Archdiocese of San Francisco announces new Superintendent of Catholic Schools
The Archdiocese of San Francisco is pleased to announce that Chris Fisher will be the next Superintendent of the Archdiocesan Department of Catholic Schools. Chris will assume the position of Superintendent on July 1, 2024, after completing his role as Executive Director of the Portsmouth Institute for Faith and Culture at Portsmouth Abbey and School, a Benedictine monastery and Catholic boarding school in Rhode Island.
“We are pleased to welcome Chris Fisher to the Archdiocese of San Francisco as our next Superintendent of the Department of Catholic Schools,” said Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone. “He is passionate about guiding students toward truth and virtue, and his experience as a teacher, administrator, and board member has prepared him well to assume this new role.”
Chris is a prominent leader in Catholic education. For the past decade, he has demonstrated transformative leadership at the Portsmouth Institute, a renowned center for advancing the Catholic intellectual tradition. In his tenure, the Portsmouth Institute launched the innovative Center for Science and the Liberal Arts at Portsmouth Abbey School and an experiential summer program for students to study English Catholic literature at Oxford University. He has partnered extensively with Catholic teachers, schools, dioceses, and universities to establish nationally recognized teacher formation programs, coaching new and veteran teachers and principals in Catholic pedagogy and curriculum development.
“With the appointment of Chris Fisher as Superintendent by Archbishop Cordileone, the Archdiocese of San Francisco becomes the place to watch,” said Thomas Carroll, Superintendent of Archdiocese of Boston Catholic Schools. “Chris is talented, smart, and humble. A devout Catholic with a deep understanding of Church teaching and the Catholic intellectual tradition, Chris understands that Catholic schools are the key to a Catholic renewal. Chris also is passionate that Catholic schools provide immigrant and other families the surest path to realizing the American dream.”
Chris has published internationally on the mission of Catholic education, with articles in the Catholic Herald (UK), the University of Notre Dame’s Church Life Journal, and Our Sunday Visitor. He also edited and contributed to Cluny Media’s collection of essays by John Henry Cardinal Newman, A Benedictine Education. A distinguished speaker on Catholic education and evangelization, Chris has presented at prestigious institutions including Yale, Benedictine College, and the University of Notre Dame.
He received his M.A. in Catholic Studies from the University of St. Thomas (MN), a graduate certificate in School Leadership and Management from Harvard Business School and earned a B.A. in Political Philosophy from Salve Regina University.
He has served on the Board of Trustees of Saint Benedict’s Classical Academy, a celebrated Catholic classical school in Natick, Massachusetts, and on the Classic Learning Test (CLT) Board of Academic Advisors.
“With trust in God’s providence and profound gratitude to His Excellency Archbishop Cordileone, I am deeply honored and humbled to assume the role of Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Archdiocese of San Francisco,” said Fisher. “Catholic education is at the heart of the Church’s mission and is the core of my personal vocation. I look forward to meeting the pastors, leaders, teachers, families, and students at our wonderful schools in the months ahead. In the meantime, please know that the faithful of the Archdiocese of San Francisco are already in my prayers. I humbly ask you to keep me and my family in your prayers as well.”
The Archdiocese extends a special thanks to the Superintendent Search Committee for their significant work in providing an impressive pool of candidates.
“We look forward to welcoming Chris, his wife Lauren, and their two children Frederick and Felix to the Archdiocese of San Francisco this summer,” said Fr. Patrick Summerhays, Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia at the Archdiocese of San Francisco. “We are confident that Chris will build upon the success and positive momentum provided by Superintendent Pam Lyons as we continue our efforts to elevate Catholic education for our families and young people throughout our communities.”
The Archdiocese of San Francisco Department of Catholic Schools (DCS) provides support to more than 24,000 students and nearly 2,300 teachers, principals, and school staff. In collaboration with parents, pastors, parish leadership, and the faith community, Catholic schools teach and model Gospel values and the faith of the Catholic Church, forming witnesses of Jesus Christ through comprehensive religious, academic, co-curricular and service programs.
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Mary Powers
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