Congrats to the 2022 Rural Catholic School Administrator of the Year

Jennifer Dunn, Principal // St. Francis, Humphrey

 One of the first people students see when they arrive at  School in the morning is principal Jennifer Dunn. She’s also the last person they see when they leave for home in the afternoon.

She is “an amazing principal” who makes the effort to get to know her students and their families on a personal level, says St. Francis parent, Brenda Foltz. “Her inspiration and positive attitude are contagious.”

This personal approach to leadership also sees Jennifer attending numerous sporting events and other extra-curricular activities and taking great pains to maintain open lines of communication between herself and her faculty and staff and parent populations.

Fr. Eric Olsen, pastor and president of St. Francis Parish and School, said Jennifer leads with an eye to the future and always lives her Catholic faith, modeling mercy.

 “Because of her desire to show the love of Christ, she never hides from difficult situations. Rather, she confronts them directly, professionally, consistently, and always with the eye to what is best for the school, the student or employee and the Church.”

Background

Jennifer grew up on a ranch on the eastern edge of the Sandhills. She attended Pope John XXIII Central Catholic High School in Elgin before moving to Omaha as a freshman at Creighton University. She earned her Bachelor of Science in elementary education in 2001, a Master of Education in educational leadership from Doane College in 2010, and a certificate of Catholic leadership from Creighton in 2014.  Of Jennifer’s 22-year education career, 21 have been in Catholic education.

She and her husband, JoJo, have been married 21 years and have four children, Jocelyn (16), Jett (14), Jameson (11), and Jackson (7). She loves to read and spend time outside, but not in Nebraska’s winters.