The second-in-command at Padua Academy has been appointed to be the next principal of the all-girls secondary school in Wilmington
Mary McClory will be the next Padua Academy principal effective July 1, according to Father Mark Wrightson, pastor of St. Anthony of Padua parish in the city. The appointment has been recommended by the Padua Academy principal search committee and the school’s board of trustees in compliance with the search process of the Diocese of Wilmington Catholic Schools Office, he said.
McClory has served Padua Academy as a science teacher from 1996 to 2009 and as vice principal from 2009 to present. She earned a bachelor’s in chemistry from Salem State College, a master’s degree in education from Neumann College, and a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Rhode Island. She has served as an assistant professor in chemistry at Connecticut College and as a lecturer and laboratory instructor in chemistry at the University of Rhode Island.
Immediately before coming to Padua Academy, McClory was a research associate in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Delaware.
“Dr. McClory has demonstrated her commitment to the mission of Padua Academy and its core principles of spirituality, scholarship, service, and sisterhood throughout her years at the school,” Father Wrightson said in a letter sent to parents. “She is a spiritual leader with strong administrative skills who seeks to guide young women into a future where they will become transformational leaders in our world.”
McLory replaces Cindy Mann, who announced her retirement in January. Mann has been principal since 2009.
In September, Padua reported its enrollment at 623.
