Superintendent of Schools

Lincoln, Nebraska, United States Diocese of Lincoln

Reports To: Bishop James

D. Conley

Direct Reports: Chancery education-office staff;
Ed-Tech Office leader

Key Partners: Fr. Stoley (Superintendent of Record during the credentialing period), Pastors, CAO's, Principals, Diocesan HR, Diocesan Communications Office, Office of General Counsel, Diocesan CFO

Schools & Enrollment: 30 schools across the diocese: 24 elementary schools, 6 high schools, ~6,600 students

I. Why This Role Exists

The Superintendent exists to carry the Diocese of Lincoln's schools from a position of strength into one shared, vibrant vision of Catholic education, held in common by pastors, principals, and parents alike. The diocese has a foundation of low tuition rates, a strong Catholic identity, and vocations to the priesthood and religious life that is nearly unmatched nationally. Bishop Conley's One Heart in Christ pastoral plan names education as one of four pillars for the next five years, and the new federal tax-credit scholarship program is opening real financial possibility for how these schools are funded and whom they can serve.

This work is part of the broader renewal Pope Leo XIV described in Drawing New Maps of Hope as the Church's educational constellations, and Lincoln can step further into it without hurry. The role calls for a unifier and an evangelizer: someone who spends substantial time in the field building confidence among pastors, encouraging principals, and rekindling the imagination of families who already love being Catholic but want real clarity on what a vibrant Catholic education looks like, seeing every classroom, in Bishop Conley's words in his letter on the Joy and Wonder of Catholic Education, through a sacramental lens that connects every subject, every discipline, into one coherent and knowable whole.

II. Core Outcomes

The Superintendent exists to produce these eight results. They are the fruit by which this role will be evaluated.

• Unified Catholic Mission & Identity: Pastors, principals, and parents across the diocese operate from a shared, clearly articulated vision of Catholic education, grounded in orthodoxy and the Catholic intellectual tradition carried by ICLE formation. Schools are aligned in curricular vision and implementation, and all the oars row in the same direction.
• Evangelization & Public Presence: The Superintendent functions as a visible evangelizer for Catholic education, engaging parents and communities directly and rekindling enough enthusiasm that financial and volunteer support becomes a natural outflow instead of a hard ask.
• Enrollment Growth & Access: Schools move closer to capacity over five years, and the new federal tax-credit scholarship program is understood and actively used by families and donors as a funding and access tool.
• Execution & Follow-Through: Translates vision into priorities, timelines, support structures, and monitored implementation, reliably moving work from plan to practice.
• Principal Equipping & Support Across Pastors & CAOs: Within the diocese's reporting structure, the Superintendent equips CAO's and principals with the resources, training, and ongoing support they need to strengthen their schools and progress toward the diocese's shared vision, working closely with CAOs and pastors on principal hiring and development.
• Financial Sustainability of the School System: Schools operate on a sustainable financial footing, working from practical models the Superintendent builds for the diocese's distinct urban and rural economies. Pastors and principals adopt those models willingly, and fundraising and the tax-credit scholarship build on that foundation.
• Licensure Progress & Regulatory Integrity: The Superintendent makes documented, on-pace progress toward Nebraska superintendent licensure, meets Nebraska Department of Education accreditation-reporting obligations for every school, and models the same openness to formation expected of the diocese's teachers.
• Operational Health & People Leadership Across the Network: The Superintendent brings strong people-management to a large network of schools and staff. Serving as a leader of leaders, the Superintendent inspires and holds accountable priests, religious sisters, and lay principals alike, as the network's day-to-day operational health strengthens year over year.

III. Two Phases of This Role

This profile describes the role in full. Authority arrives in two stages,…