After searching nationally for months, the Rochester Catholic Schools have hired a new director of schools.
The Catholic schools, which have more than 1,400 students, announced Monday that Haidee Todora has been hired to fill its top role.
The position has been vacant since the departure of Michael Brennan at the end of June.
Todora, who is principal of St. Catherine of Siena Catholic School in Port Arthur, Texas, will take the new position on June 1.
"My mission is to teach and model our Catholic faith while mentoring and guiding our youth," she said in the announcement. "I look forward to working with my new RCS family to develop the unique gifts of each and every child."
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Since Brennan left, a search committee has considered candidates based on their "moral integrity, approachability and professionalism, in addition to extracting evidence of expertise in areas such as spiritual and Catholic identity, school climate, policy and operations, staff relations and student affairs, knowledge/experience of Catholic education and curriculum," according to a written announcement from the school system.
Finalists spent time with committee members, campus principals, pastors and RCS’s Central Office leadership team.
"We have every confidence that RCS will thrive under Mrs. Todora’s leadership and continue to live out our Christ-centered mission. In my coming to know Haidee, I could not help but be impressed by her love for the Catholic faith and emphasis on Catholic identity," said RCS Board of Trustees co-chairman the Rev. Peter Schuster in the announcement of Todora’s hiring.
Todora has served as principal of St. Catherine of Siena Catholic School in Port Arthur since 2011. She managed disaster recovery and reconstruction efforts in 2017 after Hurricane Harvey devastated her school and community.
