ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – Holy Name Catholic School has selected Jeffery Sierpien as interim administrator, amid its search for a new principal.
The search for a new administrator began in April, when Principal Joseph Carlson announced his resignation. Carlson will move downstate to work as the principal of St. Francis High School.
Sierpien will take over as the interim administrator of the school, beginning Friday, June 30.
Sierpien served in the U.S. Marine Corps, where he eventually rose to the rank of Major before retiring in 2017. He last served as Commanding Officer for the Detroit Military Entrance Processing Station in Troy. He also served in billets within Special Operations Command, Headquarters Marine Corps, and others.
Additionally, Sierpien has managerial and executive experience in the private sector, which he believes will help him in his new position. From November 2018 to November 2019, he worked as the Delta County Airport Manager.
Sierpien holds two master’s degrees. One is an MBA from Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey Bay, CA, and the other is a Master’s in Human Resources Management from Webster University in St. Louis, MO. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Wayne State University in Detroit, as well as an associate’s degree in Law Enforcement from Macomb Community College in Warren, MI.
Sierpien lives in Escanaba with his wife Rachel and their three sons, all of whom have attended or are attending Holy Name.
Sierpien says he looks forward to serving the school body, the church, and the community as interim administrator.
“Holy Name is more than just a Catholic school for this town,” said Sierpien. “There’s a lot of people that have a lot of strong, emotional affinity for this school. I would like to do my part to get it to its next chapter, to be a better place with the new principal coming in.”
As he steps into his new role, Sierpien says his focus is on continuing the school’s operations during the summer, overseeing faculty and staff, assisting with planning for the fall, and helping school administration to find the next principal of Holy Name. The school is currently evaluating candidates and seeking new ones.
“We are ready to do what it takes to get that right person,” said Sierpien. “We are going to be very competitive with other opportunities as somebody who might want to be the principal of a school of a similar size somewhere else. They should look at coming here.”
Sierpien says he plans to remain interim administrator until the right person is found for the job.
For information about the open principal position, click here.
