Convention Insider

Two New Board Members Elected from New Brunswick and Oklahoma

During the Wednesday morning elections Aug. 5, two new members were added to the Order’s Board of Directors at the 133rd Supreme Convention in Philadelphia. Newly elected with the title of supreme director were the Honorable Graydon A. Nicholas, former lieutenant governor of New Brunswick, Canada, and Ronald F. Schwarz, the immediate past state deputy of Oklahoma.

They will serve a three-year term beginning September 1, 2015.

As a lawyer, judge, government official, and a member of the Aboriginal First Nation in Canada, Nicholas has been a strong leader and a figure of reconciliation on local and national levels. He achieved two historic precedents as the first Aboriginal judicial appointee for New Brunswick and the first Aboriginal person to become lieutenant governor of the province.

Born at Tobique First Nation Reserve, of Maliseet descent, Nicholas is 69 years old. He holds advanced degrees in both law and social work.

A member of Bishop Dollard Council 1942 and Rev. Dr. G. Everett Assembly 620, both in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Nicholas has a strong devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe, whose intercession he credits for his appointment as lieutenant governor. He has worked closely with the Supreme Council and represented both his nation and the Order as a participant in the Guadalupe Congress and Festival in Phoenix, Arizona, in 2009; the Guadalupe Celebration in Los Angeles in 2012, and the Ecclesia in America Conference at the Vatican in the same year.

He and his wife, Elizabeth, live in Fredericton and are the parents of two sons.

Schwarz, age 56, served as Oklahoma state deputy for the past two years, twice earning Circle of Honor status for membership and insurance growth in his jurisdiction. A Knight since 1977, he belongs to St. Monica Council 11237 in Edmond and Father Joseph Tierney Assembly 2004, for which he has served as Faithful Navigator.

A certified public accountant, Schwarz works as a divisional controller for a major climate control company, overseeing the financial operations of eight manufacturing plants. He and his wife, Janette, live in Edmond and are the parents of two daughters.

Reelected to another three-year term were Supreme Directors Thomas P. Smith of Connecticut, Javier S. Martinez of Texas, Paul J. Lambert of South Dakota, Kenneth Stockwell of Wyoming, Scott Flood of Connecticut, and Patrick E. Kelly of the District of Columbia.