ethics at St. Vincent’s Medical Center and Health Services. She was responsible for integrating the mission into all aspects of hospital and system operations and overseeing Pastoral Care, indigent clinics, human subject research and leadership development.

Lorraine is an affiliate of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul and serves on the Seton Heritage Ministry (SHM) Board in Emmitsburg, MD and the board subcommittee for mission and heritage promoting the life, legacy and charism of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.

Locally, Lorraine serves on the Advisory Board of Kolbe Cathedral High School. She is the former Chairperson of the Advisory Board of St. Joseph School in Shelton and received the St. Augustine Medal in 2016 for service and dedication.
Lorraine and her husband Tom have been married 50 years and have 2 married daughters and 3 beautiful grandchildren, 2 girls and a boy. Lorraine and Tom reside in Trumbull and are members of St. Margaret Shrine. Lorraine is very active in the Shrine community serving as an Extraordinary Minister, a member and officer of the Altar Guild and a volunteer for the St. Anthony Feast annual fundraiser.

Lorraine enjoys traveling, spending time with family especially her grandchildren, reading, entertaining friends and helping those in need.

Paul Cronin is National Director of KeyBank Dealer Finance Commercial Services and National Director of KeyBank Business Capital. As head of Key’s dealer commercial business, Paul leads a dedicated team of auto dealer industry experts that provides industry-specific financial counsel and customized loan solutions to auto dealers. In his Business Capital leadership role, Paul and his team provide asset based lending services to help middle market companies with a wide variety of needs, including acquisition, recapitalization, growth, and ownership succession.

Paul previously served as Senior Vice President, Senior Managing Director, Head of Capital Markets for First Niagara Financial Group, as well as Head of Asset Based Lending and President, First Niagara Commercial Finance, Inc. He has more than 25 years of experience in banking, capital markets, corporate finance, and accounting. Prior to joining First Niagara, he was with HSBC Bank USA, where he served as regional head of corporate banking for the Northeast, as well as certain national specialized industries. Previous to HSBC, he held various senior positions at RBS Citizens, LaSalle Bank, and ABN AMRO Bank, and previously was with Emo Oil Ireland and KPMG.

A native of Ireland, Cronin earned a Masters in Business (Finance) and a Advanced Accounting Diploma from the Graduate School of Business at the University College Dublin and a bachelor’s in commerce from the University College Dublin. He also qualified as an Illinois CPA (Gold Medal) and as a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland.

In addition to his professional responsibilities, Cronin is active in his local community. He was a founding chapter member of the Lumen Institute in Chicago and remains active in the organization’s New York/Connecticut chapter. He is currently a board member of Virtual Enterprises International, a not-for-profit focused on bringing business management skills and entrepreneurship into the classroom. He is also a board member of Mass Mentoring Partnership, a non-profit focused on serving mentoring and youth development programs empowering youth-adult relationships to meet the needs of communities across Massachusetts. He also serves as a volunteer for Regnum Christi/3TGM, St Aloysius Church Religious Education and as a volunteer mentor at iMentor.

He resides with his wife and three children in Darien, Connecticut.

Michael Hanlon, CPA of North Haven, is the Chief Financial Officer of the Diocese of Bridgeport, responsible for the overall financial management of the Diocese of Bridgeport and the stewardship of fiscal resources in support of the mission and goals of the Diocese. He oversees financial and related functions including budgeting, accounting, investments, real estate, and Diocesan entities including parishes, schools and fundraising.

Hanlon came to the Diocese as a principal of BlumShapiro in Shelton. While at BlumShapiro, Hanlon managed the Shelton office not-for-profit practice providing professional services to entities including human service agencies, community and private foundations, voluntary health, welfare and religious organizations, arts and cultural organizations and membership organizations. Prior to joining BlumShapiro he also served on the City of New Haven Police Department from 1977 to 2000. His extensive professional and volunteer associations included board leadership positions on North Haven Youth Soccer Club, and the Connecticut Junior Soccer Association, South Central District and Christian Community Action, New Haven. He is an adjunct professor of Accounting at Post University.

Diane is an Assurance Senior Manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers. She is a graduate of Fairfield University and recipient of the Bellarmine Medal for highest four-year academic average.

Diane is also a co-founder of Catholic Adventures Stamford which is a young adult Catholic group started to foster fellowship amongst young adults in the Catholic community. Past events have included bowling, rock-climbing, kayaking, hiking, karaoke, scavenger hunt, trivia, pizza-making, apple-picking, adoration, and mass. Catholic Adventures also strives to evangelize within the community by hosting events such as Night Vigil at St. John’s & to provide faith formation in the form of bible studies and book clubs. (This past year we studied The Bible Timeline – The Story of Salvation by Ascension Press & Finding God’s Will For You by St. Francis de Sales).

Ligia Masilamani has a Master’s degree in Public Health and has worked at Family & Children’s Agency in Norwalk for nearly 20 years. During her years at FCA, Ligia has grown from a direct service worker in the Nurturing Connections program to a supervisor, manager and most recently, the Director of the FCA Home Care program. In her current role, she leads a team that provides critical in-home services to fragile seniors. She takes pride in the staff development the program provides to support its caregivers serving the senior population throughout Fairfield County. Ligia is active in the community as an Advisory Council Member for Southwestern CT Agency on Aging. Her work there includes reviewing and recommending programs for grant allocations and utilizing evaluation tools in the grant process. Ligia is a former Board Member at Malta House and she and her family are active member at St. James Catholic Church.

Ligia is seen as a strong role model for other leaders in Fairfield County and is highly respected by all those she works with in the community.

Anne McCrory, recently retired Chief Legal and Real Estate Officer and Corporate Secretary for the Diocese of Bridgeport, supervising litigation, real estate, contracts, immigration, and various compliance and corporate governance matters. Anne served as Diocesan Chancellor from 2012-2014.

Prior to her work for the Diocese, Anne served as Managing Attorney for UIL Holdings Corporation, and as an associate with Hunton & Williams in New York and Washington, D.C. Anne is currently the Chairman of the Board, former Chair of the Governance Committee and member of the Finance Committee of Albertus Magnus College in Hamden, CT and is the Treasurer and former Chair of the United Way of Coastal Fairfield County. She has served on the Diocesan Finance Council, Real Estate Committee, Review Board, Annual Red Mass Committee and the Assumption School Advisory Board. She was a Trustee and Chair of the Communications Committee for Foundations in Education, and prior Chairman of the Board for Foundations in Charity. She received her B.A., cum laude, and J.D. from Boston College. She and her husband, Hugh, reside in Fairfield and are parents of four children.

Daniel H. Mudd is an executive with over thirty years experience leading businesses; advising boards, investors, and governments; and serving in the military. His assignments have often involved complex special situations and distressed businesses. He currently serves as an operating partner or board executive to privately-held companies in technology, energy, military security and finance.

From 2009-2012, Mr. Mudd was the CEO of Fortress Investment Group, a $50 billion global alternative asset manager. Under his leadership, the corporation expanded to Asia and the Middle East, acquired new businesses, eliminated debt, restored dividends, and operated market-leading credit funds.

He was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Fannie Mae from 2005-2008 (and COO 2001-2005). During his tenure, the company completed a major accounting restatement, and repositioned itself in the marketplace, but was placed in federal conservatorship as a result of the 2007 housing crisis. He led the company through the overhaul of the management and the Board of Directors, and appeared numerous times before government and the media. He obtained a landmark settlement with the SEC in 2016.

From 1991-2000, he was a senior officer at General Electric. In Mexico, he restructured GE’s operating portfolio. In Europe, he doubled the transportation leasing business in two years. In Asia, he led operations through the 1998 economic crises by investing in distressed situations.

Daniel Mudd graduated from the University of Virginia. In 1980, he was a finalist in the Olympic Rowing Trials. He joined the U.S. Marines, and graduated first in his class at the Infantry Officer’s Course, Reconnaissance School, SCUBA School, and SERE School. Mudd was decorated for combat service in Beirut, Lebanon. After a tour in the Pentagon, he obtained his Masters in Public Administration at Harvard. In 1989, Mudd was awarded a Bosch Fellowship to work with the German government during reunification. While in Germany, he completed the restructuring and sale of a major venture capital fund.

Mr. Mudd served on the boards of Ryder System, Inc., Hampton University, the University of Virginia Board of Managers, the Marine Corps University Foundation, the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Sidwell Friends School and GEMS Asia Advisors. He served on the Asia-Pacific Economic Council and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He lectures frequently at US universities, and attempts to remain an avid athlete and outdoorsman. He is a member of the Order of Malta and is active in his local parish.

Dan resides in Connecticut, with his wife, Maura. They have four grown children.

Janie Nneji is a highly intuitive leader and program manager with proven ability to plan, organize, and implement programs efficiently and resourcefully. Janie has over 20 years’ experience working with for-profit (e.g., Southport Engineering, Intro America, Personal Products Co, GE) and non-profit (e.g., St. Mary’s Ridgefield, Ridgefield A Better Chance) businesses, developing operational strategies and employee experiences (from recruitment to hiring and training) that deliver business impact. With an engineering degree from Northwestern University and an MBA from Columbia Business School, Janie is an exceptionally strategic and innovative thinker.

Janie brings her experience in program and stakeholder management to the North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA) in the role of Operations Manager and to Foundations in Faith as member of the board.

Janie is a member of St Mary Parish in Ridgefield. She is a convert to Roman Catholicism. She is the wife of Dr. Bernard Nneji and mother of four adult children. Janie is a graduate of the Education for Parish Service program. She has served as a catechist, Scripture Study facilitator, and Parish Council- Faith Formation Lead. Currently, Janie serves as Usher/Greeter, Reader, and Hospitality Lead. She is a member of the Black Catholic Apostolate, the Ambassador Ministry and Diocesan Pastoral Council. Janie’s spiritual gifts are Teaching, Hospitality, and Leadership. Her kitchen is her favorite prayer space. Some of her favorite mottos are “Be Bold, Be Catholic” and “Be Your Best Self”.

Sheila Pettee has been an active member in Diocese of Bridgeport parishes – St. Aloysius and St. Thomas More – for over 35 years.

In her professional life, Sheila works as President of Pettee Investors, Inc., a registered investment advisor, managing portfolios for individuals, families, and charitable organizations to achieve their financial goals. In addition, Sheila serves as CEO and Chief Compliance Officer of Hoya Capital Real Estate, LLC, a registered investment advisor with two NYSE-traded real estate exchange traded funds (ETFs). From working at large corporations to boutique investment advisor firms, Sheila has extensive investment experience as a securities analyst and portfolio manager for both individual and institutional accounts.

As a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), an international professional certification for financial analysts, Sheila is obligated to adhere to a strict Code of Ethics and Standards governing her professional conduct.

Outside of work, Sheila is currently on the Board of Trustees for Foundations in Charity, elected in December 2022. She has participated in various fundraisers for Catholic Charities and has attended other events in the diocese. She has also volunteered for a variety of non-profit organizations around Fairfield County, including the New Canaan Community Foundation from September 2015 to June 2021. While at NCCF she served on the Finance Committee and as the Chief Investment Officer of the New Canaan Community Foundation. Her work there included overseeing the two outside investment managers and preparing monthly investment reports for the Board. Work at the NCCF also included and leading site visits to evaluate annual grant requests from local non-profits by reviewing their organizations including financial strength and outcomes leading to recommendations for funding to the Board. Her volunteer work spans several decades and includes organizations such as the Greens Ledge Light Preservation Society, St. Aloysius Church, Meals on Wheels, several schools, and two family foundations. Sheila has also participated in Walking With Purpose at St. Thomas More in Darien for the past seven years.

Sheila is a graduate of Rollins College. She and her husband Tim live in Rowayton, Connecticut after raising their four adult children in New Canaan.

With 22 years of experience, William is a seasoned Systems Engineer specializing in software, hardware, systems, and infrastructure management. He excels in both Apple and Windows environments, proficient in database, desktop publishing, networking, and web design software, including Oracle, Cisco, and Microsoft Office. Currently, as an IT and Network Engineer at Seton Collaborative, he diagnoses and resolves technical issues, designs and manages network infrastructures, and collaborates with cross-functional teams to optimize IT operations. His previous roles include Facilities Manager at The Cathedral Parish, where he enhanced resource management and managed website development, and IT Support III at General Motors, providing comprehensive support to executives and field users. William holds a BA in Systems Engineering from the University of Santander and a Certified Bachelor of Science in Systems Engineering from the North American Educational Group. Fluent in both Spanish and English, he is passionate about leveraging his technical expertise for financial optimization.

William lives in Trumbull, CT and is a active parishioner at the Cathedral Parish in Bridgeport.

Mr. Sindelar is a Founding Partner at CrossBay Capital Partners, a boutique private equity placement firm in New Canaan, CT. Prior to forming CrossBay in 2005, Mr. Sindelar was a Managing Director at New York Life Investment Management (NYLIM) and Chief Investment Officer of New York Life Trust Company. His accomplishments at NYLIM include establishing Madison Square Advisors, creating the multi-asset CDO program, managing fixed income portfolios and developing investment strategies. Before joining New York Life, he was responsible for the Fixed Income Department at USF&G Insurance.

Joe is a Fourth Degree member of the Knights of Columbus, a member of the Fairfield County Chapter of Legatus, a Knight in the Order of Malta and is a Eucharistic minister at St. Aloysius in New Canaan, CT. He serves on the boards of St. Catherine’s Center for Special Needs, the Diocese of Bridgeport’s Foundations in Faith, and Friends of Golf. When Joe’s children were younger, he was active in youth sports and coaching, and continues to work with young adults through career mentoring. Joe earned his BBA from Roanoke College and his MSF from Loyola University, Maryland.

Sue Stone grew up on Long Island and in New York City. She attended Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts and graduated cum-laude with a BA in International Relations.
Sue worked for the United Nations Environment Program and was then recruited to work for IBM in New York City. She worked for IBM from 1977 to 1993. Early on, she held various sales and management positions. In 1988, she became the Senior Sales Executive for Long Island, responsible for sales and services revenue growth. In 1990, she took the position of Director of Marketing & Sales and Chief Operating Officer for IBM North Eastern Region located in New York City. In April of 1993, after having her second son, she decided to leave IBM and stay home with her family.

In 1994, Sue began her involvement at Greenwich Catholic School in Greenwich CT, where her children attended grammar school. She became the Chairman of the Development Committee and then a member of the Board of Education for the school. Sue later became Chairman of the Board in 1999, serving 3 consecutive terms and retiring from that position in 2007. During her time at Greenwich Catholic School, she worked closely with the administration, teachers and clergy on budgets, financial and fund-raising strategies, operations and facilities, as well as strategic planning and the accreditation process.

From 2009 to 2013 Sue was the Business Manager for Indian Harbor, LLC, a private placement firm focused on the hedge fund and private equity industry.
Sue served on the Board of Governors of Fairfield College Preparatory School and as member and former Chairman of The Parent Leadership Council at Fordham University. She is more recently a member of the Strategic Planning Commission for the Diocese of Bridgeport and is currently enrolled in the Spiritual Direction formation program at the Murphy Center for Ignatian Spirituality at Fairfield University.

Sue lives in New Canaan with her husband Bob. She is a member of St. Michael Parish in Greenwich and involved in various ministries.

Patrick Turner served as the Director of Strategic and Pastoral Planning for the Diocese of Bridgeport from 2015-2019. His major focuses during that time were the creation and implementation of a diocesan-wide pastoral planning process, facilitating parish mergers, and coordinating the implementation of the major recommendations that emerged from the Fourth Synod of the Diocese of Bridgeport (September 2014-September 2015).

Patrick joined the Diocese of Bridgeport as Deputy Director of the Synod in June 2014. His responsibilities included managing the Synod process, working with members of the Synod Commission, Delegates, lay leaders and volunteers, coordinating the Closing Mass at Webster Bank Arena for 8,000 participants, and providing frequent Synod communications updates to the Catholics in Fairfield County through news articles, editorials, videos, and website information.

Named Director of Strategic and Pastoral Planning in October 2015, Patrick’s responsibilities now include coordinating the implementation of the multiple Synod initiatives and proposals, including the pastoral planning process. He previously served on the Diocesan Pastoral Council, the Catechetical Task Force designed to revamp catechesis in the Diocese, the Buildings Committee, and the Strategic Planning Commission, which was tasked with reviewing methods of improving the Catholic Center and the services it provides parishes, schools and the lay faithful.

Prior to arriving in Bridgeport, Patrick served as a Vicariate Representative for the Diocese of Brooklyn from September 2006 to June 2014. In that role, Patrick served as a bridge between the Diocesan curial offices and the more than 90 parishes in Brooklyn. His principal responsibilities included outreach and advocacy to the pastors, parish staffs, and lay leadership. Working in conjunction with the Office of Pastoral Planning, he assisted parishes, groups of parishes, and Deaneries in developing and implementing pastoral and strategic plans. His role also involved working with the Curial offices to respond more effectively to the needs expressed by the parishes.

In addition, he was a member of the Diocesan Strategic Planning Commission led by former Vicar General, Bishop Frank Caggiano (now Bishop of Bridgeport, CT), and Monsignor Edward Scharfenberger, Vicar for Strategic Planning (now Bishop of Albany, NY), which undertook a full-scale three-year review (2010-2013) of all parishes in the Diocese by analyzing detailed sacramental, financial, and temporal data and making pastoral visits. Recommendations were then made to the Bishop regarding parish strategic planning and/or reconfiguration. Patrick provided pastoral resources and facilitation to nearly 40 parishes in understanding and implementing those recommendations.

Prior to beginning his work for the Diocese of Brooklyn, Patrick spent nearly 21 years in Washington, D.C. working as a public policy analyst. A Political Science undergraduate of Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, Patrick completed graduate level coursework at Loyola College in Baltimore in Pastoral and Spiritual Care. Patrick was born in Houston, Texas, and grew up in the Seattle, Washington area.