New President Appointed for Siena Schools

Dr. Susan Savaglio-Jarvis, the principal of St. Rita Catholic School in Caledonia, has been appointed by Archbishop Jerome Listecki as the new president of Siena Catholic Schools of Racine. She will officially begin her tenure July 1, following the retirement of current president Brenda White.

“We sought a leader who would continue the faith-based, forward-thinking leadership of Brenda White to carry Siena through its first decade and beyond,” said Robert Miller, Chairman of the Racine-based school system’s board of directors. “Sue’s firsthand knowledge of Siena Catholic Schools as a principal, as well as her vast wealth of experience as both a leader and an educator, will continue to strengthen and propel Siena forward.”

Prior to leading St. Rita Catholic School as principal, Savaglio-Jarvis served in a variety of roles at Kenosha Unified School District since 2005, including seven years as superintendent, two years as assistant superintendent of teaching and learning, principal at Bradford High School and assistant principal at Tremper High School. A Kenosha native, she also held educational leadership roles (elementary school principal, middle school principal and middle school assistant principal) in Tempe, Arizona, where she earned her bachelor’s in physical education, master’s in secondary curriculum and instruction/general, administrative certificate, and doctorate in administrative leadership and supervision from Arizona State University.

She serves on the board for St. Joseph Catholic Academy of Kenosha, as well as the Education Committee of Siena’s Board of Directors. She is the past president of the Closing the Achievement Gap Consortium for the State of Wisconsin and has spent a significant portion of her career focusing on curriculum development, diversity work and educational leadership development.

“As a lifelong educator, I am honored to continue my time with Siena Catholic Schools as its next president,” said Savaglio-Jarvis. “In my time as principal at St. Rita, it was clear that our school families are passionate about faith formation, strong academics and the tight-knit community they’ve cultivated. I am excited to work with the faculty, staff, parents and students of Siena’s other six schools, continuing the good work that has been done to strengthen Catholic education in greater Racine.”

“I could not be more pleased with Sue’s appointment as Siena’s next president,” said Brenda White. “While I knew that the transition would be bittersweet for me, I have full confidence that Siena will thrive under Sue’s presidency. Siena Catholic Schools is in excellent, capable hands with Sue’s collaborative leadership style, incredible experience and her unfailing Catholic faith.”