About us

Shawna DuBois

Executive Director

Shawna DuBois is founder, executive director, and board secretary for Gabriel’s Retreat Ministries. She is married to Pete and they have four children. Shawna is a registered nurse also holding bachelor degrees in psychology and history. She has worked in both labor and delivery and school nursing. She also holds an Online Catechist Certification from the Paul VI Institute and has assisted in youth ministry and catechesis for over 12 years. Gabriel’s Retreat Ministries came to her from a place of personal experience after unexpected pregnancies of her own and understanding that there are many psychological, emotional, and spiritual challenges that new motherhood can bring, especially when it was not part of our timing but God’s. She hopes to bring love and support to women going through similar situations and to help them find joy, hope, and peace in their motherhood and time of unexpectedness.

Laura Peterson

President

Laura Peterson is a CPA who is retired from her career as an executive at Enterprise Holdings, Inc. She and her husband Jeff have two adult children. She is a parishioner at both St. Paul in Fenton, MO and St. Vincent de Paul in Wildwood, Florida.  Laura’s past volunteer service includes serving on the Archdiocese of St. Louis Audit Committee, the St. Paul Fenton Finance Committee, board committee member at Make a Wish Missouri and Kansas, and board member at the St. Louis Chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society as well as serving as a team member and in leadership roles on countless ACTS retreats. Laura has had transformative experiences on retreats and chose to become a part of Gabriel’s Retreat Ministries to help other women experience God’s deep and abiding love, especially during such a vulnerable time. 

Brian Roth

Treasurer

Brian Roth resides in Troy, MO with his wife, Nicole, and four kids. They have been members of Sacred Heart, Troy Parish for 15 years where all four of their children attend school. He grew up in Sts. Joachim and Ann Parish and attended Duchesne High School. Brian has earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from St. Louis University and a Masters in Science in Finance and Masters of Business Administration from Webster University. He is a Senior Vice President in a leading Global Financial Service Provider. Prior to his current role, he was a teacher at Sts. Joachim and Ann for seven years and was an accountant for a local CPA for three years. Brian chose to be involved in Gabriel’s Retreat Ministries because he knows that sometimes the best thing that can happen is the unexpected and he has seen how personal reflection, taking time for yourself, and spiritual retreats can help people to know the presence of God in their lives.