St. Mary Catholic Schools
New SMCS Superintendent Announcement
A Message on Behalf of the SMCS Board of Trustees
Dear St. Mary Catholic Schools families,
The St. Mary Catholic Schools (SMCS) superintendent search committee has an exciting update regarding the recruitment of our next superintendent. We are pleased to announce the appointment of Daniel McKenna as SMCS superintendent. Dan will begin at SMCS on Monday, May 3, 2021.
We are fortunate to have someone of Dan’s caliber coming aboard to lead the SMCS community. Dan is a transformational Catholic educator and has many successes in his career as a teacher, principal, administrator, headmaster, and corporate executive.
Dan is a Chicago native and joins SMCS after serving as the president and chief operating officer of the Mulva Cultural Center in De Pere. Prior to the Mulva Cultural Center, Dan served as head of school at St. Gabriel’s Catholic School in Austin, Texas; principal of St. Francis Xavier School in Wilmette, Illinois; and dean of students at Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary High School in Chicago, Illinois. Dan earned his bachelor’s degree from Marquette University and two master of education degrees from Loyola University.
Dan and his wife, Talleri, have two children – a daughter in high school and a son in elementary school – and will relocate to join our Fox Cities community from De Pere. Dan has a connection to the Neenah/Menasha area and the SMCS community as the younger brother of Phil Kerwin, who is the current STEM/VEX coordinator, parent to SMCS students, and vice chair of the BOT. To avoid any conflicts of interest, Phil was recused from the entire superintendent search process.
As we conducted our search, we prioritized a passion for serving students, families, and staff, strong commitment to faith formation, and curriculum innovation as key characteristics of our next superintendent. Dan possesses these characteristics and many others that combine to make him the right person to lead our community forward.
Please join us in welcoming Dan to SMCS. We look forward to working with him in service to you and your children and on continuing the growth and great progress we’ve experienced at SMCS.
Sincerely,
Steve Pable
Chair, SMCS Board of Trustees
St. Mary Catholic Schools
Email: eknapinski@smcatholicschools.org
Website: smcatholicschools.org
Location: 1050 Zephyr Drive, Neenah, WI, USA
Phone: 920-722-7796
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smcatholicschools/
Twitter: @Zephyr_Sports
St. Mary Catholic Schools is preparing and inspiring students to lead meaningful lives, rooted in the teachings of Christ in our Catholic tradition.