BRAINTREE -- The Archdiocese of Boston Catholic Schools Office (CSO), in partnership with the Catholic Schools Foundation (CSF), is focused on building a pool of qualified, committed, and trained individuals to serve as board members at Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Boston. The CSO placed 10 people with schools last spring and it hopes to place 12 people on boards this year.

Catholic Schools Office Director of Data and Research Annie Smith organized the board member recruitment efforts.

She said, "This program helps schools that might not have the time or the network to find new board members. We connect the schools with people who are passionate and want to give back and help the future of Catholic education."

Smith continued, "The partnership with the CSF is part of our shared leadership initiative. The CSF has a robust young professionals' group, full of Catholics who are committed to helping others. We've found that it's crucial to introduce young professionals to Catholic education and show them that they can make a difference in a school community."

Sister Mary Paul McCaughey, OP, the coordinator of the Catholic Educational Leadership Program and graduate instructor in the College of Education at DePaul University, leads the trainings. During the trainings, Sister Mary Paul covers the roles on the various types of boards, the attributes of a strong board member, and how to be effective lay leaders.

When asked about what constitutes a "perfect" board, Sister Mary Paul said, "A perfect board member brings talent, grace, and creative strategies to help make Catholic schools strong. A great board member comes in every flavor, but each is motivated by mission to forward what is best for kids in the context of our Catholic community and has the energy to engage in planning. A perfect board brings these disparate people together as a blend in a community of listening, ideas, and action designed to create a vibrant future for a school."

Megan McKeon, 30, is director of development and communications at a local non-profit and was matched with East Boston Central Catholic School's board last spring.

"It's been a pleasure to join a school board that is so passionate about the success of its students and their families. Every meeting, discussion, and activity is focused on what can be done to serve the school's families," she said.

Bobby Casaletto is the principal of East Boston Central Catholic School.

He said, "Both Megan and the other new board member have been valuable additions to our school board thus far and we highly recommend participation in the board training."

If you are interested in learning more about joining a Catholic school board, contact Director of Data and Research Annie Smith at smith_a@rcab.org.