LYNN – Dr. John F. Dolan, who has served as head of school at St. Mary’s since 2018, is leaving to become president of Elmira College in New York. He will be replaced on an interim basis by Mark Doyle ’76, an alumnus and member of the school’s board of trustees for the last 10 years.

Dolan was introduced as president of Elmira, a liberal arts college founded in 1855, at a press conference Tuesday morning. Doyle will officially take over at St. Mary’s on August 1, though he will be working closely with Dolan during the transition.

“We congratulate John and sincerely thank him for the outstanding work he has done at St. Mary’s,” said board chair William Mosakowski. “Under his leadership, the school has improved in virtually every metric. In Mark, we are fortunate to have a proven leader whose connection to St. Mary’s spans more than 50 years. He is well-positioned to keep moving the school forward.”

Dolan oversaw unprecedented growth at St. Mary’s, from a 500-student middle-high school in 2018 to almost 900 students in grades PreK-12 today. Fundraising has increased significantly, with the Annual Fund bringing in $25 million over the last five years.

“I will always treasure my time at St. Mary’s,” said Dolan, who previously worked in administration at several institutions of higher education. He earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Benedictine College, a master’s from the University of Denver, and a doctorate from Drexel.

“I am especially proud of the work we did to improve the lives of students by creating new academic programs, while staying committed to making a Catholic education affordable and accessible,” he added.

One of the signature initiatives under Dolan was the creation of the Msgr. Paul V. Garrity Scholars program in 2019, named for the former pastor. Garrity Scholars receive full tuition and fees for four years of high school.

“Dr. Dolan played an integral role in leading St. Mary’s to new levels of success,” said Doyle, who was inducted into the St. Mary’s Hall of Fame in 2024. “As a graduate, chair of the board’s Marketing and Enrollment Committee, co-chair of the Ascend strategic plan committee (with Ellen Fritz), and teacher this year, I understand the mantle of responsibility that comes with the head of school position. I believe passionately in Catholic education and attribute any success I have had in life to St. Mary’s.”

Doyle, whose father, Martin, was a 1943 St. Mary’s Boys High School graduate, worked in executive management in financial services for 35 years, with a focus on global marketing communications and brand, product management, and strategic initiative execution. After retiring as Chief Marketing Officer, he taught at St. Mary’s this school year.

“I look forward to partnering with our incredible teaching staff, administration, and our entire St. Mary’s community to continue providing the best Catholic education for our students and families and to build on our recent success,” said Doyle, who earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from Salem State University.

The school will begin a search for a permanent head of school later this year.

“St. Mary’s is stable, and St. Mary’s is strong,” Mosakowski said. “Every year, we are proud to send our graduates off to some of the top universities in the country. Now our head of school is moving on to a college presidency. That speaks volumes for him and our school.”