Best-selling author, filmmaker, producer and podcast host Adriana Trigiani will be the keynote speaker at this year’s Salute to Catholic School Alumni dinner, set for March 10 at the Galt House Hotel in downtown Louisville.
The annual event is the largest fundraiser of the Catholic Education Foundation, which provides tuition assistance for Catholic school students. This year’s dinner has a fundraising goal of $1.75 million. During the dinner and program, the foundation will honor eight people for their support of Catholic education.
Trigiani, a graduate of St. Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Ind., is the author of 21 books of fiction and non-fiction. She has written for the stage, TV and film, including the 2014 film adaptation of her best-selling novel, “Big Stone Gap.” And she hosts the podcast, “You Are What You Read,” interviewing “the luminaries of our time about the books that built their souls,” according to her official website, adrianatrigiani.com.
“She’s a very devout, faith-filled woman,” said Richard A. Lechleiter, president of the Catholic Education Foundation. “I can’t wait to get her here in Louisville. It’s going to be a great time. It’s been a long time since we’ve had an author, a literary person at the event.”
Lechleiter said the dinner and program are “crucial to the work we’re doing” to support students.
“Our awards to students this past fall was a record $1.86 million to 3,700 Catholic elementary school kids,” he said. “We expect that to rise to $1.88 and $1.89 million this fall. The demand is going to be higher. The reason we have these events is because it’s not optional — we’ve got to keep up with it. The Salute dinner is our biggest part of that, and it’s crucial to the work we’re doing.”
Recipients of tuition assistance for the 2026-2027 school year will be notified of their awards beginning March 1.
“We’re already lining ourselves up for another record year of awards,” Lechleiter said.
During the fundraising dinner, the CEF will honor six people who attended Catholic schools and continue to support them: Diane M. Gahafer, David A. Koch, Edward J. “Jody” Meiman III, Michael T. Paradis, Katherine Wintergerst Rogers, and Father Charles D. Walker.
Two people, Deborah A. Tucker and Michael A. Pollio, will receive awards.
“I love the honorees; we’ve got a wonderful group of people,” said Lechleiter.
Lechleiter said he expects the Salute dinner to sell out again this year, as it has in recent years.
“We haven’t sold out yet, but we’re getting close,” he said. “If you want to buy tickets or get a table to sponsor, we’re getting close. We couldn’t do this without our sponsors and donors.”
The Salute to Catholic School Alumni begins at 5 p.m. on March 10 with cocktails, followed by the program at 6 p.m.
For information about tickets and sponsorships, call 502-585-2747 or visit ceflou.org.
This year’s honorees are:
Diane M. Gahafer, a graduate of St. Rita and Assumption High School, is the chief revenue officer for Wasteology.
She also serves on boards and in volunteer roles for a variety of non-profit efforts, including Assumption High School, the Little Sisters of the Poor, St. Vincent de Paul, Catholic Charities and the Catholic Education Foundation. For the CEF, she currently serves on the executive committee and chairs the development committee of the board.
She and her son, Gus, are members of both Holy Spirit Church and the Cathedral of the Assumption.
David A. Koch, a graduate of St. Raphael School and St. Xavier High School, is president and CEO of Hill Road Capital LLC.
At his parish, St. Agnes Church, Koch has chaired the school board, the finance council, the long-range planning committee and the parish carnival. At his alma mater, St. X, Koch has served on the board and as chair of the budget committee and co-chair of the strategic planning committee.
He and his wife, Lynne, serve as after-school tutors at Community Catholic Center in the Portland neighborhood.
The couple have three adult children and two grandchildren.
Edward J. “Jody” Meiman III, a graduate of St. Denis School and Holy Cross High School, is retired battalion chief for the Louisville Division of Fire and Rescue and serves as executive director of Louisville Metro Emergency Services, which includes EMS, the 911 Call Center, 311, Emergency Management and Special Events.
Meiman has earned several awards for his leadership and service and a Mayor’s Proclamation in 2021 and 2023 for his work after the Mayfield, Ky., tornado and the Martin County mine collapse.
He has been a supporter of the WHAS Crusade for Children, leads St. Lawrence Church’s picnic and serves on the board of Holy Cross, where he chairs the marketing and enrollment committee.
He and his wife Shannon have three sons and are members of St. Lawrence.
Michael T. Paradis, a graduate of Trinity High School, is chairman and CEO of Brandeis Machinery and Supply, a heavy equipment distributor.
He was recognized by Louisville Business First with its “Best in Finance” award in 2017 and he serves in a national industry role as a board member of Associated Equipment Distributors.
He serves as chair of Trinity’s board of directors, serves as a commissioner of the City of Mockingbird Valley and is a past board member and treasurer of Gilda’s Club of Kentuckiana.
He and his wife Deana have two children and are members of Holy Trinity Church.
Katherine Wintergerst Rogers, a graduate of St. Agnes School, Mercy Academy, Bellarmine University and Spalding University, is chief administrative officer of Norton Women’s & Children’s Hospital and holds a doctoral degree in nursing.
She also has served in numerous teaching roles at Bellarmine, the University of Louisville, the University of Kentucky and Spalding University. She has received Norton Healthcare’s Pinnacle Award and its distinguished Award of Excellence.
She is a member of the Holy Trinity School Board and serves on the advisory boards of the Bellarmine University Graduate School and the Spalding University School of Nursing. In 2020, she was elected commissioner for the City of Manor Creek.
She and her husband David have three children and are members of Holy Trinity Church.
Father Charles D. “Chuck” Walker, a graduate of DeSales High School and St. Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology, is a retired priest of the Archdiocese of Louisville.
“For 45 God-blessed years, Father Chuck Walker has impacted the lives of thousands of people across central Kentucky through his priestly ministry,” said the description of Father Walker provided by the CEF.
Before he retired, he served in the following parishes in the archdiocese: St. Ambrose in Cecilia, St. Augustine, St. Bernard, Christ the King, St. Clement, Emmanuel in Albany, Good Shepherd, Holy Cross in Burkesville, St. Ignatius in White Mills, Immaculate Heart of Mary, St. James in Elizabethtown, St. Martin de Porres, St. Peter the Apostle, St. Pius X, St. Polycarp and St. Raphael.
He has also served as chaplain for Catholic Campus Ministry at the University of Louisville and as co-chaplain for Mercy Academy.
Lechleiter noted, “We always try to honor a retired religious priest or bishop — someone who has given their life to the church. We think that’s important.”
In addition to the honorees, two awards will be presented at the dinner. The recipients are:
Michael A. Pollio, a retired senior associate athletic director for the University of Louisville, will receive the Community Service Award.
Pollio, who attended St. James School, St. Xavier High School and Bellarmine University, had “a storied career at UofL,” said Lechleiter. “He joined the UofL athletic department in the early 90s, and Mike really led the effort to raise the money for the athletic facilities you see on the campus. … He helped transform how that campus looks today.”
His fundraising efforts funded Cardinal Stadium and the Owsley Frazier Cardinal Park, Lechleiter said.
In retirement, he and his wife Ann support the students and staff at their parish school, St. James in the Highlands.
The couple have four adult children and five grandchildren.
Debbie A. Tucker, who attended St. Athansius School as a child and is a third-grade teacher at St. Rita School, will receive the Father Joseph McGee Outstanding Catholic Educator Award.
“I’ve known Debbie for several years through my school visits,” said Lechleiter. “When I visit St. Rita, I make a point to visit Debbie’s classroom. She’s that good; she’s amazing. She personifies what it means to have a vocation to be a Catholic school teacher.”
A description of Tucker provided by the CEF said, “Faith is at the heart of everything Debbie does. Her classroom radiates joy and reverence, where faith and learning are woven seamlessly together.”
She and her husband, Richard, have been married for 41 years and have a son. They are members of St. Rita Church.
