Administration
Gary R. Delneo - Principal
BA, English, Fordham College
M.Ed.,University of Vermont
Mr. Delneo was born and grew up in Pelham Bay in the Bronx, New York, where he attended Our Lady of the Assumption Elementary School. He continued his education under the Jesuits at Fordham Prep and went on to Fordham College where he graduated in 1968 with a B.A. in English. Upon graduation, he married his wife, Janet, and moved to Burlington, Vermont where he taught fifth grade for four years at St. Francis Xavier School and began graduate studies in English at the University of Vermont. In 1972 he started teaching junior high language arts at Hinesburg Elementary School where he remained until 1985. At that time he took a position as a high school English teacher at Rice Memorial High School, a diocesan Catholic high school in South Burlington, Vermont. Mr. Delneo taught English and religion and eventually became athletic director and assistant principal at Rice. In 1998 he graduated from the University of Vermont with a M.Ed. Degree in educational leadership. He left Rice to assume his first principal a position at St. Joseph Catholic School, a 7-12 grade diocesan school in Madison, Mississippi. Mr. Delneo moved to Atlanta in July 2000 to open the high school at Holy Spirit Preparatory School. He eventually became Head of School and later the first President of Holy Spirit Preparatory.
Mr. Delneo comes to The Prout School with 37 years of educational experience. This will be his 26th year as an educator in Catholic schools. Over 12 of those years were in administration. He has been on the pastoral council, including a term as president at Christ the King in Burlington, Vermont, and he has been a Eucharistic minister for the past seven years. Mr. and Mrs. Delneo have three children who have graduated from Fordham College, Vassar, and the University of Pennsylvania respectively. They have two grandchildren.
Louise R. Pearson - Assistant Principal, Science Department Head, Coordinator-International Baccalaureate Program
BS, Biological Sciences, Bridgewater State College; MS, Botany/Environmental Sciences, University of New Hampshire
Ph.D. (Honorary), Mount St. Joseph College Published Works: A Systematic Study of Variation in the Small Fruited Cranberries, Nematode Induced Anatomical Changes in Brassica sp., Epiphitic Studies in Marine Algae.
Mrs. Pearson has over 41 years experience in education and 11 years in administration. Twenty-nine of those years have been spent at Prout. Mrs. Pearson holds an honorary doctorate from Mt. St. Joseph College and was a recipient of the Louis Stearns Award in Botany. Mrs. Pearson has also instructed at the University of Rhode Island, Mt. St. Joseph College and The Pennsylvania State University. She is a member of The Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Sigma XI and Phi Sigma, of which both are fraternities that recognize achievement in the sciences. Mrs. Pearson is also a past President of the URI 3-Point Club, Secretary of the URI Fast Break Club, serves on the Executive Boards of the Rhode Island Rams Athletic Association and the URI University Club and is a trustee for the URI Foundation.
Donna R. Nardone - Business Manager
BS, Business Administration, Bryant University
MBA, Finance, University of Rhode Island
Ms. Nardone joined the Prout administrative team in 1994 and oversees the School's Finances and Facilities. She is the past President of the RI Association of Private School Business Managers and is currently the Assistant Treasurer of the University of Rhode Island - University Club. She is also a Director for the P. Pastore Charitable Foundation.
Patricia Murphy – Dean of Students
BA, English/Religious Studies, Providence College
MA, Religious Studies, Providence College
Mrs. Murphy comes to Prout with over 31 years of experience in Catholic Education. Twelve years were spent as a Religion and English teacher at St. Mary Academy – Bay View. For sixteen years, Mrs. Murphy served at LaSalle Academy as Director of Campus Ministry, Dean of Students and Assistant Principal for Student Services. Most recently, Mrs. Murphy was the Educational Coordinator for the Diocese of Providence. She and her husband, Stephen, principal of Stonington High School are the parents of two sons, who were both educated in Catholic schools and are graduates of Manhattan College and Brown University. Mrs. Murphy is a parishioner and lector at St. Claire’s Church, Misquamicut and is on the School Board of Blessed Sacrament School in Providence.
Thomas E. Keefe - Assistant Dean of Students
BA, History/Comparative Theology, Saint Joseph’s University
MA, Diplomacy/International relations, Norwich University
Mr. Keefe was born in Wakefield and raised in nearby Peace Dale, RI. After attending Msgr. Clarke Grammar School and Bishop Hendricken High School, Mr. Keefe attended Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. While at SJU, Mr. Keefe earned the Lyndon Baines Johnson Award for Congressional Internships and worked at the U.S. House of Representatives. Mr. Keefe completed his degree in both History and Comparative Theology, then matriculated at Miami University in Ohio where he studied secondary education in social studies. Returning to New England, Mr. Keefe taught English, religion, and history at Espiritu Santo School in Fall River and completed his Master’s in Diplomacy at Norwich University in Vermont. His research focused on genocide, international war crimes and the effectiveness of sanctions.
In seven years at LaSalle Academy in Providence, Mr. Keefe taught scripture, world religions, history, psychology as well as an introduction to law and politics. In addition, Mr. Keefe successfully coached the debate and swim teams to the state and division championships respectfully. Mr. Keefe also facilitates summer educational workshops in social justice for Catholic teachers. Programs have included Border Economics and Human Dignity in El Paso-Juarez and Homelessness and Human Dignity in San Francisco, CA. He is a member of the national Regional Formation Board of the Christian Brothers Conference.
Kristen P. Need - Director of Admissions
BA, Education, Simmons College, MA
Mrs. Need brings to Prout over 11 years experience in Catholic education. She comes from Cluny School in Newport where she was the Athletic Director and physical education teacher for four years. Mrs. Need has 6 years experience in high school administration as Director of Student Activities at Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart in Miami, Florida. She sits on the board of Middletown Youth Soccer Club and is the Varsity Swim Coach at Prout.
Peter H. Dieman – Director of Development
B.A., Governmental Studies/Business, MacMurray College
M.B.A., Human Relations/Marketing Communications, Clark University
Mr. Dieman oversees Prout’s Office of Institutional Advancement, which is the center of the school’s fundraising, marketing, public relations, and alumni support efforts. He has over twenty six years of professional experience in marketing communications, sales management, and institutional development, performed at the corporate, agency, and consultant levels.
Mr. Dieman has traveled nationally and internationally in business development, and has spoken at various industry events. He holds memberships in several professional organizations and has been a volunteer participant/donor at the local and national levels for many years.
Mr. Dieman’s son Chris is a recent Prout graduate and is currently attending New York University’s Tisch School, with a major in Drama.
Karissa Bollengier - Alumni Relations and Communications Coordinator
BA, Business Administration, St. Michael's College
MBA, Marketing, Bryant University
Ms. Bollengier joins The Prout School with over six years of marketing experience. Most recently, Ms. Bollengier utilized her talents for the City of Providence and the Providence Tourism Council. She was instrumental in the development and coordination of local and state-wide events. She has also focused her time and energy in the areas of press conferences, marketing materials and volunteer recruitment.
Ms. Bollengier is a member of the Saint Michael’s Alumni Association and the Moses Brown Alumni Association. She currently participates in annual fundraisers for the Alzheimer’s Association and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.