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August 11, 2021OKLAHOMA CITY – Archbishop Coakley announced Aug. 4 the hiring of Lara Schuler as the new director of Catholic education for the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. Schuler most recently served as assistant superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Nashville.
“Lara’s experience and commitment to Catholic education will be a tremendous asset for our principals, teachers, students and families. She will be an integral part of our effort to ensure that our schools are places that foster an encounter with Jesus Christ and help guide each generation on a path to discipleship,” Archbishop Coakley said.
Schuler, a practicing Catholic, spent the past two years as the assistant superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Nashville where she led three schools through a strategic planning process and assisted in obtaining funding close to $800,000 for needed facility renovations at two schools that have had a positive impact on the school communities and their enrollment. As an administrator, principal and teacher she created a teacher mentoring program, a PreK teacher training program, led curriculum reviews and worked with schools on facility improvement projects.
She is a graduate of Linwood University in Saint Charles, Mo., where she earned a bachelor’s degree in adult learning and communications, and Samford University in Homewood, Ala., where she earned a master’s degree in educational leadership. She received her religious education certification at Paul VI Institute in Saint Louis.
“I am ready and excited to work with our educators to design a path forward for Catholic schools, especially after this challenging year. There are so many wonderful things going on in the archdiocese and I look forward to learning more from pastors, principals, teachers and families about investing in their children’s futures,” Schuler said.
Schuler follows Diane Floyd who served as Superintendent of Catholic Schools for five years before accepting an administrative position at Mount Saint Mary Catholic High School in Oklahoma City.
Floyd was among the members of a hiring committee created to set the guidelines for a new position – Director of Catholic Education. The director also will serve as superintendent. The position ensures that Catholic schools in the archdiocese pursue and maintain excellence in academics within the Catholic intellectual tradition and are joyful and respectful communities of faith formation. Schuler will be part of the Secretariat for Evangelization and Catechesis at the Catholic Pastoral Center.
Jim Beckman, executive director of the secretariat, said as students in secular society face uncertainty and confusion, strong leadership and guidance in Catholic schools is paramount in creating well-rounded faithful citizens who can be successful in their vocations.
“The Church in our archdiocese must be a place where the path of conversion and discipleship is clearly marked and easy to access,” Beckman said. “Lara and our Catholic school leaders will continue to help define this path moving forward. We are all about making disciples.”
Schuler and her husband of 32 years, William, will be moving to Oklahoma City, a move that will bring them closer to their son, Anthony, and his fiancé, Taylor, who live in Dallas.
For more information about Catholic schools in the archdiocese, go online to archokc.org/schools.
