Two all-girls high schools in the Diocese of Cleveland are under new leadership.
Wendy Hoke is the new president at Beaumont School in Cleveland Heights and Moira Clark is the new president of Magnificat High School in Rocky River.
Hoke, who most recently was vice president of marketing and communications at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center, also worked in marketing and communications for the /Sisters of Charity Health System. She replaces Sister Gretchen Rodenfels, OSU, who said she was stepping down at the end of the 2016-2017 academic year.
A graduate of the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University, Hoke began her career as a newspaper reporter. She was a Peter Jennings Fellow for Journalism and the Constitution and has won numerous awards for her writing and marketing work at St. Vincent?s.
?Wendy is the type of leader we need to move Beaumont forward, while honoring our Ursuline heritage,? said Sister Susan Durkin, OSU, president of the Ursuline Sisters of Cleveland. ?This is a very exciting time at the school and we are confident she will be able to lead the school to expanded enrollment so that even more young women can be educated for life, leadership and service in the Ursuline tradition.?
In addition to Hoke?s appointment as the school?s fifth president, Beaumont also plans to restructure its leadership team and return to its traditional model of principal and assistant principal. In preparation for launching the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, Beaumont added a dean of academics and IB coordinator position. With the IB program successfully launched, responsibilities for the program will be divided among the faculty. The 2019 graduating class will be the first one eligible for the IB program. Beaumont?s roots date to 1850; it has been in Cleveland Heights for 75 years.
Mary Whelan, who served as principal for seven years, said she would not return in the fall. Nick Beyer is serving as interim principal for the 2017-2018 academic year to provide continuity in leadership and to allow Hoke the opportunity to select a new leadership team. He previously was dean of academics and IB coordinator and was instrumental in developing the IB curriculum, training staff and recruiting students for the program. A search is under way for a new assistant principal. Also, Timothy Ertle was named as Beaumont?s new athletic director.
At Magnificat, Clark, a 1977 graduate and longtime educator, will transition into the president?s role this summer. She replaces Jenifer Hebda Halliday, a 1995 graduate, who served two years as president. Halliday informed the school?s board of directors that she would not continue in her role when her contract expires.
?The board is grateful to Jen for her leadership these past two years and her decision to inform us well in advance of her departure,? said Colleen O?Neil, Magnificat board chairperson. ?Fortunately, we have the right person already on staff and ready to assume the role without delay. Moira is a natural and obvious choice. She has a deep love for the school, a deep commitment to its mission and a deep appreciation for the culture and heritage of the Sisters of the Humility of Mary.?
Clark, a graduate of Xavier University, received a master?s in religious studies from John Carroll University. She joined the Magnificat faculty as a theology teacher in 1994, later serving as director of campus ministry and most recently as dean of student life and formation. In that role, she managed all facets of the department of student life, including overseeing admissions, athletics, campus ministry, counseling, student life and summer programs. She also was a member of the school?s leadership team.
As president, Clark will be responsible for implementing the school?s strategic plan, directing advancement and alumnae initiatives and overseeing marketing and admissions campaigns. She is the school?s sixth president and the third lay leader in its 62-year history.
For more information on Beaumont, visit beaumontschool.org.
Visit magnificaths.org for more information on Magnificat.
