The archdiocese’s Office of Catholic Schools has formed a leadership academy for talented men and women committed to becoming an administrator in a Catholic school in the City of Chicago and suburban Cook and Lake counties. The academy launched its 30 initial participants on Feb. 6 with a series of workshops at the Office of Catholic Schools and at Northwestern University’s Kellogg Center for Nonprofit Management. Along with classes, academy members will also conduct field work in local schools and receive mentoring from the network of professionals throughout the 256 Catholic schools in the archdiocese. Associate Superintendent for Catholic Schools Mary Kearney will direct the academy and Suzanne Sullivan, a member of the clinical faculty at the University of Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education and a former principal of St. Francis Xavier School in Wilmette, will facilitate. The academy complements ongoing professional development partnerships with local universities including DePaul, Dominican, Loyola and St. Xavier. The Archdiocese of Chicago has the largest Catholic school system in the nation.