Photo by Erin Nelson.
Rev. Jon Chalmers, left, and Rev. Robert Sullivan stand in a science classroom at John Carroll Catholic High School on Nov. 16. Chalmers is the new president at the school and Sullivan is the new director of the John Carroll Catholic Educational Foundation.
After more than six years serving as president of John Carroll Catholic High School, Father Bob Sullivan has moved to a new role as director of the John Carroll Catholic Educational Foundation.
In his new role, Sullivan will “look more outward than inward,” encouraging others to donate and give to the school. It’s a way to continue to give back to his alma mater, he said.
“The way in which I was formed there has become a part of the person I am,” Sullivan said. “Now, I have the opportunity to lead others and remind them of that and [encourage them] to give.”
John Carroll is not only Sullivan’s alma mater, but that of his mother and numerous other members of his family, he said.
“I’m very much tied to John Carroll Catholic High School,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan will share what’s going on at John Carroll with the outside world and encourage stakeholders and others to be a part of their mission: to “form young minds and live lives of excellence both now and in the future,” Sullivan said.
Father Jon Chalmers, formerly the executive vice president of the school, has moved into the president’s role. Chalmers is currently pastor of the Prince of Peace parish in Hoover. Chalmers is “responsible for the implementation of its mission and for advancing its Catholic identity,” the school said in a news release. Chalmers will work closely with the school principal and leadership team on day-to-day operations and the teaching-learning environment, as well as serving as the canonical administrator of the school.
Sullivan began talking with Chalmers in September about how they could improve the school and move forward, and spoke with the diocese’s director of education. Knowing the school needed to “beef up” its foundation, it became apparent that moving both men into new roles was what was best for John Carroll and its students, Sullivan said.
The moves, which took effect in November, was an “easy, natural” transition for both men, Sullivan said.
“Father Chalmers will continue to build on what is in place,” Sullivan said.
In addition to serving as president of the school, Sullivan also taught from 1994 to 1998.
“John Carroll is very near and dear to me,” Sullivan said.
During his time as president, Sullivan said he got to see the “sacrificial nature” of the school’s teachers and how they help form students for the future. Those memories will continue to grow in this new role, he said.
Sullivan said his goal in the new role is to continue to help John Carroll be a “beacon of faith and reason in the Birmingham area.”
One of his new tasks is to help the school continue to celebrate its 75th anniversary, which was officially recognized in September. That will culminate with the February kickoff of a capital campaign that has a goal of raising $12 million.
The anniversary celebration has seen a recognition of important dates in the school’s history, Sullivan said. They’ve welcomed alumni back to campus, allowing some of them to see the Lakeshore campus for the first time, as the school moved to Lakeshore in 1992.
A February gala celebration will formally kick off the campaign, Sullivan said. The four investment priorities of the campaign are tuition assistance, teacher salaries, infrastructure and athletics, he said.
