Sister Zukowski is a member of the Mission Helpers of the Sacred Heart. She is the director of the Institute of Pastoral Initiates and a full tenured professor in the Department of Religious Studies of the University of Dayton. She has served as the national, international, and world president of Catholic Communications and the Pontifical Council for Social Communications. She also served on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Communications, the Catholic Telecommunications Network of America, and the National Advisory Committee for Adult Faith Formation. She has given national and international presentations and has written numerous articles on communication, including her regular column in NCEA’s award-winning journal, Momentum. Sister Angela specializes in catechetics, ministry, and religious communication.

 

For many years, Sister Angela has helped this department to understand needs and trends in Catholic education, and the technology available to address them. Her information has assisted many boards and councils with developing technology plans for their schools. Most recently, she has provided leadership, inspiration, and know-how that have enabled our department to provide online seminars—webinars, as they are called.

 

Professional leaders in the Catholic Church are normally supported by extensive programs of formation and training. Around four years ago, Sister Angela joined us in wondering, "Is there not a similar need for those who serve on boards, whose decisions affect the lives of thousands of Catholic school graduates every year?"

 

And so we worked together to create a series of courses that are available to all board members who have a computer and Internet access, wherever they are in the country. These courses are written by the NCEA Department of Boards and Councils, facilitated by talented and experienced leaders around the country, and hosted by the computers at the University of Dayton’s Virtual Learning Community for Faith Formation.

 

Although board members are volunteers and their terms of service are usually limited, the skills supported and developed in this hard-working group of people directly influence all who graduate from their schools. And after their terms expire, board members generally use the leadership skills developed in these seminars to benefit their church and school communities in other ways.

 

These webinars give school board members and others the skills to be more effective leaders who are better equipped to tackle the challenges our Catholic schools face today. Since the online seminars began three years ago, more than 175 board members from as far west as Honolulu and as far east as Hartford, Connecticut, and as remote as North Platte, Nebraska, signed up for our seminars. The 175 board members live in 22 states.

 

Sister Angela Ann continually reminds us that "Inch by inch is a cinch. Yard by yard is hard!" But more importantly — not with words, but through who she is — she continually reminds us (borrowing from Harriet Tubman), that "Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember: you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world."