February 4, 2010
Dear Eastside Catholic Community and Friends,
On behalf of the Eastside Catholic Board of Trustees (BOT), I am pleased to announce the appointment of Sister Mary E. Tracy, SNJM, as the new President and Head of School for Eastside Catholic School. A member of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary (SNJM), Sr. Mary brings more than 35 years of Catholic school leadership and stewardship to the Eastside Catholic family and will officially join us in mid-April, 2010.
Originally from Spokane, Sr. Mary is nationally recognized and highly regarded by her peers across the country for her work in private and Catholic school education. She is equally admired locally and well known in our region and in the Seattle Archdiocese for her 20 years of leadership and service as Dean of Students and Principal of Holy Names Academy in Seattle from 1975-1995. During her 20-year stint leading Holy Names Academy, Sr. Mary delivered successful results on many fronts – academic excellence, competitive and dominant athletic programs, completion of critical academic and athletic facility requirements, including the highly successful capital campaign for the Academy’s new McAteer Lee Gymnasium, and significant expansion of the Holy Names endowment, to name a few. All these achievements set the foundation for the success that Holy Names enjoys today.
In answering her next calling, when Sr. Mary left Holy Names, she joined the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) in Washington, DC, where she has spent the past 15 years. Most recently as the Director of Advancement Services, she has provided management and organizational consulting services to hundreds of Catholic and private schools across the nation. Sr. Mary holds an M.A. in Literature from the University of Washington and received her undergraduate degree from Fort Wright College in Spokane, Washington. Sr. Mary is thrilled to be returning to her home state and for the opportunity to further advance Eastside Catholic in its faith-based journey of excellence in academics, servant leadership and athletics.
This is truly a result of answered prayers. When Jim Kubacki announced in December that he was stepping down to take a new position in his hometown of Cleveland, the BOT immediately began a search process for a new head of school. The BOT hired Wickenden Associates, a nationwide executive search firm specializing in private education, to help define the school’s future leadership needs. In early January, Jim Wickenden and his associate met with nearly 50 representative people in the Eastside Catholic community to define the search criteria for a new leader at the school. Current and past parents, alumni, faculty, staff and members of the BOT were all interviewed to gather critical feedback and forward-looking perspectives. At the same time, three members of Eastside Catholic’s BOT devoted considerable time on site to better understand the workings of the school and to further determine what is needed for the new leadership direction of Eastside Catholic.
Recognizing that finding the ideal match could take considerable time, the BOT initiated a search to find an interim head of school. In the course of that search, Divine Providence intervened. Though Sr. Mary was happy in her 15th year at NCEA, she was intrigued by the mission and challenges of the permanent position at Eastside Catholic and most importantly, passionate about the opportunity to lead Eastside Catholic to new levels of achievement. In short order, more than 20 current and past BOT members interviewed her. They all agreed that her senior educational experience and spiritual leadership were the ideal fit for Eastside Catholic, and she was unanimously approved by the BOT, along with the blessing of Seattle Archbishop Brunett, as our permanent President and Head of School. In addition, Jim Kubacki, as the current Eastside Catholic leader, fully endorses Sr. Mary to succeed him in the leadership role at the school and similarly believes our prayers were answered when she became available.
Like many of you, we expected a long and involved process to find our next Head of School. But part of leadership is acting with decisiveness when an opportunity presents itself. This was an opportunity that we determined Eastside Catholic could not afford to pass up. Sr. Mary encompasses all of the key qualities we require in the next Head of School – and then some. She is highly respected nationwide as an educator. She has proven leadership success, exemplary academic credentials, experience building highly competitive and diverse athletic programs, strong financial management and unmatched fundraising expertise. While humble in her approach, Sr. Mary’s extraordinary service and spiritual leadership in Catholic education is unparalleled. But most of all, Sr. Mary embodies Eastside Catholic’s mission, core values and traditions. She is the right person at the right time to lead us into the future as a school of excellence.
Sr. Mary will officially join Eastside Catholic in mid-April. Until then, Jim Kubacki will continue in his role as President, sharing his time between Eastside Catholic and Cleveland as he transitions into his new position. Similarly, Sr. Mary plans to share her time between Eastside Catholic and her Washington, DC position to ensure a seamless transition of leadership. Members of the BOT will continue to be closely involved inside the school’s operations for critical decisions until the leadership transition is complete.
On behalf of the BOT, we thank everyone who participated in discussions with Wickenden Associates. The broad- based input we received from the Eastside Catholic community proved invaluable in making this very important new leadership decision.
Please join us in welcoming Sr. Mary E. Tracy to the Eastside Catholic community! Current parents, past parents, alumni and friends, please mark your calendar for the following dates and times to welcome her in person in the Boardroom at the Eastside Catholic campus:
· Tuesday, February 9 from 8-9:30 a.m.
· Monday, February 22 from 6-7:30 p.m.
· Thursday, February 25 from 5:30-7 p.m.
Sr. Mary will also be attending our Family Night Auction on Friday, February 26 and our STARS Auction Gala event on March 6.
You will find Sr. Mary to be an engaging, warm and driven person blessed with humility, strength of character and unique leadership skills that allow her to span a variety of people, needs and experiences.
Thank you for your support and endorsement of what continues to be an amazing Eastside Catholic family.
With the Warmest Regards,
Dan Ivanoff
President
Eastside Catholic School Board of Trustees
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EASTSIDE CATHOLIC ANNOUNCES NEW HEAD OF SCHOOL
Published on Feb-03-2010 11:47 PM0 Comments
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