President - Montini Catholic High School, Lombard, Il

PRESIDENT SEARCH

MONTINI CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL Lombard, Illinois

montini.org

Start Date: July 2023

Mission Statement

Montini Catholic High School is a family-centered, co-educational, college preparatory high school, rooted in the life and teaching of Jesus Christ as emulated by St. John Baptist de La Salle and committed to the education of the whole person. Our Lasallian tradition recognizes the sacredness of all persons and educates students of diverse abilities, cultures, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Each student is expected to participate in an educational setting that will emphasize the message of Christ, service, and responsibility to Church, family and community.

The Brothers of the Christian Schools sponsor and manage Montini Catholic in association with lay men and women, religious and clergy. In accordance with the Christian Brothers' presence, the following characteristic elements are given priority:

• Attention to the individual
• Special concern for the poor
• Commitment to excellence
• Creative education for a variety of ability levels
• Religious instruction and service
• Promotion of justice and peace
• Faith-filled and zealous teachers working in association

Faith-filled and zealous teachers working in association Montini has a religious purpose and an academic purpose. Montini works to create a Catholic educational community in which faith, culture and knowledge are integrated among teachers, students and parents in a spirit of cooperation. Montini's programs attempt to challenge and encourage the spiritual, intellectual, personal, cultural, social and physical development of each student.

Overview

Montini Catholic High School is a co-educational, college preparatory school providing a rigorous and holistic education rooted in Catholic values for students in grades 9-12. The Montini experience is collaborative, project based, centered on real world problems and solutions, and focused on preparing each student for success in college and in life. The Lasallian Mission of Education enriches the whole person through classroom instruction, the appropriate use of technology, and the development of the student's cultural, intellectual, physical, social, and spiritual well-being. After their Montini Catholic experience, well-rounded men and women are life-long learners, leaders, and responsible citizens ready for their future and the challenges that await them.

Sponsored by the Brothers of the Christian Schools, Montini Catholic High School opened its doors in 1966 with 217 freshmen. Today, Montini Catholic enrolls 530 students, many of whom represent multigenerational families. One never graduates from Montini; the Montini experience remains alive in "Live Jesus in our Hearts Forever." The school welcomes students of all faiths and backgrounds from over 122 private and public grade schools in over 61 zip codes in the Chicago area. Montini students are part of a Lasallian community spanning 80 countries and currently educating over one million students worldwide. Locally, Montini Catholic is a member of the Midwest District of the De La Salle Christian Brothers which includes three universities and 13 high schools.

The school's campus offers an extraordinary abundance of opportunities in athletics and the arts. Students are proud to represent the school in the greater community and proudly state that "Montini is a home, not a school." Montini's next President will inherit an enthusiastic community that is poised for its next chapter of excellence and growth. The President will report to the Board of Trustees and is expected to provide leadership across the student experience, including spiritual growth. The School is seeking an individual who is inspiring, relatable, accessible, and able to connect joyfully with students, faculty and staff, parents, alumni, donors, sponsors, religious communities, and the broader community.

Opportunities and Challenges

As a first-rate, co-educational, Catholic High School in the Chicago metropolitan region, which is known well state-wide, it is truly exciting to learn about all of the strengths that Montini possesses. Strong leadership for well over two decades has led the School to a place of stability, and it is now poised to move forward with strategic vision and purpose in this next chapter. Currently, Montini enrolls 530 students and is ready for further enrollment growth with facilities that are very well-maintained, a faculty that is known for superb teaching and learning practices, and a joyful school culture that is centered upon a unique closeness between the faculty and students. The next President will not only be expected to build upon this trajectory of outstanding accomplishment at Montini, but also to implement the goals for the School's future in a comprehensive strategic plan that will be developed by the new leader in partnership with the Montini community. This new strategic plan will become the guide for the next several years. In particular, the following opportunities and challenges will be important for the next President to address:

• Develop and execute a newly-formed strategic plan;
• With the Board, create a financial plan that will grow the enrollment, increase the endowment, provide
financial aid support, increase faculty and staff salaries/benefits, and monitor tuition revenues;
• Remain faithful to the Lasallian charism of the school;
• Implement strategies that perpetuate strong enrollment management processes and encourage
college placement of graduates into the finest colleges and universities;
• Continue to remain an innovative leader in technology integration;
• Increase diversity in all areas of the school particularly within the faculty, staff, and administrative
community;
• Develop and implement a comprehensive plan for the development office, which would include
strategizing a clear marketing plan, increasing alumni engagement, increasing annual fund
participation, and formulating a major gifts approach so as to significantly increase the School's
endowment;
• Develop an annual budget and financial plan, which would include training budget managers and
establishing monthly reviews of current status of the budget;
• View the campus master plan with vision for the future in all areas of the School namely academics,
the Arts, and athletics.

Qualifications and Personal Attributes

Montini Catholic High School seeks an experienced innovative leader with vision and skills in the fundamental responsibilities of leadership, communication, and collaborative decision-making to advance the mission of the school. Every applicant should be a practicing Catholic whose life models Montini's mission and who is willing to embrace the Lasallian charism. The President should be an inspirational leader who motivates and inspires the vision and implementation of the mission, goals, and philosophy of Montini. The President has final responsibility for promoting rigorous spiritual and educational programs while providing strategic vision for financial sustainability and institutional advancement. The President should have the ability and willingness to embrace a diverse ethnic, religious, and socioeconomic population, and work in collaboration with a dynamic Leadership Team and a strong Board of Directors to provide visionary initiatives for the future. The President is directly responsible to the Montini Board of Directors ("School Board") and to the De La Salle Christian Brothers, who have sponsored the School since 1966.

The President should be the "institution-builder," fundraiser, vision-setter, and advocate of the School's unique mission in the greater community. The day-to-day operations fall under the auspices of the outstanding administrative team, allowing the President to focus on strategies that will raise the profile and value proposition of the School and to provide the resources to recruit and retain an excellent faculty and staff. While knowledge of education and school operations is preferred, other qualities and experiences will be considered including candidates who come from other mission-driven institutions and arenas. Further, the next President will need to be, and want to be, a strong presence in all facets of the school community, both internally and externally, knowing the students and professional staff, while embracing the Lasallian mission of the School. An advanced degree is required. Specific qualities and characteristics also include:

• A proven Catholic leader who can embrace an environment that values a strong commitment to
openness to diversity and inclusion as practiced by our faith;
• A highly relationship-oriented and approachable servant leader;
• A collaborative, humble, and visionary leader who can inspire excellence and build community;
• A person of high energy with commitment to the mission and vision of the School;
• A leader with high emotional intelligence, who is proactive, and who is able to lead and delegate
when necessary.

To Apply

Interested and qualified candidates are invited to contact the consultants in confidence. Candidates will ultimately need to submit the following materials as separate PDF documents:

• A cover letter expressing their interest in this particular position;
• A current resume;
• A one-page statement of educational or leadership philosophy and practice;
• A Candidate Questionnaire (to be provided by the consultants);
• A list of five professional references with name, relationship, phone number, and email address of each (references will not be contacted without the candidate's permission) to:

Barbara Daush
Senior Search Consultant and Catholic Schools Practice Leader
[email protected]

Mike Mersky
Search Consultant
[email protected]