About the Board of Trustees

Holy Cross High School was founded in 1957 by the Diocese of Trenton and operates under the authority of the Bishop of Trenton. In 2004 then Bishop John M. Smith formed the Holy Cross High School Board of Trustees to assist the Diocese in perpetuating the mission of the school. The Board is a powerful partner with the school that works to secure the future of Burlington County’s only Catholic high school through strategic planning and fundraising.

10th Bishop of Trenton, was born April 21, 1955, in Philadelphia. A priest of the Eastern Province of the Congregation of the Mission, also known as the Vincentians, Bishop O'Connell grew up in Langhorne, Pa.

Knowing from an early age that he wished to pursue the priesthood, Bishop O'Connell attended the Vincentians' St. Joseph Preparatory High School, Princeton. He continued his Vincentian education in Niagara University, New York, where he obtained a bachelor's degree in philosophy in 1978. Bishop O'Connell prepared for the priesthood in Mary Immaculate Seminary, Northampton, Pa., where he received a master of divinity degree in 1981 and a master's degree in moral theology in 1983.

On May 29, 1982, he was ordained a priest of the Congregation of the Mission in Mary Immaculate Seminary by Bishop Joseph McShea of the Diocese of Allentown. On June 4, 2010, Pope Benedict XVI appointed then-Father O'Connell as Coadjutor Bishop of the Diocese of Trenton. He was ordained to the episcopacy by Bishop John M. Smith in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton, on July 30, 2010. When Pope Benedict XVI accepted the resignation of Bishop Smith on Dec. 1, 2010, Bishop O'Connell automatically succeeded him as the 10th Bishop of Trenton.

To learn more about Bishop O’Connell click here

Biographies of the Board of Trustees

Mr. Bianchi currently serves as the Director of Administrative Services and Human Resources for the Diocese of Trenton. Former executive with Prudential, he has an extensive background in investment auditing and administration. While at the Prudential, he created and managed a major healthcare division.

He began his involvement with Holy Cross over twelve years ago when he volunteered his expertise and assisted the school with insurance, employee benefits and labor relations issues.

A former senior manager with the American Red Cross of Greater New York, Mr. Cinti is also the proud grandfather of two current Holy Cross students. An active member of Resurrection Parish, he currently serves as a member of the parish’s finance committee.

An active retiree, he keeps busy volunteering for a number of church-related organizations and is a past president of the Ashley Crossing Association.

A graduate of the University of Scranton where he received his undergraduate degree and Marygrove College where he received his graduate degree, Mr. Guida has served Holy Cross High School as a teacher, coach and administrator since 1979. He was appointed to his current post of school president/principal in June 2007.

As the school’s leader, he has directed Holy Cross to fulfilling its mission, "Empowered by the Gospel message of Jesus", and for the student experience to be Sacramental, Catechetical, and Transformational. His vision of a 21st century classroom has brought about many changes such as collegiate scheduling and the TabletPC program while focusing on the Catholic Identity of the school.

The father of four children, his youngest child Matthew, graduated from Holy Cross High School in 2006.

Mr. Myers is owner of two award-winning businesses and has been active with Holy Cross for a number of years. A graduate of the University of Delaware, Mr. Myers is married to a Holy Cross alumnus. He and his wife, Karen (Coyle), expect their three children will also become Holy Cross alumni starting in 2013.

A member of the Advisory group for the University of Delaware’s Entrepreneurial Program, he is also active with the Make-A-Wish Foundation and efforts to combat childhood brain cancer.

Father David is pastor of Resurrection Parish, Delran/Riverside and chairs the Board’s Catholic Identity Committee. He is an experienced administrator and continues a notable career in his religious community. Father David has worked with Holy Cross High School in developing partnerships with the Catholic parishes of Burlington County.

While assigned in Atlanta Georgia, Father David lead the restructuring of a local community services organization. He also served as chair of the Forum for the Catechumenate while assigned in Atlanta.

A former insurance company executive, Mr. Tiene has more than twenty-five years experience in marketing and public affairs management, and for more than a decade was the chief spokesman and lobbyist for the Garden State’s $12 billion property/casualty insurance industry. He joined the HCHS Board in late 2010 and focuses on the school’s fund development activities. He previously served on various Board committees.

Active in his parish, he is a former chairman of the All Saints Parish Council (now part of St. Katharine Drexel Parish, Burlington) and the School Advisory Council of All Saints Elementary School. Tiene is also a former chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Brain Injury Association of New Jersey where he continues to serve on the executive and Board of Trustees as well as the Advisory Council of the Court Appointed Special Advocates of New Jersey (CASANJ), child advocacy organization.

He and his wife, Ellen, are the proud parents of John T. Tiene, a 2007 graduate of Holy Cross and 2011 graduate (cum laude) Fairfield University.

A former Catholic School elementary school principal, Mrs. Tier had a nine year tenure serving in the Diocese’s Office for Catholic Education prior to being named Superintendent of Catholic Schools in 2009.

She received a Masters Degree in Administration, Supervision and Curriculum Planning from Georgian Court University and a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Holy Family University.

She is a graduate of Holy Cross High School and the mother of three children who also graduated from Holy Cross High School. She is a life-long parishioner of St. Katharine Drexel Parish, Burlington (formerly All Saints Parish).

A former Director of the New Jersey Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control, Mr. Vassallo is a practicing attorney specializing in matters related to liquor licensing and alcoholic beverage control.

A Deacon for the Diocese of Trenton, he has been assigned to his home parish of Corpus Christi Parish, Willingboro for more then thirty years. The father of two daughters who graduated from Holy Cross HighSchool; he is a graduate of Fordham University Law School. He and his wife, Barbara, are proud grandparents.