Skip To Main Content

Leadership and Administrative Team

Administration

President

Marcia Niedringhaus joined St. Joseph's Academy in 2022 as president. Marcia served as interim president of the Academy for the 2015-2016 school year and from June to December 2021. She has immersed herself in the SJA mission as a member of our Board of Directors from 2013–2020, including two years as board chair, and is currently a member and immediate past chair of the newly organized St. Joseph Educational Ministries (SJEM), a ministerial public juridic person charged with retaining the Catholic identity and CSJ spirituality in perpetuity at the five institutions founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, including St. Joseph’s Academy. Marcia and her husband, Duke, are parents of two SJA graduates, Ashley ’05 and Megan ’09, and are long-time members of Our Lady of the Pillar Catholic Church. Marcia graduated from two Catholic institutions, Incarnate Word Academy and Marquette University, before earning her law degree at Washington University.

Marcia was a partner at the law firm of Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale and participated in firm management as its hiring partner. In 2004, she became Executive Vice President and General Counsel for CWE Hospitality Services, LLC, where she oversaw the $150 million renovation of the Chase Park Plaza Hotel and developed The Private Residences at The Chase Park Plaza. Marcia also served as President and Board Member for Commercial Real Estate Women of St. Louis (CREW), chaired the City of Creve Coeur Planning and Zoning Commission, and served on numerous boards including Marian Middle School. She has received numerous awards, including the St. Louis Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” and “Most Influential Business Women” and the YWCA’s “Leader of Distinction.”

Marcia’s business accomplishments and civic experience, coupled with her strong dedication to the Academy make her well-suited to lead us as president of St. Joseph's Academy.

 

  Principal of academic affairs

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since joining the SJA faculty in 2003, Dr. Jennifer (Feise) Sudekum ’93 has taught in the Fine Arts Department and served as the department chair before being appointed to the role of Principal of Academic Affairs in 2015. In her tenure, she has led the school through two accreditation cycles. She is proud of her influence in the founding of the Diversity, Culture, and Climate work as well as the Global Education program. Dr. Sudekum has a passion for learning and in her career has earned two Master's degrees (Visual Art, 2006, and Educational Leadership, 2014) and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Saint Louis University (2021). She holds a Principal's Certification from the State of Missouri. Dr. Sudekum enjoys watching her students grow and learn from the many opportunities and experiences they have during their four years at SJA.

PRINCIPAL OF STUDENT AFFAIRS

Anna Hotop joined St. Joseph’s Academy in 2013 as Director of Campus Ministry, and currently serves as the Principal of Student Affairs. Ms. Hotop is a graduate of Fontbonne University where she earned degrees in religious studies and psychology. Fontbonne, founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, was where Ms. Hotop was first introduced to the CSJ charism of “serving the Dear Neighbor without distinction.” St. Joe was a natural fit for her and she considers it a second home. In 2020, Ms. Hotop earned her master’s degree in Catholic Educational Leadership at St. Louis University.  

SENIOR LEADERSHIP Team

Our senior leadership team, along with Administration, compromises the leadership team at the school, and provides SJA with strong business acumen and demonstrated commitment to Catholic education. This team has Mission alignment, financial stewardship, resource development, and SJA community relations as their focus.

 

Director of Institutional Advancement

Linda (Holland) Decker '83 returned to her alma mater to lead Institutional Advancement programs and activities in early 2014, after more than twenty years in development and marketing communications for both the private and institutional sectors. Her SJA role includes all aspects of institutional advancement, including strategic programming, all fund-raising plans and activities, organizing and directing constituent engagement, alumnae relations, marketing and public relations. Mrs. Decker previously held several marketing leadership positions with AT&T, the May Department Stores Co. and Macy’s, where she was the divisional vice president of public relations, events, and cause-related marketing. In 2009, she joined Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau, Missouri as executive director of their foundation. Mrs. Decker has been active in board service for many community organizations, among them Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri, Assumption Catholic Church Development Board and Saint Martha’s Board of Directors.  She has received a certification in Mission to Service and Leadership at the University of Notre Dame and is currently enrolled in the Executive Education Program for Nonprofit Executive Leadership at Indiana University. 

Chief Financial Officer

Lisa Zobel joined SJA in the summer of 2020, after serving as the CFO for eighteen years at Ursuline Academy and most recently as the Vice President for Finance and Administration at Fontbonne University. Prior to her time in Catholic Education, she was employed by Trammell Crow Company, a commercial real estate company, where she served as the Controller. Originally from Jefferson City, Missouri, Ms. Zobel received her BSBA from Rockhurst College in Kansas City. Ms. Zobel has been an active parishioner at St. Richard Parish in Creve Coeur for the last 35 years, serving on various committees, including currently on the Finance Committee.

 

Director of ENrollment Management

Kara Kelpe joined SJA in the summer of 2024 after more than twenty years in client and business development roles. Mrs. Kelpe holds a BA in Art History from Vanderbilt University and has managed fine art and antique collections for private, corporate, and institutional clients, led major conservation projects for Laumeier Sculpture Park, and established the St. Louis market for Chicago-based firm Hindman Auctioneers. Most recently, Mrs. Kelpe developed the civic engagement initiative for the Missouri Athletic Club, where she expanded community partnerships, oversaw philanthropic projects, and increased general membership engagement and recruitment activities, specifically focusing on women members. Mrs. Kelpe attended an all-girls K-12 school in Memphis, TN, and was immediately drawn to the SJA community for its many similarities. She is enthusiastic to serve in her admissions role and introduce the same experience to the next generation of strong women.