Caldwell College Announces Appointments of New Trustees

The Caldwell College Board of Trustees recently announced the appointment to its board of a successful business owner, a corporate executive and a Sister of St. Dominic of Caldwell.

The new members are: John C. Peterson, President and Owner of O.A. Peterson Construction Company in Upper Montclair, NJ; Kathleen M. Barabas, Caldwell College Alumna and Vice President, Head of Institutional Client Service North America for J.P. Morgan Asset Management; and Sister Donna Ciangio, O.P., who has an extensive background in diocesan and parish leadership development and planning. Each board member will serve a three year term.

John C. Peterson has been President and Owner of O.A. Peterson Construction Company since 1985. The family owned General Construction/Construction Management firm is now in its fourth generation. The company mainly works with hospital/healthcare and Fortune 500 type firms. "John is a highly regarded business leader in New Jersey. His experience on non-profit boards and his knowledge of construction and related technologies will contribute greatly to our future here at Caldwell," said Alexander R. Giaquinto, Ph.D., newly appointed Chair of the Caldwell College Board of Trustees. Giaquinto, a resident of West Caldwell, NJ and retired Schering Plough Corporation executive, was elected to the board in 2003 and has served as its Vice Chair since 2006

Kathleen M. Barabas of New York City has had a successful career in the financial services industry and in servicing a premier global institutional client base. Prior to her current position at J.P. Morgan, she was Vice President and Group Head and Vice President and Account Manager in Institutional Client Account Management at J.P. Morgan. Before joining J.P. Morgan, she was Vice President of Master Trust and Custody and Manager/Assistant Vice President of Employee Benefit Services at Citibank, N.A. "We are delighted to have Kathy join the board. Her strong financial background combined with the fact that she is an alumna of the College makes her an ideal person to help us continue our progress," Dr. Giaquinto said.

Sr. Donna L. Ciangio, O.P., is a Dominican sister of Caldwell, New Jersey. She is Director of Church Leadership Consultation. For many years, she served as the Director of Pastoral Services at the National Pastoral Life Center in New York City. In that role, she was responsible for formation for pastors, small faith community training, conference development, and diocesan and parish staff consulting and planning services. Sister Donna has worked in parish pastoral ministry and education ministry in urban and suburban parishes. Prior to her work at the National Pastoral Life Center, Sister Donna served as the national coordinator and international coordinator of RENEW. In these positions, she provided training and support to diocesan and parish leaders in over a hundred dioceses around the world. She is an adjunct faculty member of the Doctor of Ministry program of Drew University. "We are very excited that Sister Donna has joined the board. Her background in providing leadership training and mission advancement will greatly benefit Caldwell College, " Dr. Giaquinto said.

Helen Westervelt, President of the Regulatory Services Division of National Council on Compensation Insurance, has been appointed Vice Chair of the Caldwell College Board of Trustees. An active alumna of the College, she has served on the board of trustees since 2001.