The president and principal model for educational leadership is trending higher among private schools, and Gibault Catholic High in Waterloo is following suit.
Gibault has hired Katie Robben, a native of Breese, as its first president. Robben will work alongside Sarah Lanham, the principal.
“Their vision for this is for me, as president, to focus more on the outward-facing things like fund-raising, public relations and the larger, strategic planning and leadership,” said Robben, referring to Diocese of Belleville Bishop Michael McGovern and outgoing Superintendent of Schools/Director of Education Jonathan “Skip” Birdsong. “Above all, we want to promote our identity.”
Robben, 34, will begin her new position July 1. She has been the assistant principal of Romero Academy of Resurrection School in Cincinnati since 2019.
Robben has witnessed the recent acceleration of the president-principal approach and is eager to be a part of it at Gibault.
“There are quite a few Catholic high schools in the area where I live now that have the president-principal model and it’s been very successful,” Robben said. “I know people who know those presidents, so they’re going to set me up with some conversations about what they’ve done and what’s worked well in those models.
“I’m looking forward to that and getting to know more about the position, in general — and talking to Bishop McGovern and Jonathan about their vision for the role. It’s really, ‘Where do we want to be? What do we want this role to look like? Where are we now?’ We’ll start building between now and July 1. I’m definitely not going to be getting in the role and figuring it out from there.”
At Romero Academy of Resurrection School, Robben works with an executive director and a principal. She said there’s always plenty of work to be done even though the school has just 224 students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Robben expects a comparable situation at Gibault, which has about 200 students in ninth through 12th grades.
“The principal is going to have the ability to focus on faculty support, student support and family support,” Robben said. “Of course, there’s going to be overlap. I’m going to want to be involved in getting to know everyone and be involved in the day-to-day just because I’m part of the Gibault family now. Obviously, the principal will be a part of the things I’m doing, but there will be a clear separation. But absolutely, there’s a lot to do.”
Robben, a graduate of Central High in Breese, earned her associate’s degree from Kaskaskia College in Centralia and her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. She received her master’s degree in nonprofit administration from the University of Notre Dame.
Birdsong said Robben will do “a great job” at Gibault, and that about 60% of the 1,200 Catholic high schools in the United States have a president and a principal.
“Katie has those two skills together already with her educational background,” Birdsong said. “She’s a good blend of those two worlds. I think she’s an excellent choice for Gibault. I appreciate her energy and zest.”
Robben was raised in a Catholic family and understands the importance of instilling God’s teachings in the private-school setting. She plans to be outgoing and engaged with everyone she encounters.
“The No. 1 part of the mission for Catholic schools is to make sure that our students know and love Christ, and also know that they are known and loved by Christ,” Robben said. “We can teach that directly in the classroom, but the biggest way you’re going to teach that and show that is by being present in their lives.
“Even though the president is focussing on the outward, if I don’t get to know the faculty, the staff and the families … I’m not doing my job if I’m not doing that.”
