As Bishop Machebeuf High School prepares to launch its new integrated curriculum in the fall, the school has announced the hiring of Dr. Anthony Bonta, Ph.D, as its new and first president.
Dr. Bonta will assume the presidency of the high school June 8. He hails from Crown Point, Indiana, where he most recently served as Principal and later President of Andrean High School, located in Merrillville, Ind. Dr. Bonta comes to Bishop Machebeuf with a wealth of ministerial, educational, and administrative experience.
“To have someone of the caliber of Dr. Bonta at the helm leading Bishop Machebeuf High School is a tremendous blessing,” said Denver Catholic Schools Superintendent Elias J. Moo. “It is clear to us that Dr. Bonta is a faithful son of the Church who is deeply committed to the mission of Catholic education. He is also deeply committed to helping young men and women encounter God through what is true, good, and beautiful, and to supporting them in growing in wisdom and virtue. He will be an incredible asset to the mission of Catholic Education in the Archdiocese of Denver, and we look with great hope to the future of the school under his leadership.”
After operating under the leadership of interim principal Kellie Carroll for the past year, the shift in leadership structure is a piece of a bigger plan to enable Bishop Machebeuf to further maintain a robust Catholic identity and achieve academic excellence.
Dr. Bonta’s pedigree within Catholic education is extensive. Prior to his time at Andrean, he served in the Diocese of Gary, Indiana, as Chief of Staff for Bishop Donald Hying, the Fourth Bishop of the Diocese of Gary, Indiana. He has also been on faculty at several universities and colleges, including Marquette University, Springfield College, and most recently at Calumet College of St. Joseph.
Throughout his career, Dr, Bonta has prioritized strong relationships and partnership as the foundation for his leadership.
“These relationships are crucial in efforts and strategies to increase enrollment, develop internships, expand and enhance involvement of families, alumni and stakeholders in the school, and increase fundraising,” Dr. Bonta said. “Catholic institutions need to be instruments and beacons of transformation, tradition and innovation.”
Throughout the hiring process, Moo discovered qualities in Dr. Bonta which instilled within him and other school leadership great confidence that he will be an exceptional and fruitful leader for the beloved Denver high school.
“We have come to experience the humility, sincerity, genuineness, integrity, and intentionality with which Dr. Bonta leads,” Moo said. “These characteristics are precisely what the community named as essential traits for our President. Archbishop Aquila and the Board of Members are confident Dr. Bonta is the right person with the right vision to lead Bishop Machebeuf High School.”
Dr. Bonta moves to Colorado with his wife, Adela, and will be involved in the search for a new principal of Bishop Machebeuf High School, which continues to be underway.
“I am looking forward to establishing roots in the Denver area and to being the administrative and spiritual leader of the Bishop Machebeuf community for many years to come,” he said.