Cleveland - Bishop Nelson J. Perez of the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland, has announced the appointment of Frank W. O’Linn, Ed.D, to serve as Secretary for Education and Superintendent of Schools for the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland.
O’Linn has held the position in an interim capacity since March of 2018. Prior to his interim appointment, O’Linn served the diocese as the associate superintendent for secondary schools.
In making this announcement, Bishop Perez offers his deep appreciation to the members of the search committee who worked diligently to identify and interview prospective candidates and who confidently came to the unanimous decision to recommend Dr. O’Linn’s appointment.
In addition to naming O’Linn as school superintendent, Bishop Perez is also announcing that, after proper consultation, the former position of Secretary for Catechetical Formation and Education/Superintendent of Schools is being split into the two separate positions of Secretary for Catechetical Formation, and that of Secretary for Education and Superintendent of Schools.
After an extensive period of research, experts unanimously recommended to Bishop Perez that the leadership of catechetical formation and the leadership of Catholic school education be two distinct yet collaborative roles. This separate yet collaborative organizational model is effectively functioning in the Archdiocese of Chicago, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, and the Diocese of Columbus, to name a few.
In the diocesan commitment to continuous academic quality improvement in every school and the development of our school leadership and stewardship of resources during this transformative era, keen strategic leadership focused on the academic piece of Catholic education is critical.Equally important is the commitment to Catholic formation in our schools, along with a renewed and robust charge to more fully reach out to young people and the families who are not participants in our day schools. These efforts require the same level of leadership, responsibility, and focus. Both ministries and all the initiatives expected to be developed in the years to come demand distinct, strong leadership. These ministries will work closely with pastors, parish formation leadership, principals, families, and students to insure quality formation and education throughout the Diocese of Cleveland.Consequently, a new search is being launched by the diocese to recruit the appropriate candidate for the separate position of Secretary for Catechetical Formation.
Frank O’Linn began his career in education in 2000 as a teaching fellow with the University of Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education before joining the faculty of St. Edward High School in 2002. While there he taught English and helped found the Ken Layden Program in Entrepreneurship. In 2007, he was named Dean of Academics and became principal in 2013. Since 2012, he has also prepared aspiring Catholic school leaders while serving as adjunct faculty for the Alliance for Catholic Education’s Mary Ann Remick Leadership Program at the University of Notre Dame. O’Linn earned his Master of Education and Master of Arts in Educational Administration degrees from the University of Notre Dame and his Doctorate in Education from Peabody College at Vanderbilt University.
“Catholic schools are at the heart of the mission of the Church, and I look forward to leading our system toward Bishop Perez’s vision for delivering irresistibly Catholic, academically excellent education for all students in our care,” said O’Linn.
Photo courtesy of Catholic Diocese of Cleveland
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