St. Anthony School in Wailuku, Maui, has named a seasoned Catholic schools administrator from Ohio to run its school.
The pastor of St. Anthony Parish, Marianist Father Roland Bunda, announced May 11 the appointment of Timothy Cullen as head of the kindergarten through grade 12, Marianist-sponsored, parish school, starting July 10.
The appointment followed a national search by a committee chaired by Msgr. Terrance A.M. Watanabe, Maui vicar and pastor of St. Theresa Parish, Kihei.
Cullen takes over from the current head of school Betsey Gunderson who will move into the post of assistant superintendent of Hawaii Catholic Schools.
Cullen is a lifelong educator whose last position was superintendent of the Bishop Hoffman Catholic School system and principal of its St. Joseph Central Catholic Campus in Fremont, Ohio.
In a news release announcing his appointment, St. Anthony School described its new head as a “collaborative Catholic school leader that successfully merged organizational cultures and built strong constituent relationships that enabled the school community to remain accessible, successful and sustainable.”
The release said Cullen was “well-versed in addressing the current challenges and opportunities that face today’s Catholic educational institutions” with “proven capacity and executive leadership experience in advocating and articulating the mission of the schools he has led.”
Father Bunda described Cullen as “an institution-building leader who is filled with the Holy Spirit, committed to his faith and loves to teach and administer in Catholic education.”
Cullen began his education career as a teacher. His last 20 years has been as an administrator in increasingly responsible positions in various Ohio public school systems.
He has a bachelor of art in education from Bowling Green University and a master’s degree in school administration from Azusa Pacific University.
In accepting his appointment, Cullen said he was “very excited to be a part of St. Anthony School.”
“I ask for prayers and patience as we work together to take a great school system and build an even brighter future,” he said.
The nationwide search that resulted in Cullen’s hiring was conducted by the Boston-based Partners in Mission School Leadership Search Solutions, a national Catholic school recruiting firm.
Msgr. Watanabe called Cullen “the right candidate for this position.”
“His enthusiasm, leadership, sense of humor and deep faith was evident in our many encounters with this candidate,” he said. “Tim has a great vision for Catholic education.”
