School Board

Below are the names and bios of the individuals serving on the Visitation School Board.

Monsignor James Forsen, Pastor

Fr. Jim Forsen, born and raised in Los Angeles,  is the current administrator / pastor of Visitation Parish and School. Ordained in 1979, he has been a priest for more than 46 years, having served in 7 different parishes as both an associate pastor, a Vocation Director, and as a pastor. Born of a mother who was a catholic school teacher for 28 years and who father was LAPD for 30, he is ever mindful and grateful for all the sacrifices that parents make to send their children to Visitation and wants for their children what Catholicism gave to him. 

Christopher Watson, Principal

Mr. Watson came to Visitation Catholic School in 2009 from Our Lady of Peace in North Hills where he served as the Principal. Prior to working in a leadership role, Mr. Watson started out at St. Bernardine of Siena School in Woodland Hills as the P.E. Teacher. From there, he moved to Our Lady of Lourdes in Northridge where he taught 3rd grade.

Mr. Watson holds multiple degrees - a Bachelor of Arts in History, Master of Arts in Educational Administration from Cal State Northridge, and a Master of Arts in Elementary Education from Loyola Marymount University. Additionally, Mr. Watson possesses two credentials, one in Elementary Teaching and a second in Educational Administration.

Additional background and philosophy can be found on the Visitation School website here.

Mark Brosmer, Co-Chair

Mark Brosmer has been a parishioner since 1993.  He and his wife have two children who attended Visitation School for a short period.  He previously served as Co-Chair of the Parish Pastoral Council and was a long-time member of the Carnival and Vegas Night Committees.  He is currently a Eucharistic Minister, Lecture, and adjunct member of the Welcome Wagon. 

Mark retired from The Aerospace Corporation as a General Manager in 2021.  He earned BS and MS degrees in mechanical engineering from Purdue University and a PhD from the University of California at Berkeley.

Colleen Tiedemann, Co-Chair

Mary Rose Batungbacal

Mary Rose is an active parishioner and mother of two boys who currently attend Visitation School. She is a product of over 20 years of Catholic education as an alumna of St. Dominic Elementary, La Salle High School, and Loyola Marymount University, where she earned her B.S. in Biology, a Master’s in Secondary Education with a Credential in Math, and a Catholic School Administrative Certification.

Mary Rose also brings more than 14 years of experience serving in Catholic schools as a High School STEM teacher, Assistant Principal, Principal, and currently as the Director of High School Academic Excellence for the Archdiocese of LA. In her role on the Visitation School Board, she looks forward to blending her love for God, her children, and Catholic education.

Emilie Leigh

Emilie Leigh is a longtime Visitation parishioner and parent, where she served as a room parent, PTO member, and Gala co-chair. She has over 24 years of experience in education as a teacher, intervention specialist, assistant principal, and principal. In addition, she is an adjunct faculty member at Loyola Marymount University (LMU). An LMU alumna, Emilie earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in School Counseling, along with a reading certificate, and later completed her administrative credential at Cal State Dominguez. She is also an active member of the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA).

Blake Mayer

Blake Mayer graduated from Visitation and St. Monica Catholic High School before earning a B.A. and M.S. in Recreation Management from CSUN, with a focus on experiential learning. He later earned an M.A. in Counseling and a PPS Credential at LMU. Currently a counselor at Loyola High School, he supports students and families in grades 9–12. Blake and his wife, Jen, are active parishioners at Visitation, and their two daughters attend Visitation School.

Ed Stokx

Ed Stokx is a parishioner of Visitation Parish and has two daughters that both graduated from Visitation School.

He is chief financial & administrative officer of MBK Real Estate, with extensive experience in executive management…

He graduated from Loyola Marymount University, College of Business Administration and is a certified public accountant.

Betsy Ward

Betsy Ward is a graduate of Visitation Elementary School. She currently works at Notre Dame Academy for Girls as the Director of Mission and Ministry. She has served Catholic schools in Los Angeles for 37 years, including 25 years at Notre Dame Academy, 5 years at St. Matthias High School, and 2 years at Immaculate Heart Middle School.

She is excited to be part of Visitation Board

Madison Weber

Madison Weber is a mom of four, with her oldest two children students at Visitation School.  She has been an active parent at Visitation School since 2020. She serves on the golf tournament committee and manages the school’s and church’s Gives Mart websites.  Madison and her husband, Joe, have been parishioners at Church of the Visitation since moving to Westchester in 2017.

Madison is a licensed geotechnical engineer and works in the construction industry.  She earned a B.S. and M.S. in civil engineering from UC Berkeley and an MBA from Loyola Marymount University.

Casey Yeazel

Bio coming soon.