Record Staff Report
The St. Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology’s Board of Overseers has added three new members who live or work in the Archdiocese of Louisville, Esi Bani, Frances Brown and William Payne Jr.
The board advises President-Rector Benedictine Father Denis Robinson on matters related to the “school’s programs and performance and addresses strategic questions related to the future of the school,” according to a news release from the school.
Esi Bani, a parishioner of the Cathedral of the Assumption, is a jewelry, apparel and accessory designer who resides in Louisville, with her husband, Prosper. She came to Louisville 21 years ago as an associate professor of Pan African literature at the University of Louisville where she taught until 2013.
She and her husband have two children.
Frances Brown, a parishioner of St. Aloysius Church in Pewee Valley, Ky., and her husband, Deacon Charlie Brown, reside in Louisville. Brown assists her husband with services at a nursing home and an assisted living facility. Her main focus is a ministry of presence with residents of St. Elizabeth Catholic Charities in New Albany, Ind., where she serves as a member of their advisory council.
She also serves on the advisory council for Opportunities for Life, a 24-hour helpline for persons in crisis pregnancies. She has also been involved in prison ministry, Hispanic ministry and Gennesaret Retreats. She is retired from Jefferson County Public Schools.
The Browns have two children.
William Payne Jr. is the director of strategy advancement and innovation at Humana Military in Louisville. His past positions include public accountant, internal auditor, manager and director of finance, executive director of network and provider solutions, and advisor to the president of Humana Military.
He and his wife, Sheri, have a son and are members of Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Jeffersonville, Ind.
Additional new members of the board are Victor Neff of Indianapolis, Ind., and Deneen Plessala of Mobile, Ala. M. Diane Murphy of New Albany, Ind., is rejoining the board.
Each member serves a three-year term.
The Board of Overseers already included three others from the Archdiocese of Louisville. They are: Don S. Mucci, J. Robert Shine and Father Anthony Chandler.
