Lake Catholic High School President Mark Crowley announces retirement

William Tilton, The News-Herald, Willoughby, Ohio
·2 min read

Jan. 23—Mark Crowley, who has served as president of Lake Catholic High School since 2017, has announced his plans to retire at the conclusion of the 2022-2023 school year.

"Mark has provided steadfast leadership to Lake Catholic through an important time in its history by focusing on mission and the unique charisms of the Lake Catholic experience," Superintendent of Catholic Schools Frank O'Linn said. "Today the school enjoys steady enrollment and growing community support to ensure financial stability and position Lake Catholic for future growth.

"Mark has also assembled a talented team to lead and sustain Lake Catholic for the future."

"Mark has done a phenomenal job at Lake Catholic. It's been my honor to work with him," added Advisory Board Chairman John Redmond. "He deserves much credit for keeping Lake Catholic relevant and his work on crafting a strategic plan has been very helpful in restoring us on a pathway to success — I wish him the best of luck."

Crowley said the plan for retirement stemmed from a conversation with his wife at an anniversary dinner. He is proud and content with where the school is currently and the direction it is headed.

"This past fall I turned 64 and my wife Lea and I started talking about our future plans at our 41st anniversary dinner," Crowley said. "I realized that from a Lake Catholic perspective, now would be a perfect time to retire.

"We introduced a great administrative team on the academic side of the house this year. We also hired several staff members in key revenue positions who are either alumni, parents of alumni or parents of current students," he added. "The school's strategic plan envisions an extraordinary future for all aspects of the school."

The search for the next president of Lake Catholic High School will begin immediately, according to the release.

O'Linn said that will not be an easy task.

"It will be a challenge to replace Mark's passion and commitment to Lake Catholic, but we remain confident in our ability to continue the trajectory that Lake Catholic is currently on," he said. "This is an exciting time to be in Cougar Country."