Andrew Armann
Principal,
St. Christopher School, San Jose
Andrew holds master’s degrees in Educational Leadership and Teaching from Santa Clara University and a bachelor’s degree in History from UCLA. Andrew has been a member of the St. Christopher community since the mid-90s, when his family joined the parish. Andrew began his professional career as a middle school teacher at St. Christopher School in 2006, becoming Associate Principal in 2017, and Co-Principal in 2018.
David Cortese, Jr.
Principal,
St. Martin of Tours School, San Jose
David served as the vice principal at St. Justin School last year. Prior to that, he was a teacher at Holy Spirit School and a youth minister in several parishes in the Diocese of San Jose. David holds a MA in Teaching from Santa Clara University and graduated this summer from the University of Notre Dame with a MA in Educational Leadership.
Sally Douthit
Principal,
Holy Spirit School, San Jose
Sally Douthit is a passionate educator who joins us with over a decade of Catholic school leadership experience. Most recently, she served as principal at St. Christopher School in San Jose. Prior to that, she led schools in the Diocese of Oakland and taught in both the Diocese of Oakland and the Diocese of San José. Fr. Ritche Bueza and the hiring panel shared that Mrs. Douthit has a proven history as an accomplished and successful principal, administrator and teacher. She has the presence and dispositions that will serve the entire Holy Spirit community
Sefanie Hoover
Principal,
Queen of Apostles School, San Jose
Stefanie Hoover is a Bay Area Native and grew up in Santa Clara. She graduated from Presentation High School and attended San Jose State University, earning degrees in English and Education. After spending over 15 years teaching middle and high school English, most recently at Archbishop Mitty High School, Stefanie moved into administration as the principal at a private K-12 school in Santa Clara. Last year she joined Queen of Apostles School as the vice principal, and is very excited to transition into the role of principal for the 2022-2023 school year. Stefanie and her husband Tim have been married 15 years this summer, and both of her sons attend Queen of Apostles.
Jennifer Packard
Principal,
St. Joseph of Cupertino School, Cupertino
Jennifer Packard returns to the DSJ after serving as the Vice Principal at the Sacred Heart Nativity Schools in San Jose. With over 25 years of leadership and teaching experience, Jennifer is known best for her collaborative work in the areas of developing middle-school curriculum, student community service programs, parent engagement, and community partnerships. She is an advocate for all students and goes above and beyond for the families in her community. She believes in hands-on application of knowledge acquired in the classroom and giving students’ opportunities to explore their talents inside and outside of the classroom.
Elizabeth Watters Schwartze
Principal,
St. Elizabeth Seaton School, Palo Alto
Liz Watters has been serving Catholic schools as a teacher and a leader for the past nine years. Her career as an educator began in 2013 when she taught fourth grade in Brownsville, TX as a member of ACE Teaching Fellows. After graduating with her Masters in Education, Ms. Watters served in Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Denver and San Francisco. Liz graduated with her Masters in Educational Leadership from the Remick Leadership program in 2021. Most recently, Liz served as the vice principal of St. Elizabeth Seton. Next year, Liz will become the principal at St. Elizabeth Seton School in Palo Alto.
Elizabeth Trela
Principal,
Most Holy Trinity School, San Jose
Looking back at her own educational experiences, it is very easy for Elizabeth to realize that she is in the right career. She loved school from the first minute that she stepped into Mrs. O’Connell’s kindergarten classroom. Mrs. Trela lived most of her life in Grants, New Mexico, a small town west of Albuquerque. She graduated from Grants High School and moved to South Bend, Indiana to attend the University of Notre Dame. After graduating from Notre Dame with her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, she went into the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) program, affiliated with Notre Dame. During her time in this program, she both taught second and third grade in Catholic schools in East Los Angeles and worked on her Masters’ Degree in Education and teaching credential, which she completed in 2004. From here she moved to the lovely Bay Area where she married her college sweetheart. She has been in the Diocese of San Jose since 2004 as a middle school English language arts teacher, vice principal, and principal. She is excited to begin her next steps in her career as the principal of Most Holy Trinity School.