The St. Vladimir's Seminary community bid a fond, bittersweet farewell to Chief Financial Officer Melanie Ringa on Monday. Melanie, a longtime member of Seminary staff, officially retired January 31.
"We will miss Melanie profoundly at St. Vladimir's," said Seminary President Fr. Chad Hatfield. "It is no exaggeration to say that her passion to serve the Church and Seminary shone brightly each and every day in her work.
"Her diligence, skill, and care were vitally important to St. Vladimir's. She guided the financial health of the Seminary with stable hands throughout her fifteen years here, getting us through challenges whenever they arose."
Melanie, a certified public accountant, graduated from the University of Scranton with a bachelor's degree in accounting. She worked in public accounting in New York City for several years and almost twenty years as CFO of an ethanol company in Connecticut before coming to work at St. Vladimir's in 2007. By God's grace, it was a dream fulfilled for Melanie. She shared with colleagues at her farewell gathering that she knew she would someday work at St. Vladimir's, after setting foot on campus years earlier to take a class from Protopresbyter Thomas Hopko (+2015). For many of her years at St. Vladimir's she also served simultaneously as treasurer of the Orthodox Church in America.
Melanie cared deeply for the seminarians at St. Vladimir's, and would open her office doors at a moment's notice whenever a student needed to talk about financial aid or any other issue.
Outside of work, she sings in church choirs and frequently directs them. Melanie lent her beautiful alto voice to Seminary choirs often during liturgical services. She also enjoys running and is an avid supporter of her beloved Penn State football—she holds season tickets to this day!
The seminarians, faculty, and staff of St. Vladimir's wish Melanie a blessed, well-deserved retirement. May God grant her and her husband, Chuck, many years!
