School Advisory Council

Amy Piedmont is a mother of four children who attend Sacred Heart Cathedral School, Ellie (8th), Tripp (6th), Emmy Reese (3rd) and Molly (K).

She and her husband, Mike, moved to Pensacola in August of 2020 after Mike retired from 20 years in the Navy.

Amy is an estate planning and business attorney at Litvak Beasley Wilson and Ball, LLP.  She is a member of Sacred Heart Parish and serves a lector.

When she is not attending one of her children’s sporting events, you can bet Amy is watching and cheering for her Auburn Tigers (War Eagle!).

Fr. James Valenzuela has been the Rector of the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart and School since 2013.

He grew up in and around Tallahassee and is thus a vocation from the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee. After receiving his undergraduate degrees in Biological Sciences and Economics at Florida State University, he attended St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach, FL and was ordained to the priesthood in 2005.

All of his 18 years of ordained ministry have been in the Pensacola area.

A graduate of the University of Notre Dame (BA – French and Theology) and the University of West Florida (MA – Educational Leadership), Dominique is honored to serve as the principal of Sacred Heart Cathedral School.

Dominique loves to cultivate, especially curious minds, loving hearts, plants, and travel ideas. Her favorite garden is her home with her husband, Tom, and 6 beautiful children.

A native of Minnesota, Nick Lahr originally came to Sacred Heart Cathedral School as a Spanish teacher in 2017.

He became the Assistant Principal of the school in 2020, but he continues to work in the classroom teaching 6th grade Religion and 8th grade Logic.

He also enjoys music and serves as the piano accompanist for the choir at the weekly school Mass.

Dave joined Sacred Heart Cathedral School in 2016 and has been actively involved on both the administrative team and on the School Advisory Council since then.

Now as the parish business manager at the Cathedral, his membership on the school advisory council ensures seamless integration of school and parish.

His education and experience in the areas of nonprofit management, development, and parish-school relations are the main areas of focus contribution to the SAC.

Originally from Indiana, Tonya has lived in the Pensacola area for a little over thirty years.

She and her husband have been members of the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart for approximately 20 years. Tonya’s son has attended Sacred Heart Cathedral School since Kindergarten and is now in the Fifth Grade.

In her spare time, Tonya enjoys volunteer work and runs a small real estate business.

Jo Elizabeth (Jo Beth) Brown has lived in Pensacola since her teenage years. After college, she worked for 25 years in the medical field and retail management.

She is certified in interior redesign and home staging, through Becky Harmon, a nationally recognized Florida interior designer. She met her husband, Mike Brown (deceased), a Marine Corps aviator, on Pensacola Beach. As a Marine Corps wife, she was blessed to live and travel to many different places.

Jo Beth is raising their 4 children; two attend Pensacola Catholic High School, and the other two attend Sacred Heart Cathedral School. Jo Beth stays busy with a vintage boutique at a local antique mall and is active in her church, the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart.

Jo Beth grew up in a historic home and has an appreciation and love of old homes. She is active in her neighborhood, and aside from her family, 3 dogs and volunteering, she enjoys gardening, travel, art, crafts, reading, cooking, baking, home interiors, entertaining and friends.

Jo Beth has been on the School Advisory Board since 2018.

A proud Auburn graduate and native of New Orleans, Kevin Nelson has been a member of Sacred Heart Parish since 2014. In that time, he has served as a coach for several Sacred Heart Cathedral School (“SHCS”) athletic teams, and has been a member of the SHCS School Advisory Council since 2016.

Kevin and his wife Amy also serve as part of the Hospitality Ministry at the Cathedral on Sundays. Kevin and Amy have three children (Jacob, Caleb and Ava), all of whom graduated from SHCS.

Kevin is currently a Trust Advisor at Hancock Whitney Bank, where he has been for 4 years. Amy is currently the Gifted/Enrichment teacher at SHCS.

Joe is a native Pensacolian. He retired from the U.S. Air Force where he served from 1969-1992 as a Combat Engineer.

After retirement, Joe worked for 24 years for the Escambia County School System as a Behavioral Technician at Escambia Westgate School; a school for pre-k through 12th grade students who are severely intellectually and physically delayed.

Joe enjoys family, fishing and serving our community.

Rosetta Durant is a retired educator of the Santa Rosa County Public School System in Florida, with thirty-six years of teaching experience at the elementary level.

As a volunteer  at Catholic Charities of Northwest Florida Emergency Assistance Services, Rosetta organizes the annual Christmas program, which serves many families in the Pensacola area.

She is a member of St. Anthony of Padua Parish where she serves as a lector and Parish Council chairperson.