Welcome Letter
Welcome to the 5th annual ACE Leadership Conference at the University of Notre Dame. The interest in the conference continues to grow and we are blessed by your presence here and your partnership in the ministry of Catholic schools. Last year we were gifted with a significant snow storm at the start of the conference - we hope to welcome you here this year with less drama!
Our theme for this year’s conference is Architects of Impact: Engineering Excellence for Vibrant Catholic Schools. To be a transformational Catholic school leader is to create a culture of continuous improvement. For that to occur, structures, systems and protocols need to be erected to guide the vision of the school. We have tremendous sessions this year in Spiritual Leadership, Instructional Leadership, Executive Management and School Culture that will provide practical tools for you that will assist you in engineering improvement to positively impact your school.
We continue to be blessed by the sponsorship and partnership with Anthony Cook and Curriculum Associates - i-Ready. This is the fifth year they have been a Gold Level sponsor and we are so blessed by their continued confidence in us. We are excited to welcome Nectir, Toddle, Education Tours by Corporate Travel, and Clarity as Silver Level sponsors to the conference this year. FACTS Educational Solutions are also back for the fifth year as a Bronze Level sponsor. These companies are committed to seeing Catholic schools thrive and we are incredibly blessed and grateful for their support.
When we launched this conference five years ago, I don’t think we imagined it would have the national impact that it has had for Catholic schools. That is a credit to the Conference Planning Committee, who provide dedicated time to ensuring the conference meets your high expectations. I want to acknowledge and thank each of them: Lauren Casella (Loyola Marymount University), John Reyes (Boston College) and Debra Sullivan (Loyola University Chicago) join our wonderful team here at Notre Dame: Sandria Morten, Greg O’Donnell, Betsy Okello, John Staud, and Chrissy Trinter. None of this would be possible without our tremendous planning team who oversee all of the logistical planning and support - Rachel Frey, Nik Filip, Colleen Jankowski, Sarah Perkins, and Alecia Zucker. Please thank them when you see them because it all runs smoothly because of their efforts.
Each year we are so blessed to spend this sacred time with you. Thank you for taking the time away from your schools and loved ones to be with us. We ask the blessing of the Holy Spirit and Our Lady to help us plan and build sustainable Catholic schools for generations to come.
God bless, Kevin Baxter
Director, The Mary Ann Remick LeadershipProgram Chair, ACE Leadership Conference Planning Committee
