FACULTY

Matthew Azano

Matthew Azano joined our faculty in 2020.  Originally from the Northeast, he graduated from Providence College with a B.A. in English, having completed the Development of Western Civilization Program and the Liberal Arts Honors Program.  He went on to earn his M.A. in English from the University of Connecticut, where he specialized in Medieval and Renaissance Literature.  Upon relocating to Texas, he taught as an Adjunct Professor at several colleges and universities is certified in secondary English as well, and has taught in our area at Central Catholic High School.  Mr. Azano is looking forward to teaching Junior and Senior AP English classes, as well as Film/Video Tech class.  In his spare time, he enjoys collecting comic books, CDs, and vinyl records.   

Rick Dillenbeck

Mr. Dillenbeck joined our faculty part-time, teaching some history courses; he has been a high school social studies teacher in Texas now in his 40 years.   All of his teaching experiences have come in small districts, which attracted him to serving in our school, where students and teachers can form real relationships and rapport.  For him, these relationships are the key to a great learning environment. 

Dr. Sherry Garrett, Ph.D., CSC, LPC

Dr. Sherry Garrett is an alumnus of the University of Texas at San Antonio. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English, a Master of Arts Degree in Educational Psychology, Counseling and Guidance, and a Doctorate of Philosophy in Counselor Education and Supervision. Dr. Garrett has a
Texas Teacher’s Certification in English for grades 6 th -12 th and a Texas School Counselor Certification for grades K-12 th . She also holds a Licensed Professional Counseling licensure. She has been an English teacher and Counselor at East Central High School previously. She has also worked as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio, teaching Graduate Counseling courses. Dr. Garrett is currently an Adjunct Professor in the Counseling Department at Our Lady of the Lake University, teaching Graduate School Counseling and Community Counseling courses. Additionally, she has years of experience counseling college students at The University of the Incarnate Word. Dr. Garrett has supervised and mentored numerous school counselors in training through the years. She is an active member of St. James Catholic Church in Seguin, where she serves as a Eucharistic Minister, Lector, Rosary Leader, Catholic Daughter, and member of the Pastoral Council. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and their daughters, sons-in-law, and grandson. 

Geremy Garza

Mr. Garza teaches English III and English IV as well as the A/V Production Classes, which
produce Guardian TV. Coach Garza started at St. John Paul II CHS in 2018 and has served in
various roles since then, including being the Head Cross Country Coach, Assistant Football
Coach, and Head Track Coach.

Jill Gordon

Mrs. Gordon has earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering, and a Masters of Science in
Science Education (7-12). Before pursuing a career in education, she worked in R & D for Sherwin
Williams in Cleveland, OH. After staying home to raise her two children, she returned to the
education field as an Adjunct Chemistry Professor, at Lincoln Trail Community College in Illinois.
She moved to Texas in 2019 and joined the SJPII community in 2021. At SJPII Mrs. Gordon teaches
Honors Chemistry, Regular Chemistry and AP Chemistry. Her classes focus on laboratory
experience, critical thinking, and learning through discovery.

Deacon Bob Gorman, Ph.D.

Robert F. Gorman is a University Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Honorary Professor of International Studies at Texas State University.  He is the author of numerous books and articles on international relations, international law and organization, refugee and asylum policy, ethics, patristic era philosophy, and the history of ideas. His recent books include What’s Wrong with Global Governance (Acton Institute Christian Social Thought Series, 2016) and Toward the Common Good: A Catholic Critique of the Discipline of Political Science (Scarecrow, 2011). He is a member of the Catholic Society of Social Scientists, serving as editor of its book series. He is a former Council on Foreign Relations Fellow and has worked in the U.S. Department of State's Refugee Program Bureau and at Africare, an American nongovernmental organization.  He has an undergraduate degree in political science from Seattle University, and an MA and Ph.D. in political science from the University of Oregon.  He was ordained a deacon in 2000 for the Archdiocese of San Antonio and serves at Saints Peter and Paul Parish, where he specializes in catechetical and retreat ministries.  He writes regularly on the subjects of Church teaching, history, liturgy and homiletics for the Homiletic and Pastoral Review. His wife, Mary, is a retired Catholic School elementary teacher.  They have three children and eight grandchildren.  Deacon Gorman teaches dual college credit courses in global studies and American Government.

Elizabeth Harris

Elizabeth Harris is a native from San Antonio and attended Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi earning a Bachelors of Science degree in Biology. Before teaching she was a SCUBA diver at Sea World, and was a missionary in Ethiopia. She has taught math and science in both public and charter schools, at both the
middle school and high school level, for approximately 6 years. A convert to Catholicism, she has developed special devotions to Saint Joseph, our Holy Mother Mary, Saint Benedict, and Saint Adelaide. In her spare time she enjoys going to Mass, praying, reading, traveling, and is currently learning Latin.

Dr. Joshua Hedman DPM

Dr. Hedman  joined the JPII family in 2022 teaching the Healthcare Clinical course, and has added the Anatomy and Physiology courses. He graduated from University of Northern Iowa in 1999 and Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine in 2003. He has experience in private practice, group practice, and hospital care.  Dr. Hedman is a volunteer with New Braunfels Community Emergency Response Team and the city’s Search and Rescue team. Staying active and healthy are priorities in the Hedman family. He and his wife started the Health & Wellness Ministry at their parish, Sts. Peter & Paul. He is married to Annamarie and has two children, Isabella and James.

Andrew Iliff

Mr. Iliff is the school's principal, now in his seventeenth year in the role, and thirtieth in Catholic education.  He has a Bachelor's Degree in Economics and Philosophy from the University of Notre Dame, and a Master's Degree in Educational Administration from Trinity University.  He is a certified English teacher, earning his certificate through coursework at St. Mary's University.  He was a teacher, coach, and administrator at Central Catholic High School, and was the principal at St. Luke Catholic School in San Antonio.  He also taught in the Bronx at Cardinal Spellman High School, through a volunteer program run by the Archdiocese of New York.  He has taught courses at SJPIICHS (Economics and AP Language & Composition) and will teach AP Macroeconomics and Entrepreneurship again this year.

Mary Ledford

As a native of San Antonio, she began college at Incarnate Word, attended various colleges in Mississippi, Georgia, and Oklahoma during her husband's Air Force career, and earned Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Latin and Latin Literature from the University of Oklahoma.  Upon returning to settle in San Antonio, she did her educational certification courses at Trinity University, becoming certified to teach Latin and History.  For 23 years, she was a teacher in North East ISD, 21 of them at Roosevelt High School, and the last 8 as the Department Head of Foreign Languages.  She and her family have been active members of Our Lady of Perpetual Help-Selma for the last 35 years.  She has led Adult Scripture studies, directed and served on ACTS retreats and ACTS Core, been a member of the Pastoral Council, been a member of the Arts and Environment Committee, and currently is a lector, extraordinary minister of communion, co-director with her husband Kerry of the Lector ministry and member of the Liturgy Committee.  Mrs. Ledford teaches Latin I, Latin II, and Dual Credit Latin III.

Danielle McCune

Mrs. McCune has a BFA in Theatre Performance and Production, with a Minor in Music from Texas State University. Mrs. McCune has spent many years in arts education throughout the San Antonio area. She has worked as a teaching artist at the Magik Theatre, taught theatre and art for a homeschool class day program, choreographed and assisted with close to forty musical theatre productions (fifteen of which were performed by children ages 4-19), and is beginning her 17th year of teaching dance. She works closely with Christian Youth Theatre in New Braunfels as co-leader of their high school youth leadership program (HYPE) and occasional teacher/choreographer. In 2016, she was trained to become one of the first four Wolf Trap teaching artists in Texas and has completed residencies in at least seven different San Antonio area school districts and ten campuses, assisting preschool and elementary teachers on how to
better incorporate the arts into their classrooms. Mrs. McCune can be found on the SJPII campus afterschool, working with the drama program and students. When she is not teaching, she loves spending time with her husband, their two children, and friends.

Heather Patillo

Mrs. Patillo has over twenty five years of teaching experience in schools throughout the country (Colorado, California, and Virginia) as her family has moved to different military bases.  She has taught middle school through community college and has a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from Chapman University and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Colorado State University. She also served ten years in the U.S. Army Reserves.  Mrs. Patillo has been teaching English I and English II at SJPII since 2010.

Toni Rowe

Mrs. Rowe has taught math for 19 years. She graduated with a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Clarkson University. She worked for Texas Instruments in the Antenna Department for a number of years before starting her teaching career. Mrs. Rowe grew up in the New York/ Pennsylvania area but found the warmer climate of Texas suited her better, and she ended up staying in Texas, raising her family, and pursuing her education career here.

Martha Sweeney

Ms. Sweeney has a long career in education, over thirty five years of teaching Mathematics in Texas high schools.  Before joining the SJPII faculty, she helped to open a new high school in Katy, Texas, the 5A Seven Lakes High School (Katy ISD).  She served as the math department chair there previously and has taught just about every Math course offered in high schools. Ms. Sweeney attended Catholic schools as a young person.  She has a Master’s in Education and an undergraduate degree from the University of Texas and is excited to have the chance to give back to Catholic education, knowing how much she received from the schools she attended in Memphis growing up.  She teaches upper-level math courses here and directs our mathematics instruction.

Amy Thomson

Mrs. Thomson has earned three degrees from Trinity University: a Bachelor of Arts in English and Spanish, a Masters of Arts in Teaching, and a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership.  Before coming to SJPII, she spent a year abroad teaching English as a foreign language in Chile and then worked as a ninth-grade teacher and team leader at Lee High School in North East ISD.  She taught upper-level English courses at SJPII from fall 2012 to spring 2016, and also became the Professional Development Coordinator in the fall of 2014.  In the fall of 2016, she became the Academic Dean; along with continuing to lead professional development, she works with teachers to maintain and improve SJPII's college preparatory curriculum, and with students to help ensure their academic success.

Michael Travis - emeritus

Michael Travis taught 9th and 10th-grade mathematics and brought thirty-eight years of experience to the classroom, twenty-one of them at Fox Tech, and the rest in high schools in Massachusetts.  He passed away in February 2013 and is survived by his wife of thirty-one years, Jackie.  We consider him to be an enduring presence on our campus and among our teachers. 

He earned his Bachelor's degree and a Master's degree from Bridgewater State College in Massachusetts.  He and his wife have been active members of St. Helena's Parish, where Mr. Travis was a member of Knight of Columbus Council #7965 and a Fourth Degree Knight Assembly #2102.  While at Fox Tech, Mr. Travis served in a variety of departmental leadership roles and was a part of a team of math teachers that consistently overcame difficult situations to improve student learning.  Mr. Travis - we love you - keep us in prayer.

D'Arcy Wills

In addition to being our Assistant Principal, Mr. Wills teaches all Art Classes at SJPII. Mr. D’Arcy Wills joined us in 2018.  He has a Master’s in School Administration, and a Bachelor’s degree in Art, along with over forty credit hours in science and math.  He has been a chemistry teacher, an art teacher, a football coach, and a dean of students, along with work in the private sector.  He joined us after having served for seven years as the Dean of Students at The Highlands School, a K-12 Catholic school, in Irving, Texas. Before joining The Highlands School, he was the National Director of a virtue-based program called SportsLeader.  In this role, he helped develop a simple-to-use curriculum for coaches to help them in forming athletes in virtue.  This knowledge and experience in using athletics in the formation of young Catholic men and women serves him very well as a Catholic school teacher and administrator. In his personal life, Mr. Wills has a great love for football and art.  In college, he was a Division I quarterback at both the Air Force Academy and the University of Richmond and has coached for over a decade at the high school level.  He is also an accomplished student of classical realism and enjoys creating sacred artwork in his spare time But,  Mr. Wills' greatest joy is going on adventures with his four sons.