Delegates at the Knights of Columbus 139th Supreme Convention — held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic — elected five new members to the Order’s board of directors during the Aug. 4 business session.
The new board members include Michael Benson from Rhode Island, Stephen Kehoe from Virginia, John Kennedy from Connecticut and Antonio Pascua from Nevada. Each will serve a three-year term starting Sept. 1. In addition, Scott O’Connor from Florida was elected to the board of directors for the unexpired term that ends Aug. 31, 2022, previously held by Former Supreme Secretary Michael O’Connor, who retired earlier this year.
Michael Benson
Benson joined the Knights of Columbus in 1998. As Rhode Island state deputy from 2016-2018, he increased outreach to pro-life organizations and Catholic schools, and helped promote vocation discernment throughout the state. Benson served in the U.S. Navy before working more than four decades in sales. He and his wife, Lee Ann, are parishioners of St. Bernard Church in North Kingstown, R.I.
Stephen Kehoe
Kehoe joined the Order at the age of 18 and has served in many local and state leadership roles in Virginia, including state deputy from 2017-2018. Kehoe’s work career has spanned the telecommunications and government contracting industries. He and his wife, Wendy, have been married for nearly 24 years and have four children.
John Kennedy
Kennedy joined the Knights of Columbus while studying at Fairfield University in Connecticut. After 29 years working at the Chubb Corporation, including eight years as chief accounting officer, he joined the Supreme Council staff in 2017 as executive vice president and chief financial officer. In this capacity, he is responsible for accounting and financial reporting, financial planning, information technology services, actuarial, risk management and audit. Kennedy and his wife, Helene, have been married for 41 years and have three children and one grandchild.
Scott O’Connor
O’Connor joined the Order in 2003. As Florida state deputy from 2019-2021, he welcomed many new Knights to the Order by creating regional degree teams that conduct combined exemplifications in English and Spanish. O’Connor retired in 2020 as executive vice president of an international engineering firm. He has two children and two grandchildren.
Antonio Pascua
Pascua has been a Knight for 16 years and has served in numerous leadership positions within Nevada, including as state deputy from 2019-2021. In his first year as state deputy, Nevada achieved the highest membership growth among U.S. jurisdictions. Pascua has worked for decades in hospitality management. He and his wife, Mercedita, have been married for 33 years and have three children.
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