Announcements

Announcement of Jennifer Fellinger as the next President of MCC

On behalf of the Board of Trustees, Search Committee, and the Diocese of Grand Rapids, it is with great excitement that we announce the hiring of Jennifer Fellinger as the next President of Muskegon Catholic Central.

After much prayerful consideration and thorough vetting, Jennifer was unanimously selected by the search committee, staff leadership, board members, and Dave Faber (Diocesan Superintendent.) What set Jennifer apart from every other interviewed candidate is her passion for and commitment to the Catholic faith combined with her truly exceptional leadership. Jennifer also brings the professional credentials of 15 years of Christian and Catholic educational leadership. Currently serving as the Vice President of Strategic Initiatives for Hope College, she has spent a decade directing efforts to build and strengthen Hope's Christ-centered, student-focused culture. The impact of Jennifer's leadership has spanned areas including: student success, enrollment and retention; student health and wellness; faith formation; athletics; planning and strategy; and marketing/communications.`

Jennifer will begin transitioning out of her current role at Hope College this month, and will be joining MCC prior to the Rainbow Auction. The timing is perfect as Jennifer will have an opportunity to transition with Ken, experience the end of the school year, and participate in the upcoming Strategic Planning process.

During the interview process, when asked why she was looking to leave a job that she loves to join Muskegon Catholic, Jennifer had this to say: “As much as I enjoy my current position at Hope, I am eager to re-enter a vibrant, mission-driven Catholic academic community. For the last few years, I have felt God calling me to a vocational shift toward Catholic faith formation. As a graduate of Catholic schools — from elementary school through college — I know firsthand the lifelong impact of Catholic education, and I’m grateful for the ways that Catholic school educators changed my life and shaped my path. Now, as I consider the prospect of leading the Muskegon Catholic Central community, I’m energized by the unique opportunities for faith formation at the PK-12 level, where children learn, grow and develop their relationship with God. Most inspiring to me is Muskegon Catholic Central’s commitment to its mission: to educate each student in spirit, mind and body by fostering personal excellence within the Catholic tradition.

We are so grateful that God has blessed us with such a wonderful human being and a truly amazing, transformational leader who can help lead Muskegon Catholic to a bright and promising future. Thank you, Jennifer, for choosing Muskegon Catholic!

There will be opportunities to meet and welcome Jennifer to the Muskegon Catholic family at the Carnival on April 26th and the Rainbow Auction on April 27th.

Below is a recap of the search process along with an attachment of a personal introduction from Jennifer. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to the search committee at search@muskegoncatholic.org.

Recap of the Search Process:

Upon Ken Rasp’s announcement of his retirement in September, the Board of Directors created a President Search Committee to lead the nationwide search. The search committee consisted of Tom Ladd (Board Chair), Remster Bingham (Board Vice-Chair), Angie Kalisz (Board Member), Sheila Salisz (Board Member), and Father Kyle Kilpatrick (Chaplain/Board Member).

Through networking, headhunting, job postings, and partnership with numerous Diocese in Michigan and surrounding states, the search committee reviewed hundreds of resumes, screened more than 50 candidates, and conducted full interviews on 12 of these candidates. 6 finalists were selected out of the 12 to participate in an onsite (or virtual, for out of state candidates) panel interview with the search committee. Finalists from this group were invited to tour the school, interview with school leadership, and interview in person with Dave Faber (superintendent of the GR Diocese.) Lastly, 3 religious and 3 professional references were checked.

Throughout the entire process, the center of the approach was prayer and discernment to understand God’s will for MCC and the candidates.

Jennifer's Personal Introduction

Photo of Jennifer with her husband, Steve, and their two sons Quinton and Killian