St. Mary’s Welcomes Two New Trustees

The Board of Trustees is the governing body of St. Mary’s School. Board composition reflects the strategic expertise, resources and perspectives — past, present, future — needed to achieve the mission and strategic objectives of the school. As such, the trustees are volunteers from diverse backgrounds within and outside the St. Mary’s parent community. Individual members serve a threeyear term and participate in ongoing trustee education, evaluation and board leadership succession planning. The Board works to ensure all members are actively involved in the work of the Board and its committees.

St. Mary’s is grateful for the service and commitment of Serena Benson (Board Chair) and Board members Catherine Anderson, Rayna Herman and Francisco Morales. Congratulations and welcome to new trustees Susan A. Chaney and Andy Kief.

Susan A. Chaney

St. Mary’s grandparent, Susan A. Chaney joined the Board of Trustees in March 2023. Early in her life she reaped the benefits of private education coupled with her personal experience at Castilleja School in Palo Alto, Calif. Both of these forces influenced the trajectory of her life as a servant leader. She is an alum from UC San Diego where she graduated with degrees in History and Economics. Her children Derek and Hunter attended St. Margaret’s Episcopal School where Ms. Chaney served on the Board of Trustees, including two years as the Board President during a pivotal time in the school’s history.

Currently Ms. Chaney is wrapping up her six-year term as the Board Chair at the JF Shea Therapeutic Riding Center in San Juan Capistrano. She is also a Board member of the Mission Hospital Foundation. Ms. Chaney takes great joy in being “Birdie” to St. Mary’s students William (Early Kindergarten) and John Steffien (Early Preschool).

“It is such a tremendous honor for me to be joining the Board of Trustees at St. Mary’s School. As a newer grandparent to the school, with two fledgling Falcon grandsons thriving in the EEP program, it quickly became apparent to me what a truly meaningful educational experience St. Mary’s provides. I feel blessed that I am able to represent the many Falcon grandparents who are an integral part of the St. Mary’s community.” — Susan A. Chaney

Andy Kief

Andy Kief joined the St. Mary’s Board of Trustees in March of 2023. He currently serves on the Master Planning and Finance committees. The Keif family—Andy, Lauren, Jack (Grade 1) and Lillian (Pre-K)—have been members of the St. Mary’s family since 2018. They love all types of activities, including swimming, horseback riding, golf and chess.

Mr. Kief is President and Co-Founder of Cuesta Construction, a leading Orange County commercial general contractor specializing in retail, office, apartment and resort projects. Over the past 35 years, Cuesta Construction has completed more than 1,200 projects for many top Southern California landowners, including The Irvine Company, Hoag Hospital, LBA Realty and others. Prior to starting Cuesta, Mr. Kief worked at Price Waterhouse in Century City. Mr. Kief was born and raised in San Luis Obispo and comes from a family of teachers. He received his undergraduate degree in Business from Cal Poly—SLO and his MBA from UCLA.