The CEP Team
Shawn M. Peterson is President of Catholic Education Partners, a national Catholic apostolate whose mission is to serve the Catholic community by advancing policy that empowers families and children to enjoy the benefits of a Catholic education. Before joining the staff at Catholic Education Partners, Shawn served as Associate Director for Public Policy with the Minnesota Catholic Conference. Prior to that he spent two decades working on numerous legislative and policy issues, including parental choice in education. During that time he was president of his own government relations firm and worked in state government serving in the administrations of two governors, and as senior staff in the Minnesota state legislature.
Shawn is a consultant to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Education and is a member of the board of directors for the Institute of Catholic Liberal Education. Shawn is also a Third Degree Member of the Knights of Columbus. In addition, he is an American Enterprise Institute Leadership Network member and serves on the board of St. Croix Preparatory Academy Foundation. He previously served two terms on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Federal Assistance Advisory Commission.
Shawn holds a degree from Hamline University in International Relations and Russian Area Studies, and is a graduate of the Archbishop Harry J. Flynn Catechetical Institute. He has a wife and three children, resides in Lake Elmo, Minnesota and is a member of Transfiguration Catholic Church.
Michael F. Acquilano serves as Vice President of Mission for Catholic Education Partners, where he works to advance Catholic education through strategic partnerships, institutional development, and initiatives that strengthen Catholic schools and support their mission.
Before joining Catholic Education Partners, Michael served for more than a decade in senior leadership with the Diocese of Charleston. He joined the Diocese in 2013 as the inaugural Director of the South Carolina Catholic Conference and later served as Secretary of Communications and Public Affairs. In 2023, he was appointed the Diocese's first Chief Operating Officer and, in 2024, assumed the additional responsibilities of Vice Chancellor.
Michael holds a degree in Corporate Finance and Accounting from Bentley University in Boston, Massachusetts, and studied International Finance and Negotiations at the École Supérieure de Commerce de Rouen in France. Following his studies in Europe, he lived and worked in Ghana as a business consultant with the Ghana Poultry Network, supporting efforts to expand economic opportunity through business development and microfinance. He later earned his Juris Doctor from Ave Maria School of Law in Naples, Florida.
Michael has served in leadership and advisory roles with Catholic and nonprofit organizations throughout the United States. He is passionate about strengthening Catholic institutions and helping Catholic schools provide an excellent education rooted in the Catholic faith and the formation of the whole person.
Michael and his wife, Hope, have three children and reside in the Finger Lakes region of New York, where the family are parishioners of St. Patrick's Church in Aurora.
William Liedl joined CEP as the Director of Communications in September of 2024. William holds B.A. degrees from Saint John’s University (MN, 2012) in History and Asian Studies and a Master’s Degree in Education from the University of Notre Dame (2014). He has spent nearly a decade on the frontlines of education as a classroom teacher, tutor, coach and principal and another decade in the service-industry as an on-floor manager and an operations manager for Culver’s. William also served for 5 years as part of the 4th/5th grade curriculum assessment team for the Diocese of Tulsa.
A graduate of the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE 19) Teaching Fellows program and the Notre Dame Reform Leaders Summit (RLS 15), William is also an active volleyball and basketball coach in his commuity, serves on his kid's school's finance council, and is Fourth Degree Member of Knights of Columbus for Council #1491.
William and his wife (Sean) have nine children (five at home and four more in heaven) and are parishioners of St. Francis of the Lakes parish in beautiful Brainerd, MN.