The Good Shepherd Academy
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Leadership

The people who guide our school.

Father Benedict Solomon, O. Praem

Father Benedict Solomon, O. Praem

Chaplain

Fr. Benedict is the chaplain of The Good Shepherd Academy and teaches theology in the high school. Fr. Benedict is from San Pedro, California. He became a Norbertine at St. Michael's Abbey in 1999.
 
He was head of the St. Michael's Summer Camp and served as Assistant Dean and Chaplain of St. Michael's College Preparatory High School. He taught Freshman, Sophmore and Senior Religion and  coached Cross Country and Soccer.
 
He was Rector of Mary Star Of the Sea Elementary School for 6 years, which was the school he attended as a child and taught Junior religion at Mary Star of the Sea High School for 1 year.
Daniel Mansueto

Daniel Mansueto

President, Board of Directors

Mr. Mansueto is the current President of The Good Shepherd Academy’s board of directors. He has practiced law for over 30 years. He is a member of the Finance Council of St. Vitus in San Fernando and has served on the Life Commission of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, as President of the Board of Directors of International Life Services, and as President of the Board of Directors of the East Los Angeles Pregnancy Center.

He is a 1985 graduate of the UCLA School of Law, where he was a member of the Law Review. After law school, he served as a law clerk to a federal district judge in Los Angeles and then practiced law at O’Melveny & Myers, for the California Department of Transportation and at his own law firm.

Kim Mitchell

Kim Mitchell

Vice President, Board of Directors

Kim Mitchell is a retired Army Apache helicopter pilot who served 23years of active service and retired with the rank of Major. He currently works for one of the nation’s leading safe manufacturers as a Director of Inside Sales.

Kim graduated from Excelsior College with a BS, Administrative / Management Studies. He is married to Irene Mitchell and their children, Noah (11) and Sarah (9), attend The Good Shepherd Academy. Noah and Sarah have been TGSA students since the 2021 School Year.

Kim and his family are avid supporters of TGSA and remain very active with volunteering and running various fundraisers for the school. Kim was asked to serve on the board in 2024.

Judy Gutierrez

Judy Gutierrez

Member, Board of Directors & Head of School

Mrs. Gutierrez is a founding board member of The Good Shepherd Academy. She has over twenty years of school administration experience in all areas of operation. She is a co-founder of St. Monica Academy and served on their school board for several years.

Mrs. Gutierrez was the founding President of the Board of Directors of The Good Shepherd Academy during its inception and inaugural academic year. She is presently Head of School at The Good Shepherd Academy.

Andre Coulombe

Andre Coulombe

Member, Board of Directors

Mr. Coulombe is an Enrolled Agent Accountant and Brigadier General of the California State Guard. Mr. Coulombe is a former President of the Newman Club of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and has been a parishioner at St. Vitus since its founding as a parish.

Dr. Jacqueline Tran

Dr. Jacqueline Tran

Member, Board of Directors

Dr. Tran is a member of The Good Shepherd Academy’s board of directors. She is serving, or has served, on the boards of Right to Life League, Vox Vitae, ELA-Science, Catholic Polytechnic University (advisory board), and East Los Angeles Community Youth Center.

She has a Doctorate in Cognitive Psychology from the University of Notre Dame.

Mary O'Neill

Mary O'Neill

Member, Board of Directors

Mary O’Neill is a graduate of Bishop Amat High School and holds both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Mathematics from Cal Poly Pomona. She devoted over 30 years to teaching high school mathematics and also shared her expertise as an evening instructor at Mt. San Antonio College for more than 17 years, as well as teaching for several years at Cal Poly Pomona.

She is a registered parishioner at St. Anthony Catholic Church in Upland and regularly attends daily Mass at St. Peter and St. Paul in Alta Loma, where she serves as a lector on Tuesdays and Saturdays. On Sundays, she sings at the 8:00 AM Mass at St. Anthony’s.

Outside of her parish and teaching commitments, Mary enjoys gardening—tending to more than 100 rose bushes, over 20 citrus trees, and a variety of other fruit trees—and traveling.

Jeff Hilger

Jeff Hilger

Advisory Member, Board of Directors

Mr. Hilger is an attorney and educational expert who is a member of The Good Shepherd Academy’s advisory board. Mr. Hilger has founded, managed, and overseen the growth of five schools (Stella Middle Charter Academy, Bright Star Secondary Charter, New Opportunities Jail School, Family First Adult School, and St. John Paul II STEM Academy) and the organizations that support them (Bright Star Schools and New Opportunities Organization).

He is a graduate of Loyola High School of Los Angeles, Georgetown University, UCLA School of Law, and Teach For America. He has served as managing editor of the UCLA Law Review and as a law clerk for a federal district judge. He has practiced law in the areas of real estate, contracts, and governmental accountability.

Dr. John Tran

Dr. John Tran

Advisory Member, Board of Directors

Dr. Tran is a member of The Good Shepherd Academy’s advisory board and regularly participates in board meetings. He is a member of the board of directors of Catholic Polytechnic University and holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Southern California.

Michael Fahrenhorst

Michael Fahrenhorst

Treasurer, Board of Directors

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David Huch

David Huch

Secretary, Board of Directors

Mr. Huch is an attorney with over twenty years experience handling class actions and complex litigation. Prior to starting his own practice, Mr. Huch worked in-house at the Callaway Golf Company on various antitrust, consumer and employment law matters. Mr. Huch completed his undergraduate studies (B.A., English) and law school at the University of San Diego. 

He is married to Estela Huch, current President of our school's parent guild. Mr. and Mrs. Huch met on the Catholic Match dating website while living 100 miles apart. Their son Paul (14) attends the Good Shepherd Academy High School. Along with their son Luke (12), the Huch family is very active in their Catholic community and avid supporters of the Good Shepherd Academy. 

"The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."

John 10:11