Rocco G Galizio - Founder & HeadmasterRocco Galizio has a long history in both teaching and formation. Upon graduating from the University of Notre Dame in 2007, he fell in love with the educational charism of the Congregation of Holy Cross and entered a period of discernment. Leaving the seminary to seek his true vocation elsewhere, he went on to work at Holy Cross College in the Campus Ministry and Residential Life Offices before moving back home to his native Akron, Ohio, where he worked with students from pre-school to eighth grade programs. During this time, he discovered the writings of GK Chesterton through his local Chesterton Society chapter, and was introduced soon thereafter to the Chesterton Schools Network. Realizing the need for such an apostolate in his own community, Rocco gathered like-minded families and individuals to help bring Classical Catholic Education to the greater Akron area.

Rocco G Galizio - Founder & Headmaster

Rocco Galizio has a long history in both teaching and formation. Upon graduating from the University of Notre Dame in 2007, he fell in love with the educational charism of the Congregation of Holy Cross and entered a period of discernment. Leaving the seminary to seek his true vocation elsewhere, he went on to work at Holy Cross College in the Campus Ministry and Residential Life Offices before moving back home to his native Akron, Ohio, where he worked with students from pre-school to eighth grade programs. During this time, he discovered the writings of GK Chesterton through his local Chesterton Society chapter, and was introduced soon thereafter to the Chesterton Schools Network. Realizing the need for such an apostolate in his own community, Rocco gathered like-minded families and individuals to help bring Classical Catholic Education to the greater Akron area.

Joseph Gonzalez - Dean of Men

Mr. Joseph Gonzalez has a Bachelor’s in philosophy from Christendom College and a Master’s in philosophy from Wayne State University in Detroit. He has been involved in Catholic liberal education ever since he attended the Lyceum in Cleveland, OH, a private college preparatory Catholic liberal arts school. Joseph was the founding headmaster of Chesterton Academy of the Immaculate Heart in Volo, Illinois where he taught philosophy, theology, Euclidean geometry, literature and drama from 2020-2022. In addition to his passion for teaching philosophy, he has a great love of theatre; he has directed several high school plays including Antigone and Macbeth, and has performed in numerous comedies, including Shakespeare and Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion. His free time is often spent discussing philosophical and theological questions with his friends, talking to his eldest goddaughter, writing, and fencing. Joseph is a faithful Roman Catholic who has practiced his faith from the cradle. He is grateful for the opportunity to serve at Chesterton Academy of Akron.

Jillian Friedl - Dean of Women

Mrs. Jillian Friedl developed a passion for liberal education during her undergraduate studies at Hillsdale College. Through her academic pursuit of goodness, truth, and beauty, she encountered the fullness of Truth in the Roman Catholic Church and converted to the Catholic faith in 2019. Filled with evangelical zeal and a desire to help others experience the freedom and healing that can be found in the Catholic faith, she entered the University of Notre Dame’s Echo Graduate Service Program. As part of this program, Jillian spent the last two years pursuing her Masters in Theology and working full-time in parish ministry in the Archdiocese of Newark. Her primary catechetical work included RCIA and high school youth ministry, where she developed a passion for working with high school students. In her free time, Jillian enjoys exploring the outdoors with her husband, engaging in theological discussions over coffee, tending her indoor and outdoor plants, and writing Byzantine icons. Jillian is eager to continue learning and growing in faith alongside her students this fall.

Judy Schwager - Music

Judy Schwager is a graduate of Saint John’s University (Collegeville, MN) and Bowling Green State University (Bowling Green, OH) with degrees in Liturgical Music and Music Education. Her areas of musical interest are choral/vocal instruction, unaccompanied choral music and liturgical chanting, children’s music education, and spreading the truth that everyone can learn to sing. Outside of church music work, Judy is a bartender at a local microbrewery, takes film photos on her mom’s old Minolta, and enjoys time with her family and three cats.

Michael L. Saltis - President

Michael has worked as an English teacher abroad and as a contract administrator in the northeast Ohio aerospace industry. From the moment that he became involved in efforts to launch the Chesterton Academy of Akron, he has grown increasingly convinced that modern challenges require classical solutions, and that our students must stand upon the firm foundation of the classical tradition if they hope to navigate an increasingly complex professional, cultural, and technological landscape.

GK Chesterton once defined education as "the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to another." Should we rise to meet the moment, he has no doubt that an education renaissance is close at hand, and that the academies of the Chesterton Schools Network around the world will have a key part to play.

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Rev. Matthew Pfeiffer - Pastor & Chaplain

Father Pfeiffer was ordained on May 16, 2009 by Bishop Richard Lennon. Serving first as the parochial vicar at Saint Sebastian, and then Saint Augustine before being assigned as the pastor of Saint Paul in February 2014. A member of the local Chesterton Society, he has also been a major supporter for bringing a Chesterton Academy to Akron, Ohio.