Youngstown Diocese hires new school superintendent
YOUNGSTOWN − The Catholic Diocese of Youngstown has hired Steven Jones as its new superintendent of schools.
He will replace Superintendent Mary Fiala, who has served the diocese for more than four decades. Fiala will be retiring at the end of the school year.
Jones will start on June 17.
Jones has spent more than 20 years in professional education, serving from middle school through university education and administration. A native of Texas, he has worked in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina.
Jones served the past 11 years as director of St. Joseph Catholic High School in Greenville, South Carolina. He also was an academic dean at St. Joseph from 2013-18. Prior to that, he was an adjunct instructor of sociology at Greenville South Carolina Technical College, and associate professor of sociology at Grove City College in Pennsylvania from 2004 to 2013.
A graduate of Houston Baptist University, Jones earned a master of theological studies at the Divinity School at Duke University, and a doctorate of philosophy in sociology from the University of Virginia.
Jones and his wife have five children. He said Catholic schooling is a “must have” for his family, and education is the family business.
“The schools in the Youngstown Diocese are outstanding, and I'm eager to learn more about what they're doing to serve their students and the Church,” he said in a statement. “Priority one is listening and learning, so we can build an even brighter future for the diocese. Inspired by Pope Francis' words about what a privilege it is to accompany students in their formative years, I can't wait to get to Youngstown to see first-hand all the great things that are already happening.”
Stark County has 11 Catholic schools:
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Steven Jones named school superintendent of Youngstown Diocese
