There are days in our lives that remain etched in our memory. Yesterday was one of those days, as Marg Blythman Chair of the KEM Board announced to our community that I have been appointed as the CEO of Mercy Education and will conclude my time at Clonard at the end of this term. The decision to accept this position has come after a period of prayerful discernment and it was not an easy decision to make.

I feel a deep sense of connection and belonging to this community who opened their arms and welcomed me eight years ago when I arrived knowing no one. I have been inspired by the Brigidine charism and feel blessed to have received ongoing formation with Kildare Ministries. Yesterday I was reflecting that this has helped me grow in readiness to accept this next step in leadership.

Whilst there will be time to reflect and express my gratitude, in this moment I want to acknowledge how proud I am of what we have accomplished as a community over the past seven years. I have been blessed with an amazing team of staff who have supported our work, who have said ‘yes’ and who have co laboured with me to bring our vision to life. Our students have brought me joy in so many ways and they continue to amaze me with their generosity of spirit, curiosity of mind and care for each other and our world. The daily interaction with students will be something I will miss.

I am grateful too for the blessing of the KEM Board. They are steadfast in their support for their Principals and each College community.

Now is a good time to leave – we are humming along, always driven by a commitment to our mission as a faith community, with a clear sense of direction, growing enrolments, strong collaborative leadership, a stable staff, a future focused culture of learning, a master plan underway and the ongoing nurturing of the sense of community that makes Clonard such a special place.

In my new role with Mercy Education I will serve the Board and work with 13 Colleges across Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia as well as leading the National Office team in Melbourne. It will be a privilege to serve Catholic education at a system level through this work.

Jo Ryan will be Acting Principal during Term 4. I know she will receive the full support of the community. KEM will commence recruitment for the next Principal of Clonard College in the coming weeks.

It has been an honour to serve this community and I will be forever grateful to be able to say I was a small part of the story.

Luci Quinn
Principal