State Deputy

Pat Rowland (12378)

statedeputy@vakofc.org

He joined the Order in 2005 and served as Grand Knight (2010-2011) for St. Teresa of Calcutta Council 12117 and is now a member of San Lorenzo Council 12378.  He is a member of Father Michael J. McGivney Assembly 2588 and served as Faithful Navigator during the 2020-2021 fraternal year. 

Additional positions held within the jurisdiction include District Deputy 4 (2014-2016), State Convention Chairman (2016-2017), State Membership Director (2017-2018), State Council Officer (2018 – present).

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Southern Illinois University – Carbondale specializing in Workforce Education and Development.  He and his wife, Arlene, are parents to daughter Kori and son John.  He is a member of Church of the Ascension in Virginia Beach where he supports multiple ministries such as Lector, Eucharistic Minister, Liturgy Coordinator and Choir (instrumental). 

State Chaplain

Most Reverend Paul S. Loverde

chaplain@vakofc.org

Bishop Loverde was ordained a priest for service in the Diocese of Norwich. CT on December 18, 1965, in the Basilica of Saint Peter, Rome, and then served in a variety of assignments both on the parochial and diocesan levels. On April 12, 1988, he was ordained an Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of Hartford, CT. On January 17, 1994, he was installed as the Eleventh Bishop of Ogdensburg, N.Y. Later he then was installed as the Third Bishop of Arlington, VA on March 25, 1999.

Currently, he serves on the Board of Trustees at Catholic Distance University (CDU), where he is also Chair, he is a member of the Board of Trustees of Mount Saint Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Maryland He also is a member of the Board of Directors of The Institute for Psychological Sciences/Divine Mercy University, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the Board for the Commissariat of the Holy Land, the Religious Alliance Against Pornography, and the Board for the National Center on Sexual Exploitation.

Assoc. State Chaplain

Msgr. John C. Cregan

chaplaincregan@vakofc.org

Father Cregan’s assignments included being parochial vicar of St. Patrick Church in Chancellorsville and at the Church of the Nativity in Burke, VA before being assigned as pastor of St. Elizabeth Church in Colonial Beach. Before retiring, he served as pastor for 19 years at Blessed Sacrament Church in Alexandria.

He embraced the status of retired parish priest and begin residence at the St. Rose of Lima Priests Retirement Villa in Annandale. Father Cregan continued with his priestly duties by increasing his time as a spiritual director for the seminarians at Mount St. Mary’s. Bishop Loverde soon after appointed him as Deputy State Chaplain to the Virginia Knights of Columbus.

Assoc. State Chaplain

Very Rev.  Salvador Añonuevo.

chaplainanonuevo@vakofc.org

Fr. Sal was ordained a priest in the Diocese of Sorsogon, Philippines in 1986.  He came to the United States in 1997 and trained in radio and TV communications in New York while serving as chaplain of the Sparkill Dominicans and later as parochial vicar at St. Margaret Church in Pearl River, NY.  In 2001 Fr. Sal came to the Diocese of Richmond and has served in the parishes of Sacred Heart and St. Pius in Norfolk and in St. Luke’s and Holy Spirit in Virginia Beach in various roles before he was appointed Pastor at his current parishes, Holy Name of Mary in Bedford and Resurrection in Moneta in July of 2009.  In 2018 he was named Vicar Forane in the Western Vicariate.   Fr. Sal currently serves as a member of the College of Consultors, the Priest’s Council and the Priest’s Personnel. He joined the Knights of Columbus in 2003 with Kempsville Council #10515 in Virginia Beach. Fr. Sal is a chartered member and former Chaplain of Pope John Paul the Great Council #13784 of Virginia Beach. He went on to serve as Faithful Friar of Fr. Habets Assembly  (ASM 1505), also of  Virginia Beach.  He currently serves as Faithful Friar of Holy Cross Assembly (ASM 1315) in Forest . Fr. Sal provides pastoral leadership as Associate State Chaplain for the Virginia Knights of Columbus.

State Secretary

Bob Jones (12434)

statesecretary@vakofc.org

State Treasurer

Trey Hart (6828)

statetreasurer@vakofc.org

Initially growing up on a military installation based in the Puget Sound region of Washington State, Trey graduated from Purdue University in 1999 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management, double specializing in Organizational Behavior & Human Resources and World History.  He currently resides in the Metro Richmond VA area where he works as a senior analyst for a Fortune 300 utility company.

Trey joined the Order in 2003 and 4^th Degree the following year, initially as a member of St. Edward’s Council 06546 and Msgr. John J McMahon Assembly 2205, respectively.  Serving in multiple councils and assemblies as needs have been brought to the forefront, he served as Faithful Navigator of James Cardinal Gibbons Assembly 3066 during FY 2009-10, District Deputy #10 during FYs 2011-15, and finally as Grand Knight of St. Martin of Tours Council 15794 during FY 2018-19.  He is currently a member of St. Bede Council 06828 and a member of Fr. John P Washington Assembly 2184 where he is currently the Faithful Scribe.

Additional positions held within the Order includes District Warden #10 (2010-11), Deputy Membership Director (2015-16), District Deputy Trainer (2016-17), General Program Director (2017-18), State Family Activity Chair (2018-19), State Warden (2019-20), State Advocate (2020-21), State Treasurer (2021-22) and State Secretary (2022-23). 

A supporter of football clubs Roda JC Kerkade and AFC Wimbledon, Trey has primarily been a member of St. Martin of Tours Catholic Community on US Army Garrison Gregg-Adams for over 30 years.

State Advocate

John Knox (6790)

stateadvocate@vakofc.org

John joined Cathedral Council #6790 at St. Thomas More Cathedral in 2011 and served as a two-time Grand Knight, Keep Christ in Christmas Chair, and Degree Team Captain. He also was Faithful Navigator of Commodore John Barry Assembly #1163 where he created the Patriot Trail event as an opportunity for brothers to enjoy fraternity and visit Patriotic sites throughout the DC/MD/VA area.

He served as District Deputy for District 15 for 3 years culminating in a Clean Sweep of State Deputy Awards and Star District in the final year. His time on the VA State Council also includes service as a Regional District Deputy and Deputy Membership Director 2021-2022 when the state achieved 116% membership growth.

In spare time, John enjoys playing Tennis, reading, traveling, and attending Catholic Young Professional events in the area.

State Warden

Thom Harrington (5332)

statewarden@vakofc.org

With a lifelong commitment to protecting the unborn, Thom has been an active volunteer marshal for the March for Life each January since 1996. Today he plays an instrumental role to ensure the success and safety of every national march in Washington, DC by coordinating with the National Park Service, law enforcement, first responders, contractors, and volunteers.

Thom Harrington serves as the Vice Chairman for Programs and Operations on the board of directors of the March for Life Education and Defense Fund. Elected to the board in 2013, Thom has proudly advised and supported the organization’s mission to promote the beauty and dignity of every human life by working to end abortion—uniting, educating, and mobilizing pro-life people in the public square.

Thom retired from the U.S. Coast Guard after serving more than 30 years, Thom’s military career encompassed both enlisted and commissioned service. Now retired from nearly a decade long second career in the financial services industry, Thom served Catholic families as a Knights of Columbus field agent and investment advisor representative.

He holds a BSEE from George Mason University and an MBA from Saint Leo University. Thom currently resides in northern Virginia with his wife, Cathy. They are members of All Saints Parish in Manassas where Thom serves on the parish Facilities Committee. Together, they have four adult children and seven grandchildren.

Immediate Past State Deputy

Mark Janda (4034)

ipsd@vakofc.org

Mark joined Archbishop Keough Council 5263, Odenton Maryland in 2000 and served there as Warden and joined Admiral William S. Benson Assembly 381 prior to moving to Virginia. He transferred to Fredericksburg Council 4034 serving two terms as Grand Knight in 2005-2006 and 2011-2012 and transferred to Rappahannock Assembly 1613 in 2002. Mark was appointed as District Deputy of District 11 serving from 2013 through the 2016 fraternal years and served as the State Programs Director in 2016-2017. Mark also served ten years as an Usher at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C.

Mark and his wife Ruth of 33 years are members of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church in Fredericksburg, VA. They have a Daughter Diana and a son Eric and two grandchildren Jonah and Sawyer.

Executive Secretary

Brian M. Ripple (562)

execsecretary@vakofc.org

Brian joined the Order in 1993 and is a member of Roanoke Council #562 where he served as Grand Knight in 2005-2006. He is also a member of Roanoke Assembly #1167 where he served as Faithful Navigator from 2010 – 2012.

Additional positions held within the order include District Deputy #25 (2006-2008), District Deputy #23 (2009-2010), State Convention Chairman (2012-2013), State General Programs Director (2015-2016), State Advocate (2017-2018), State Treasurer (2018-2019), State Secretary (2019-2020), and State Deputy (2020-2021).

Brian and his wife, Stacey, have been married for over 31 years and have two children, Ben and Allison.  The Ripple family attends St. Andrew’s Catholic Church in Roanoke.

District Master

 Guillermo Giondani (8183)

master@vakofc.org

He served in the U.S. Army for over 26 years, retiring as a Colonel.  He worked as a platoon leader, company commander, battalion commander and in multiple staff assignments at battalion, major command, Pentagon, and multi-national levels and as the Executive Director for the Inter-American Defense Board.

He led a 1,500 person battalion deployed to the Persian Gulf War providing full logistic management and engineering services to over 18,000 personnel in northern Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq.

He has been awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, the  Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, Southwest Asia Medal with 2 Bronze Service Stars, the Humanitarian Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon,  the Kuwait Liberation Medal, the Parachutist Badge, and the Army Staff Identification Badge.

After retirement from the U.S. Army, he worked in the civilian sector establishing projects, managing programs valued from $1 Million to $5 Billion.

The list of his training and skills in business practice, process improvement, systems development, strategic planning, systems integration, and financial management is quite extensive.

Guillermo joined the Knights of Columbus in 1986 and took his Fourth Degree in 1992.  He has served as a Grand Knight, a District Warden, and as a District Deputy.  At the Fourth Degree level, he has served as a Faithful Navigator, as a member and Commander of the District Exemplification Honor Guard, and as a Regional Marshal.  He assumed his position as the Master of the Virginia District on September 1, 2022.

He married his wife, Mary Ann, in 1972 and they have three children, John Alexis, William Alexis, and Jenna Annamarie.  They also have three grandchildren, John (Jack) Alexis, William Carlos, and Maya.