Dominican Veritas Ministries Announces Executive Director

Dear Dominican Veritas Ministries Communities, 

In 2018, nine U.S. Dominican Congregations of women religious (Adrian, Amityville, Caldwell,  Houston, Mission San Jose, Peace, Sinsinawa, Springfield, Sparkhill began the process of envisioning Dominican Veritas Ministries (DVM), a Pontifical Public Juridic Person, to serve as the canonical sponsor for their primary and secondary educational ministries. The congregations engaged in study, conversations, and a process to address the current sponsorship realities.  Three Dominican Congregations – Adrian, Sinsinawa, and Houston – moved ahead to petition Rome to establish Dominican Veritas Ministries for nine of their schools. 

In March, the future Members Board of DVM began the search for a proven mission-driven leader  prepared to serve as the inaugural Executive Director of Dominican Veritas Ministries. As a result of a rigorous nationwide search for this critical role, with counsel provided by Partners in Mission School Leadership Search Solutions, numerous well-qualified candidates advanced through our  extensive interview and vetting process. After meeting with six semifinalists, the Search Committee then invited three exceptional candidates to Chicago for further conversations. We are delighted to share that the search process has concluded, and on behalf of Dominican Veritas  Ministries, we are excited to announce that with the unanimous recommendation of the Search  Committee and future DVM Member Board, Kristin Barstow Melley, PhD, has been appointed as Executive Director. 

M. Paul McCaughey, O.P., Chair of the Search Committee, stated, “the Search Committee  committed itself to a careful national search for this important position. Having our unanimous  choice validated by the future DVM Member Board – and having Kristin accept – was a dual grace.” 

The Search Committee agreed that Dr. Melley is a strong, humble, Christ-centered leader with  extensive executive experience who will passionately and strategically advance the charism,  mission, and vision of the Dominican Congregations within our primary and secondary schools  across the nation. She has clearly demonstrated through her life’s work in Catholic education her 

proven ability to manage and lead networks aligned with mission and charism. We are excited to  have serve our communities, not just today, but also as the DVM ministry expands in the future.  

For the past two decades, Catholic education has been the precise focus of Dr. Melley’s work.  She recently served as the leading advisor in the promulgation and preservation of National 

Standards & Benchmarks for Effective Catholic Schools (NSBECS) Steering Committee, National  Catholic Education Association (NCEA) NSBECS Council. She also co-created and directed the  Two-Way Immersion Network for Catholic Schools (TWIN-CS) at Boston College’s Center for  Catholic Education. In this role, she guided strategic and fiscal planning processes for twenty-five  schools, developing their governance and academic leadership teams resulting in positive  transformations for the schools. 

Additionally, under her direction, the Emmaus Leadership Series at Boston College, serving over  140 school leaders in 42 dioceses, provided acting and aspiring Catholic school administrators  and board members the training and formation they needed to lead excellent schools. Working  with experts and research data, leaders created new approaches for school board effectiveness,  philanthropy, marketing and enrollment, student and faculty assessment, financial planning,  mission and identity, community partnerships, and student and faculty faith formation. 

Dr. Melley holds a Bachelor of Arts from Wheaton College, a Master of Theological Studies from  Harvard University, and a Doctor of Philosophy from Boston College. In addition to her work at  Boston College, she taught at the high school and collegiate levels, served as an Associate  Superintendent, and most recently as Principal of Notre Dame Academy in Hingham, MA. 

Upon being appointed, Dr. Melley shared, “I am honored and humbled to serve as the inaugural  Executive Director of Dominican Veritas Ministries. It is both a privilege and responsibility, full of  hope and promise. With great enthusiasm, I join the Dominican Sisters’ educational ministry and  stand with all those who share in this mission.” 

In her role as Executive Director, Dr. Melley will serve as the chief executive officer of Dominican  Veritas Ministries Inc. and serve as primary liaison between the DVM and its schools to promote  and sustain the Catholic and Dominican identities of the sponsored educational ministries. She  will oversee the office which assists and facilitates the work of the DVM Trustee and Member  Boards in carrying out the primary sponsorship responsibilities of both mission and governance. 

Please join us as the future Member Board in celebrating and supporting Kristin as she takes on  this critical role of Executive Director of Dominican Veritas Ministries. Please know of our prayers  for the growth and success of this important undertaking. 

Gratefully, 

Donna M. Pollard, O.P., Dominican Sisters of Houston 

Mary Margaret Pachucki, O.P., Adrian Dominican Sisters 

Colleen Settles, O.P., Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa

Therese Leckert, O.P., Dominican Sisters of Peace 

M. Paul McCaughey, O.P., Dominican Sisters of Springfield 

ABOUT DOMINICAN VERITAS MINISTRIES, INC. 

The Corporation is organized exclusively for religious, charitable and educational purposes within  the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or corresponding  provision of any subsequent United States Internal Revenue law (the “Code”), including for such  purposes the making of distributions to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations under  Section 501 (c) (3). Consistent with these purposes, the Corporation is organized:  

• To embody the preaching and teaching mission of Jesus and St. Dominic through the  ownership, management and/or governance of Dominican-sponsored ministries (the  “Sponsored Institutions);  

• To assure that all Sponsored Institutions operate in a manner consistent with the social  teaching and ethical principles of the Roman Catholic Church and the values of Dominican  Veritas Ministries; 

• To engage in charitable, apostolic service within or outside the State of Illinois, including  foreign territories, and in accordance with ecclesiastical, civil, and professional norms;  and  

• To do all things which may be useful, necessary, convenient, expedient or incidental to  the attainment or furtherance of the purposes of the Corporation.