The Diocese of Orange is pleased to announce new principals who will be leading several Catholic schools. These educational leaders bring strong credentials and extensive expertise in education to the Diocese of Orange Catholic schools.
St. Catherine Of Siena, Laguna Beach
Dr. Jennifer Maan
Dr. Jennifer Maan comes from a family of educators with deep Catholic roots. Her mother, sister and brother-in-law were former Catholic school educators. One of them even taught at Saint Catherine years ago. Dr. Maan has taught in public and Catholic schools. She chose to go into Catholic school leadership because she is able to share her love of learning with students, while instilling a love of God and the Catholic faith.
Prior to her start at Saint Catherine, Dr. Maan served as the Director of Curriculum and a 7th-grade Language Arts teacher at Our Lady Queen of Angels Newport Beach. Dr. Maan has extensive classroom experience serving as a teacher at the Basilica School of Saint Mary in Virginia, Pioneer Middle School in Tustin, Del Cerro and Portola Hills Elementary Schools in Saddleback Valley Unified School District, and Los Robles Academy in Hacienda. Dr. Maan also has experience in higher education as an Assistant Professor of Education and Program Chair of the Undergraduate Teacher Education Program at Trinity Washington University in Washington, D.C. and as Deputy Director of Early Childhood Education Services at the Rosemount Center in Washington, DC
Dr. Maan attended Claremont Graduate University where she received both her M.A. and Ph.D in Education. She has an undergraduate B.A. in Art History from the University of California, San Diego. She holds a Tier I Administrative Services Credential from UCI and has a multiple subjects teaching credential with supplemental authorizations in art and science.
When she is not working, she loves running, practicing yoga, reading, cooking, and spending time with her family. She accompanied her husband on an overseas work assignment for two years in Amman, Jordan. While living in the Middle East, Dr. Maan and her husband traveled throughout the region including the Holy Land, Jordan, the Dead Sea in Egypt, and Sinai — St. Catherine’s Monastery!
St. Bonaventure School, Huntington Beach
Mrs. Kim White
Mrs. White came to St. Bonaventure in 2009 as teacher. She became a full-time Vice Principal in 2014 and transitioned the principal role this summer. Mrs. White has been a teacher mentor, WCEA/WASC accreditation coordinator, worked in performance standards development, building Professional Learning Communities to name a few. Mrs. White is a trainer for Renaissance Learning, Atlas/Rubicon Curriculum Mapping, and Sycamore Education Database.
“Considering the challenges affecting the greater field of education, the ability to educate students in the context of the broader view provided by Catholic teaching values keeps me excited by this ministry. Academically, students engage in content through the lenses of their Catholic identity. We are nurturing students to be the problem-solvers that will facilitate positive change in the world. This is a viewpoint unique to Catholic education, and the part of this ministry that inspires me to lead our school each day,” Mrs. White said.
Prior to her time at St. Bonaventure School, Mrs. White worked as a K-2 teacher at a private Christian School in Glendora and worked in sales and business management in Long Beach. Mrs. White received her B.A. in Business from National University, her M.A. in Education from Concordia University, and has her Clear Multiple Subject Teaching Credential from University of La Verne and her Clear Administrative Services from UCI. When Mrs. White is not working, she enjoys reading, paddle boarding, and spending quality time with her family and friends.