Two new roles appointed at Fr. Tolton Catholic High School
A new leadership team for Father Tolton Regional Catholic High School in Columbia has been named as of Tuesday.
Mrs. Gwendolyn Roche will serve as the new principal, and Deacon Dana (Dan) Joyce will serve as the interim president, effective July 1. Deacon Joyce’s appointment is for one year.
“We are very fortunate to be able to obtain someone of Gwenn’s caliber on such a short hiring timeframe,” Bishop McKnight said. “She has a long history in Catholic education and we are happy to have her at Fr. Tolton Catholic High School.” “I am also pleased that Deacon Joyce has accepted the challenge of stepping into his new role to allow Gwenn to focus her energies on the academic side of the house, while he oversees the financial area and handles such things as strategic planning and community relations,” McKnight said.
The official release details Roche and Joyce’s accomplishments, which can be read below:
“Roche, a native of Kansas City, moved to Columbia in January from Bloomington, Illinois, where she had been serving as principal of Corpus Christi Catholic School since 2013. She has a 20-year history in Catholic education as a teacher and administrator. In addition to her principal’s duties at the Corpus Christi school, Roche served as principal for four years at St. Thomas Catholic School in Philo, Illinois and was a teacher for 12 years in Catholic elementary schools in Champaign, Illinois, Liberty, Missouri and Kansas City, Missouri. She has a M.A. in Educational Administration from UMKC and a B.A. from Avila University in Kansas City.
Joyce, currently the communications director for the Diocese of Jefferson City, came to the diocese in 2011 after serving nearly 32 years in Missouri state government working in budget, legislative, upper management and legal jobs with the Office of Administration, the Missouri Supreme Court, the Department of Social Services and the Missouri Public Service Commission. He has a B.A. degree in communications from Marquette University and a law degree from St. Louis University. He has been assigned as a deacon at Cathedral of St. Joseph parish in Jefferson City since 1999.”
