CHARLESTON—Bishop Robert E. Guglielmone announced to pastors and principals April 16 that William “Bill” Ryan was selected as the new diocesan superintendent of Catholic Schools. He will begin July 1, taking up the mantle from Sandra Leatherwood, who will retire in June.
Ryan comes to South Carolina from the Archdiocese of Washington, where he has been secretary for Catholic schools since 2015. Prior to that, he had more than 20 years of leadership experience with public school systems in Maryland including positions as the employee performance and evaluation officer, executive director of school improvement and school administration, and as a principal.
His educational experience includes a superintendent’s certificate from the California University of Pennsylvania, a master’s degree in administration & supervision in education from Bowie State University and a bachelor of science degree from Bloomsburg University. He has been a presenter at national conferences and workshops and has consulted with school systems and task forces in education.
In an interview with the Catholic Standard, newspaper for the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., Ryan said he decided to relocate to South Carolina because “for the past four years, my wife and I have lived apart due to her father’s illness and then, relocated to South Carolina. Over time, this has become difficult for me, and when an opportunity to lead the schools in the Diocese of Charleston, South Carolina presented itself, I could not pass up being at home with my wife each night and still being able to serve the Church.”
In the same article, Archbishop Wilton Gregory praised Ryan as “an educator of the highest caliber who plans and guides the mission of Catholic schools with deep interest and dedication. His own devoted service was an engine that helped to drive the success of our schools.”
“Bill was one of the first members of the archdiocesan staff that I met upon my appointment as the archbishop” of Washington, Archbishop Gregory said. “He introduced me to the wonderful Catholic education programs that we have for our youngsters. He was so proud of our schools, students, faculty, and parents.”
