ELGIN—A new principal and superintendent has been named for St. Edward Central Catholic High School here.

Barb Villont, a familiar face in the educational system of the Rockford Diocese will begin duties at the school July 1.  Her appointment was announced April 20 at St. Edward and at her current school, Marian Central Catholic High School in Woodstock.

Villont will succeed St. Edward interim principal Paul Herrmann who was appointed to the position following the sudden death of Father Edward Seisser, Aug. 16, 2015.

“I am excited about Barb taking over at St. Edward High School,” said Michael Kagan, diocesan superintendent of Catholic schools.

“She brings a wealth of experience and a diverse skill set to this position. She has risen through the “ranks” of our Catholic school system and has worked in many different environments. Very few of our administrators can say they have experience in our Catholic elementary, middle and high schools. Barb has all those experiences and more including background as a technology coordinator at Marian Central.which will be very beneficial to St. Edward’s,” Kagan said.

“I look forward to Barb bringing stable, long-term leadership to this position.”  

For the past 11 years Villont has worked for the Diocese of Rockford teaching junior high at St. Mary School in Woodstock, then working at Marian Central for the last eight years.

Villont is a graduate of Illinois State University, having earned a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education in 1993. She earned a Master of the Arts degree in Educational Leadership  in 1998 and a Master of Business Administration in Leadership degree in 2015 from Aurora University. Early in her career, she taught in Community Unit School District 300 at Carpentersville Middle School then at Westfield Community School

In her work as a school administrator, Villont has overseen instructional technology, curriculum development, professional development, accreditation, school improvement planning, marketing, enrollment and admissions. She has served on two strategic plan committees, assisting with the implementation of those plans. She has served on several diocesan committees, including the mathematics curriculum committee and the current committee to redesign the diocesan teacher evaluation program.

“I am incredibly grateful for the opportunities, memories, and relationships I have had in my eight years at Marian Central.  I have been blessed.  With God’s Grace, I look forward to serving, supporting, guiding, and leading the St. Edward community into a prosperous future,” Villont said.

“As a school community we will work together to design and implement school improvement and strategic plans to articulate our strengths and to address academic, spiritual, and operational challenges to ensure St. Edward’s as the premier choice for high school in the Elgin Deanery. I am grateful for the privilege to become a member of the St. Edward community and a part of the Green Wave family,” she said.

Villont is a member of the National Catholic Education Association, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and the Leadership of Greater McHenry County. She and her husband Kevin, reside in Woodstock with their five children Jacob, Makala, Hannah, Samuel, and Zoe, who have all attended Catholic school since kindergarten. The family are parishioners of the Church of Holy Apostles in McHenry.