Four Join Saint Meinrad Alumni Association Board; New Officers Elected
Monday, October 20, 2025
Four new members have been added to the Saint Meinrad Alumni Association Board of Directors. The Alumni Board works to nurture a lasting relationship between alumni and Saint Meinrad; inform alumni about the ongoing mission and work of Saint Meinrad Archabbey, Seminary and School of Theology; listen responsively and represent alumni concerns; recommend and evaluate alumni events, programs, and initiatives; and foster, enhance, and support Saint Meinrad in carrying out its institutional mission.
New to the board are Dcn. Jerry Bessler, of Avon, IN; Dr. David Orberson, of New Albany, IN; Dcn. Mike Seibert, of Dubois, IN; and Diane Frances Walter, of Georgetown, KY.
The Alumni Board also elected the president and vice president of the board at its April 6, 2025, meeting. Dr. Todd B. Gungoll, of Oklahoma City, OK, will serve as president of the board, and Andrea Byrne, of New Albany, IN, will serve as vice president for a two-year term.
New Board Members
Dcn. Jerry Bessler is a graduate of the Saint Meinrad Permanent Deacon Formation Program, class of 2022, and serves as a permanent deacon for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. He has served at St. Roch Catholic Church in Indianapolis since his ordination. Dcn. Bessler is also an oblate of Saint Meinrad, taking his final oblation in February 2007.
He has been with the Avon Fire Department since 2000, currently holding the rank of battalion chief and serving as a chaplain and peer support member. He also volunteers and serves on the Board of Directors for Happy Hollow Children’s Camp.
Dcn. Bessler earned a bachelor’s degree in allied health science (respiratory therapy) with a theater minor from Marian College in 1990. He worked at St. Vincent Hospital as a respiratory therapist from 1990 to 2000 before joining the Avon Fire Department.
Dcn. Bessler and his wife, Astra, live in Avon, IN, and have two adult sons.
Dr. David Orberson is the vice president of risk management for Churchill Downs Incorporated and has been in the insurance and risk management industry for over 30 years.
He earned a Master of Theological Studies degree from Saint Meinrad and a Ph.D. in comparative humanities/religious studies from the University of Louisville. Dr. Orberson is the author of two books about the life and thought of Thomas Merton and is a former board member of the International Thomas Merton Society. He has been an adjunct instructor at Bellarmine University since 2007, teaching a variety of theology classes.
Dr. Orberson and his wife, Beth, live in New Albany, are proud parents and grandparents, and are members of St. Anthony Parish in southern Indiana.
Dcn. Mike Seibert was ordained to the permanent diaconate for the Diocese of Evansville, IN, in 2005 after completing Saint Meinrad’s Permanent Deacon Formation Program. He has served at St. Isidore Parish for 18 years and currently leads Fishers of Men in the East Deanery of the Diocese of Evansville, which promotes missionary discipleship in the Jasper area.
Dcn. Seibert’s primary apostolate since 1995 has been Cursillo. He enjoys giving missions and retreats, and he walked the Camino de Santiago in 2023. He graduated from the Encounter School of Ministry in 2022 and is currently enrolled in Catholic Mindset Coaching through Metanoia Catholic, while also working with Evangelical Catholic to offer their Reach More training.
Dcn. Seibert is retired from a career in IT with Alcoa. He and his wife, Mary, reside in Dubois, IN.
Diane Frances Walter is a Benedictine oblate of Saint Meinrad Archabbey. She holds bachelor’s degrees in print journalism and philosophy from Utah State University and earned a master’s in theology from Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in 2005. She also holds an executive certificate in religious fundraising.
Walter currently serves as content editor for Saint Meinrad’s Oblate Voice publication, coordinating articles to encourage, educate, and enlighten Saint Meinrad’s oblates nationwide. A veteran Catholic educator, she has served in theology classrooms, as well as in curriculum development, accreditation, and faculty retreat planning and presentation. In her parishes, she has served as youth minister, music director, and on executive committees for building and fundraising initiatives.
She and her husband live on a small farm in Georgetown, KY, and are members of Historic St. Paul Catholic Church in Lexington.
New Board Leadership
Andrea Byrne is a certified public accountant with over 25 years of experience in both corporate and public accounting and currently works for Ventas, Inc. in Louisville, KY. She enjoys volunteering her time and has served a variety of non-profits in the community. Currently, she is serving on the Archdiocese of Indianapolis Strategic Pastoral Planning Committee.
She graduated from Bellarmine College in 1996 with a degree in accounting and earned her Master of Arts in Theology degree from Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in 2018.
She’s an active member of St. Mary of the Knobs, where she has served in a variety of roles, including past service on the Pastoral Council, Steering Committee, and RCIA team. She’s currently a member of the choir and lives in New Albany, IN.
Dr. Todd B. Gungoll is principal of St. Charles Borromeo Catholic School in Oklahoma City, OK. His previous work includes manager of instructional support in the College of Education at Oklahoma State University and Latin teacher at Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in classical studies from Saint Meinrad College in 1997, a master’s degree in educational leadership, school administration from Oklahoma State University in 2006, and a doctorate in Catholic leadership from Saint Louis University in 2024.
He and his wife, Melisa, have two children and live in Oklahoma City, where they are parishioners of St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church.