Saint Peter Cathedral School in Wilmington will have a new principal for the 2020-21 school year.
Father Joseph W. McQuaide IV, rector of the Cathedral of Saint Peter, has appointed Jane Manley as the next principal effective July 1.
Saint Peter Cathedral School, located in the heart of Wilmington, currently educates 94 students in Pre-K through grade 8. Founded by the Daughters of Charity in the Quaker Hill neighborhood of Wilmington, it has been led by the religious sisters since its foundation in 1830. Sister Donna Smith has been principal since 2014. While the religious congregation is reassigning Sister Donna, the Daughters have said they remain committed to Cathedral School as it transitions to its first lay leader.
“It is an honor to become part of the one-hundred-ninety-year mission of educating children in the Catholic tradition of excellence in the inner city of Wilmington,” Manley said. “I look forward to joining the SPCS community and immersing myself in the cherished traditions and charisms the Daughters of Charity have cultivated for almost two centuries.”
Manley, who grew up in Connecticut, has been an active member of the Diocese of Tyler, Texas for 30 years. She and her husband of 35 years raised their children in the Catholic school system before she joined its employment in 2003.
She served Bishop TK Gorman Catholic School for 17 years in several capacities as a teacher and director of college matriculation, academics, student services, and student formation.
For the past two years, Manley has served as assistant principal of a PK3-12 Christian school in Tyler, charged in particular with improving the academic standards. Prior to her work in education, she was the COO of Curves International, taking the company from the first franchise to more than 3,500 locations in five countries.
Manley holds an MS in educational leadership and a graduate certificate in Catholic school leadership from Creighton University, an MS in pastoral ministry from University of Dallas, and a BS in psychology from Texas Woman’s University.
