Deb Crawford will take over as director of education for the St. Clair Catholic District School Board starting next year.
Crawford will replace the retiring Dan Parr.
“I know that for many people, both inside and outside the organization, Deb’s appointment will come as no surprise,” says John Van Heck, chair of the board in a release. “She is eminently qualified and uniquely positioned to carry forward each of the Board’s many priorities, related both to the on-going success of our students and our many capital investments – including the construction of two new Catholic elementary schools in Chatham.”
Crawford came to St. Clair Catholic in 2001 from the Dufferin Peel Catholic District School Board, where she had taught since 1983. She began serving in Catholic leadership in 2004, when she was appointed vice principal of Ursuline College.
In 2007, she was named principal of St. Christopher Catholic Secondary School and since 2008 she has served as Superintendent of Education, leading a full range of elementary and secondary curriculum departments and initiatives, including Mental Health, 21st Century Learning, Student Success, Equity and Inclusion, FNMI, Alternative Education and Special Education.
Crawford also helped lead the development of the Community Violent Threat Risk Assessment Protocol with local police services, community partners and our coterminous school boards. In 2010-2011, she led the Accommodation Review of St. Michael Catholic School, Turnerville; and most recently, she brought the public review of the seven Chatham Catholic elementary schools to a conclusion.
In June, the veteran educator was appointed to the board of directors for the Erie-St. Clair Local Health Integration Network and she has been a member of the United Way Chatham-Kent board of directors since 2002. She has also served as vice president, president and now past president of the Ontario Catholic Supervisory Officers’ Association since 2016. She has been a member of the Chatham Catholic Family of Parishes since she and her husband Bob arrived in Chatham with their family in 2001.
“Deb’s breadth and depth of experience made for a simple and obvious choice for the Board of Trustees,” Parr said in a release. “She already enjoys the full support of her colleagues on executive council and our staff across the system; and will be able to assume her new duties in January without a lengthy transition.”
“I am so pleased to have been given the tremendous honour of leading this outstanding Catholic school board,” Crawford said in a release. “We are blessed with a talented, caring and compassionate staff; and with students, families and parish partners, who value the gift of Catholic education. I look forward to this new role, as I continue to serve Catholic education in our communities.”
In the coming weeks, senior staff will begin the process of selecting a new Superintendent of Education, to fill the position being created by Crawford’s promotion.
