Executive Committee

Abbot Placid Solari, OSB, is the Chancellor of Belmont Abbey College. He has been a monk of Belmont Abbey since 1974, and was ordained in 1980. On Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 25, 1999, he was elected the 8th Abbot of Belmont Abbey. In the past, Abbot Placid has served as the President of the college, and he was its Academic Dean from 1996 until his election as abbot. He continues to teach as well as provide an orientation session to every new hire to the college faculty and staff. Recently, we interviewed him about the college, its educational philosophy, the relationship of the monastery to college, and other related topics.

Is Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Belmont Abbey College. He is also Managing Partner of Park Meridian Holdings, LLC. He earned his undergraduate degree in Economics from the University of Virginia and his MBA in Finance from the University of North Carolina. Mr. Kennelly is a former North Carolina Deputy Secretary of Commerce and the founder of Park Meridian Bank, where he served as President and CEO until its sale to Regions Bank in 2001, at which time he became President of Region’s Mid-Atlantic Group. Under Mr. Kennelly’s management, the Mid-Atlantic Group went from $350 million in assets to over $4 billion and grew to sixty branches spread over sixteen cities. Mr. Kennelly is a North Carolina Bankers Association board member and board member of the John Locke Foundation, among many others. He has also been active in volunteer support of the Catholic Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina, as well as a number of political, educational and charitable institutions.

Robert M. Gallagher serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Good Will Publishers, Inc. a family business started in 1938 by his grandfather and father.  Mr. Gallagher received his BA in Economics and Business from Belmont Abbey College, a JD from the Cumberland School of Law Samford University and a LLM from Georgetown University. He was a partner in a successful law firm before joining Good Will Publishers in 1985 to direct its financial operations. In 1988, Mr. Gallagher became the fifth President and CEO of Good Will Publishers, initiating a period of unprecedented growth and diversification in the company. He retired as CEO, after holding that position for thirty-one years, in 2019. He is a Knight of Malta and serves as an active board member and volunteer with numerous civic, educational and religious organizations. He and his wife Jackie split their time between Charlotte and the NC mountains and enjoy their six children and thirty-one grandchildren.

Conor Gallagher serves as the Executive Director of the Benedict Leadership Institute. He earned both his Masters in Philosophy and Juris Doctorate from The Catholic University of America. He began his professional career as a Law Clerk to the Honorable Robert J. Conrad Jr., Chief Judge of the Western District of North Carolina. He has been an adjunct Professor of Philosophy and Political Philosophy at Belmont Abbey College. He is currently CEO of Good Will Publishers, and Publisher of Saint Benedict Press and TAN Books. He and his wife, Ashley, are the proud parents of sixteen children.