As the search for a replacement for Head of School Grace Cotter Regan moves forward, a transition team has been appointed at St. Mary’s.
Mary Delaney is serving as chief transition officer and interim head of school; Jeff Newhall, the school’s athletic director, has taken on added responsibility as director of campus operations, and Principal James Ridley is serving as academic management team leader.
The appointments were announced by St. Mary’s Board of Trustees Chair William Mosakowski. “I am confident that the management and transition team are poised to advance the mission of St. Mary’s as we search for a new head of school,” Mosakowski said.
Delaney, who has worked at St. Mary’s since March 2015, has more than 30 years’ experience in Catholic Schools. She held leadership roles at Newton Country Day, Aquinas College, Elizabeth Seton Academy and Ursuline Academy.
Delaney will focus on the administrative functions of St. Mary’s, working with the transition team to develop a vision for the school during this transformative time.
Newhall, a 1994 St. Mary’s graduate, has worked at St. Mary’s since 2000 and has been the girls basketball coach since 2005 and the athletic director for 10 years. He will continue his role as basketball coach and athletic director, while managing the upcoming building projects for the Building Futures Campaign as well as the auxiliary services at the school, including campus safety and security.
Ridley has more than 40 years’ experience in education, 34 of which were spent in Lynn Public Schools, including 18 years as an administrator. Ridley accepted the role of principal at St. Mary’s for the 2015-16 school year. He will continue to serve as principal during this transition time and will also lead the academic management team.
Pat Gill, who has served as executive assistant to the head for school for seven years, will take on similar responsibilities for the transition team. Prior to St. Mary’s, Gill worked as a systems analyst at Verizon for 37 years.
The nine-member Head of School search committee is chaired by Dr. Elizabeth Molloy Twomey ’52, vice chair of the board of trustees, and includes board members, parents and faculty, as well as St. Mary’s Pastor Rev. Brian Flynn.
That panel will be supported in its efforts by a 15-member advisory search committee consisting of staff, students, benefactors, alumni and parents.
Regan, who accepted the position of president at BC High, will conclude her five-year tenure at St. Mary’s later this month. The school held two events to celebrate her leadership, a farewell celebration at Nahant Country Club on Nov. 29 and a Mass in St. Mary’s Church Dec. 1.
“This marks a milestone where I have to say goodbye to a community that I love,” Regan said at the Mass. “I am so moved by the number of alumni, parents, friends and students who are now part of the tapestry of my life.”