Perry Martin
Maryknoll School’s president for the last 12 years, Perry Martin, will be leaving his position at the end of the academic year.
The announcement came in an email to the Maryknoll School community on Feb. 26. Martin will start his job as president of an unnamed mainland Catholic school in July.
Martin said in his message that working at Maryknoll has been a “labor of love.”
“I was drawn to Maryknoll School through the mission and charism of the Maryknoll Sisters in choosing to become Maryknoll’s current leader,” he wrote.
“When I arrived, I found that this Maryknoll charism encouraged students to learn about God’s love for the poor, respect for all persons, their desire to develop an inclusive faith community, and a firm stance on social justice,” he said.
Martin said that charism “has touched the lives of many people, and it has positively affected me, making me a better Catholic leader and follower.”
Maryknoll board chair Peter Fong and the school’s pastor, Father EJ Resinto, in a Feb. 26 written message praised the school president’s leadership.
“From day one, Perry hit the ground running, working side by side with employees to embrace a growth mindset that provided our faculty, teachers, and students with the tools and insight to see themselves as innovative leaders, able to solve problems or overcome challenges,” they said.
Martin’s last day will be June 30. The search process for a new president has begun, according to the school announcement. If a new president isn’t selected by Martin’s departure, Shana Tong, the school’s academic affairs vice president, will serve as interim president.
Maryknoll is a co-educational K-12 school in the Manoa-Punahou area of Oahu, which the Maryknoll Sisters founded in 1927.
Perry was a teacher and administrator overseas and then a Catholic school principal on the mainland before taking the president’s job at Maryknoll in 2008.
In his letter he said his decision to move to another school was “a months-long process and was made with careful thought and consideration.”
