As a new school year begins, a new leadership team — with some familiar faces — is in place at St. Mary’s, poised to lead the grade 6-12 Catholic school into 2019 and beyond.
Head of School Dr. John F. Dolan and Associate Head of School David Angeramo have been on campus for several months and building a leadership team has been their top priority. They have intentionally selected key appointments to lead the school.
Among those is James Ridley, who served as principal from 2015 through the end of last school year. Ridley will be staying on as director of student recruitment, working with director of admissions Carole Frederick, who has been with St. Mary’s for 25 years.
“Jim is passionate about the St. Mary’s experience and he is uniquely qualified to share that with prospective students and their parents,” Dolan said. “I am looking forward to working with him and Carole as they communicate the excellence and affordability of a St. Mary’s education.”
“I have enjoyed the last three years immensely and I’m excited about the opportunity to spread the word about St. Mary’s throughout the North Shore,” said Ridley, who spent 34 years in Lynn Public Schools as a teacher, coach and principal before coming to St. Mary’s. “Thanks to the generosity of our benefactors, we are able to award more than $2.5 million annually in aid, making a St. Mary’s education accessible.”
Ridley is not the only former Lynn educator to join the St. Mary’s administration. Gene Constantino has taken over as vice principal. Constantino worked in Lynn Public Schools for 42 years, including the last nine as principal at Lynn Classical High School.
“I’m excited to be part of the team at St. Mary’s,” said Constantino, who worked with Ridley for decades in Lynn and has also known Angeramo, the former principal of Salem High School, for many years. “There is a positive vibe at the school and a real sense of community and family that is very noticeable.”
Three additional members of the administration join the newly formed leadership team.
Kevin Cherry came to St. Mary’s last spring as chief financial officer. He has more than 25 years’ financial management and operational experience in both the pubic and private sectors, including as CFO at the South End Community Center and Boston Renaissance Public Charter School. He also served as educational consulting manager at the Public Consulting Group in Boston.
Athletic Director Jeff Newhall ’94, a 19-year St. Mary’s veteran who has been serving as director of campus operations for the last nine months, will serve on the team in this position. He will continue in his role as athletic director, which he has held for the past 12 years, as well as varsity girls basketball coach.
Jamie Gigliotti, who came to St. Mary’s in 2014 as assistant director of the Annual Fund and has been working as the director of communications and marketing, has been promoted to director of external affairs. She will oversee all advancement, communications, enrollment and marketing efforts.
“We are very pleased with the leadership team we have in place,” said William Mosakowski, chair of the board of trustees. “These are exciting times at St. Mary’s and we are confident that we have the right people on board to move the school forward.”
“I am genuinely excited to be working with this distinguished group of educators and administrators,” Dolan said. “We are all passionate about the kind of academic, athletic and extracurricular experience we have to offer at St. Mary’s.”