School Advisory Council

Father Mike Smith is the pastor of Nativity Catholic Church. He previously served as the pastor of Corpus Christi parish in Tampa for the last seven years.

Cheriese L. Edwards has a strong belief that only what you do for Christ will last. It is with this mindset that she approaches Catholic education. Currently, the vice principal at Tampa Catholic High School, she coordinates the curriculum implementation process and professional development activities for faculty and staff. Mrs. Edwards has more than 14 years of secondary classroom experience in Catholic schools, where she has served as a teacher, extracurricular moderator, dean of students, and assistant principal for curriculum. In education and life, she has found that as you gain information, God provides revelation, and as we grow in our knowledge of Christ, we have an obligation to share that knowledge with others. Mrs. Edwards holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Florida A&M University, a master’s in social science education from the University of South Florida, and is currently enrolled in an education specialist program in education leadership at St. Leo University. Outside the honor of sharing God’s love through education and in her career, Mrs. Edwards is the proud wife of Demond Edwards, and together they have four children: Devaughn, Nicholas, Deidra, and Tanisha.

Richard Kolhoff is the Director of Construction for the Diocese of St. Petersburg. He holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Ohio State University. He has extensive experience in school design and construction from early childhood to the university level, and from both a designer and an owner perspective. Some of Mr. Kolhoff’s favorite projects at the Diocese include the Bethany Retreat Center, the renovation and remodeling of the Cathedral of St. Jude, St. Anne, St. Catherine, and St. Stephen Catholic churches, the dining hall replacement at Good Counsel Camp, and the remodeling and renovation of Nativity Catholic Church. Mr. Kolhoff previously worked in the public school Advisory Council Members 2024-2025 system in programming. Mr. Kolhoff is currently a Eucharistic Minister for Espiritu Santo Parish in Safety Harbor, a volunteer for the Dunedin Public Library, and a member of the Professional Selection Committee for the Pinellas County School District. He has been married to his wife Malla for more than 35 years and has a son and daughter who attended Catholic school. Mr. Kolhoff is proud to bring his architectural expertise to the School Advisory Council to help Nativity with its facilities planning.

Concetta (Kay) Rizzo has experienced over 60 years in education, from the regular and special education classrooms to school administration. She is the former Associate Superintendent of Schools for the Diocese of St. Petersburg and holds a Master’s degree and a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Educational Leadership. Currently, Ms. Rizzo serves as the supervisor of student teaching interns at St. Leo University and is a member of the OCIA Team at St. Timothy Parish in Lutz.

Brendan Fuller believes in a strong academic education immersed in the Catholic faith. He and his wife became parishioners of Nativity about ten years ago and now are active parents of two Nativity Catholic School students. Mr. Fuller is the product of Catholic education, a University of South Florida alumni, and a local business owner who enjoys spending time with his family and being part of this community. Mr. Fuller feels we must be active participants in both our own faith journey and our children’s – living the gospel as good stewards by giving of our time, talent, and treasure whenever possible.

Abby Watts has been a Nativity parishioner since 1985 and a Nativity Catholic School alumnus of the class of 1994. For 15 years, she worked for the Diocese of St. Petersburg at our Catholic radio station, Spirit FM 90.5. Abby now works in marketing at Empath Health, a non-profit hospice and home healthcare organization. In her time at Nativity, Abby served in the youth ministry and the Emmaus ministry. Currently, she and her husband, Davis, are lectors and Novemberfest Entertainment chairs, and Abby’s a member of St. Rita Circle in Nativity’s Women’s Guild. Her sons Liam (’26) and Graham (’27) are students at Nativity Catholic School.

Miguel Quintana is a Tampa native, currently living in Seffner since 2011 with his family. Mr. Quintana has been a Customer Service Manager with Publix for the past 23 years. He is also a licensed real estate agent. Mr. Quintana has a seven-year-old daughter attending Nativity in the first grade. He enjoys spending time with his family and participating in activities within the community.

Michele Montanez is a parishioner of Nativity Catholic Church and is currently serving her 23rd year as a teacher at Nativity Catholic School. Before teaching at Nativity Catholic School, Mrs. Montanez taught in the Hillsborough County Public School system for five years. She earned a bachelor’s degree in education at the University of South Florida, specializing in special education and elementary education. Mrs. Montanez has two daughters who graduated from Nativity Catholic School. She enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, reading, and going to the movies.

Chris Nix has been a parishioner of Nativity Catholic Church since going through RCIA there beginning in 2017 and is also on the Finance Council for Nativity Catholic Church and School. He is married with four children who are all currently attending Nativity Catholic School and have also been there since 2017. Mr. Nix is a Senior Managing Director with LCG Advisors, a Tampa-based boutique M&A consulting and advisory firm. Mr. Nix has both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting from the University of South Florida and is a licensed CPA in the state of Florida. He is also currently a Director of the Board for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay, spent almost a decade on the Board of the USF Accounting Circle, and volunteered as a soccer coach for the West Florida Flames. In his free time, Mr. Nix enjoys spending time with his family and friends, running/exercising, watching Tampa Bay sports, traveling, and reading.

Jennifer Welsh is a parishioner of Nativity Catholic Church and has been a parent at Nativity Catholic School for the past nine years. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree from Indiana University, majoring in accounting and finance, Mrs. Welsh obtained her CPA license and worked for 13 years with a large financial services firm in Tampa. She currently focuses her time on raising her three boys with her husband, while running a small bookkeeping business from home. She enjoys traveling to new places, visiting state and national parks, gardening, and volunteering.