Dr. Mary Crowley McDonald has received national acclaim as an innovative educator, published author, and public speaker. She has been a professional educator for 40 years, serving as a teacher, principal, and Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Memphis, a position she held for 14 years. She left this position in June 2012 and has spent the past 12 years in educational consulting, institutional assessments, leadership mentoring, and strategic planning in 34 states. She also sits on several national non-profit Boards.
As Superintendent of Schools, McDonald was responsible for overseeing all aspects of the system of Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Memphis and creating the Jubilee Catholic Schools. Under her leadership, these eight long-closed Catholic schools were reopened in the inner city of Memphis. As architect of the Jubilee Schools, her responsibilities included the development of the infrastructure and governance model, ongoing oversight, and ensuring academic excellence and accountability for the schools. During her tenure, the Catholic schools experienced unprecedented growth, expanding in number from 14 to 29, including new schools in urban and suburban areas, with the highest enrollment since the 1970s. She was responsible for raising more than $70 million to fund the schools.
Dr. also served as an advisor to The Education Committee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), served on the University of Notre Dame’s Task Force for Catholic Identity, The Governor’s (TN) Task Force on Opportunity Scholarships. She was the featured speaker at the White House Summit on Urban Education and the Keynote speaker at the National Catholic Educational Association’s national conference.
Dr. McDonald is the recipient of numerous awards in recognition of her work in education, entrepreneurship, and community service. Dr. McDonald and her husband, Joe, have two adult children and six grandchildren.
