Subject: Onward
From: "Mary Claire Ryan" <[email-masked]>
To: "William Whitaker" <[email-masked]>, "B J Cassin" <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, "Mike Rodgers" <[email-masked]>, "Peter Pabst" <[email-masked]>, "Dan Lagan" <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, "Paul Daoust" <[email-masked]>
Cc: "Abby Ransler" <[email-masked]>, "David Kubacki" <[email-masked]>, "Greg Naleski" <[email-masked]>, "Maureen Costello" <[email-masked]>, "Melodie Hessling" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 23 Jun 2011 18:55:49 -0500

Dear NMNS Board,

Many thanks for your swift and positive reply to Bill's e-mail. We will be in touch with you very soon to further your engagement in our planning.

I've just left the National Leadership Roundtable on Church Management annual meeting where the topic was: From Aspirations to Actions: Solutions for America's Catholic Schools.
BJ spoke and not only featured us and our friends at Cristo Rey prominently, but issued an important challenge to unify efforts around tax credits.  Great job BJ. There was a good energy in the group gathered, and the leadership roundtable is not interested in simply hosting an interesting meeting. They want action.  There is much to absorb from a day and a half of meetings, but here is just a taste of my takeaways shared on an Amtrak ride home:

1. What is being proposed to the broader Catholic system as levers of change: standards and accountability; leadership/talent strategy; enabling innovation; governance and administrative structures - many of these things we have been working hard at for years.  It is good to hear our work recognized and to know that there are great thinkers and hard workers dedicated to further improvement.
2. There is much happening in the national ed reform movement and as we know, we are and need to be in the conversation.  We have much to give and get from this. One speaker suggested that in the face of a rapidly changing world we must address the question "what is our value proposition for Catholics and for Society - today." As you know, this is at the heart of the work we have ahead of us in our strategic plan and in our work with The Whelan Group.

All very exciting. I  look forward to being in touch soon.

I hope you are well and enjoying the early days of summer.

Gratefully,
Mary Claire

Sent from my iPad