The Follow to Lead Podcast

#62: Exploring the Opportunity of Becoming a DIA Fellow

Today, we’re going to be exploring the DIA Fellows program which provides administrators, teachers and campus ministers the structure and space for a year-long experience supporting and encouraging candidates to take their school or diocese to the next level, grow as a Catholic educator, and become a beacon of light for passionately Catholic education and the Catholic Church at-large.

To help us look at this great program, we have two DIA Fellow graduates, Carol Szymanski from St. John XXIII College Preparatory School in Katy, TX and Austin Krause, Director of Campus Ministry at St. James Academy in Lenexa, KS.

#61: Summer Encore - Summer Encore: The New Evangelization and Social Media withDr. Richard Ludwick, The University of St. Thomas

In today’s society, we have a love-hate relationship with social media. Our guest for this edition of Follow to Lead, Dr. Richard Ludwick, President of the University of St. Thomas will highlight their collaboration with Bishop Robert Barron’s “Word on Fire Institute” in presenting a masterclass series called "The New Evangelization and New Media.” Max Studios, at UST, is producing this series, featuring some of the best Catholic communicators on the internet, as a means assist parishes, schools, ministries and other organization in harnessing today’s social media for the New Evangelization. You won’t want to miss this special interview.

#60: SUMMER ENCORE - Finding Friendships, Meaning, and True Leisure with Marcie Stockman

What began as a conversation between a mom and her daughter has become an international movement. We will be talking in today’s program with Marcie Stokman, author of the book, “The Well-Read Mom.” This book and a small group of mom’s who began to meet and read the Classics has become a movement of book clubs and groups in many parts of the world. As we will learn, through the power of reading together and reading well, well-read Moms across the country are finding friendships, meaning, and true leisure.

#59 - Leading in the World of Education with Chris Ice, Ice Executive Coaching and Consulting

Our guest today is Chris Ice of Ice Executive Coaching and Consulting.

Chris has led numerous organizations in the for-profit and non-profit sectors. He has owned his own healthcare company, Director of Major Gifts & Adjunct Professor of BusinessDirector of Major Gifts & Adjunct Professor of Business at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, was CEO of Catholic Charities of Kansas City-St. Joseph and most recently, served as President and CEO of Ave Maria University in Florida.

In this program we will talk with Chris about the uniquenesses involved in being a leader in an educational as well as non-profit environment. We will also discuss what it means to be a bold leader as well as looking at the differences in leadership in a social media world.

#58 - Wrap-up Session with Bishop Thomas Daly - The Five Essential Marks of a Catholic School

Our six-part series on the “Five Essential Marks of Catholic Schools” just added seventh program. We are pleased to have Bishop Thomas Daly, of the Diocese of Spokane and Chair of the U.S. Bishops Committee on Catholic Education, join us for a special wrap-up episode on this very important series.

The theme of this a presentation came from a document written by Archbishop Michael Miller when he was Secretary of the Congregation on Catholic Education in 2005 entitled “The Holy See’s Teaching on Catholic Schools.” Out of this document, we have been focusing on his five essential marks.

#57: ”Sustained by the Witness of Teaching” - The Fifth Essential Mark of a Catholic School

Today we will complete the fifth and final essential mark of a truly  Catholic education, with the topic, Sustained by the Witness of Teaching. We are going to look at the vital role teachers play in an authentic Catholic identity for a school. As we will see, being a Catholic education is more of a calling than the exercise of a profession. It also involves ownership with the school’s mission, values and vision. Our guest for this program is Frank Hanna, an American entrepreneur, merchant banker and philanthropist who has been heavily involved in education for the past 37 years and has been instrumental in the founding of 13 new educational institutions from preschool through post-secondary.

Production note: We encountered sound problems with the host microphone during this podcast.

#56:“Imbued by a Catholic Worldview” - The Fourth Essential Mark of a Catholic School

We are continuing our series on the Five Essential Marks of Catholic Schools. For today’s episode, we will be joined by Chris Valdez, Principal of Marin Catholic in Kentfield, CA. Our worldview is our lens through which we look at all aspects of life. In his presentation “The Holy See's Teaching On Catholic Schools,” Archbishop Miller highlights our Worldview as the fourth essential mark of a Catholic school. We will explore what it means to have a Catholic worldview and its importance to a faith-first education.

#55: ”Animated by Communion and Community” - The Third Esential Mark of Catholic Schools

As we continue our six-part series on the Five Essential Marks of Catholic Schools, today we will look at "Animated by Communion and Community." An essentially Catholic School should be seen as more than a community than as an institution. This mark addresses the ways in which students build relationships, the interaction of students and teachers and even the building. Joining us for this important program are Zach Ekert, Director of Campus Ministry and Annual Fund at JSerra Catholic High School, in San Jan Capistrano, CA along with Chris and Katie Walters Walters, both teachers at St. James Academy in Lenexa KS, where Katie also serves as Director of Community.

#54: ”Founded on a Christian Anthropology” - The Second Essential Mark of Catholic Schools

We are continuing our series on the Five Essential Marks of Catholic Schools, talking about the second essential mark - "Founded on a Christian Anthropology." For today’s episode, we will be joined by Dr. Anthony Lilles, Professor of Spiritual Theology and Director of the M.A. Program at St. Patrick’s Seminary and University in Menlo Park, CA. Perhaps there is no other Mark that is more crucial to affirm or more “under fire” in today’s culture than this one. We are in a time where the entire notion of the human person is being re-defined. We will explore what is meant by a Christian Anthropology, some of the implications of our current cultural pressures in this area and how we can strengthen this foundation.

#53: “Inspired by a Supernatural Vision” - The First Essential Mark of Catholic Schools

Our special guest for this episode of “Follow to Lead” is Mary Pat Donoghue, Executive Director of the Secretariat of Catholic Education for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. We will be discussing the First Mark of a Catholic School, “Inspired by a Supernatural Vision.” While focusing on the whole child in the educational process, Catholic Schools are unique in forming the student not only for this world but also the next.