Following a 37-year career serving Catholic Education, Chief Superintendent Robert Martin will be retiring from Edmonton Catholic Schools this summer.
Martin has served as teacher, Assistant Principal, Principal, Division Principal, and Acting Superintendent prior to accepting a position as Chief Superintendent in April 2020.
"I am grateful to have had the blessing of being able to help shape the lives of the students whom I have personally taught and the students who attend Edmonton Catholic Schools. In the words of Thomas Groome, To be educator is to stand on holy ground - people's lives,'" shared Martin. "The staff who I have been honoured to work alongside throughout my educational journey have inspired me beyond belief in their endeavours to help students and each other reach their fullest potential and to grow in the love of Christ."
During his tenure, Martin has restructured the organization of the Division, resulting in greater efficiencies. He has also centralized most administrative services into one newer, more efficient Lumen Christi Catholic Education Centre. Both of these actions have resulted in more dollars being redirected to schools. He also undertook the extremely important work of formalizing an Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism Strategic Plan for the Division. All of this was accomplished while managing and responding to the incredible demands of COVID-19.
"In his time as Chief Superintendent, Martin has led the Division through what is arguably the most challenging time ever faced by our society, a pandemic. Under his guidance, our Division has not simply managed, it has thrived, and the Board of Trustees of Edmonton Catholic Schools is grateful for his wisdom, calm demeanour, and faith leadership. We wish him abundant blessings in his new journey," said Palazzo.
The Board of Trustees will now begin a comprehensive search for a new Chief Superintendent. Martin will work closely with his team to ensure a smooth transition and that the Division is well-situated to continue providing an excellent Catholic educational experience to the families of Edmonton.
