De La Salle High School President Mark DeMarco to Retire
CONCORD, CA—De La Salle High School president Mark DeMarco plans to retire at the end of the 2020-21 school year. DeMarco, DLS class of 1978, has served as the De La Salle President since 2007. He was the school’s first Alumni President.
“I want to thank the parents, students, the countless volunteers, and benefactors who have contributed to the success of the school and the mission of Saint John Baptist de La Salle and will continue to do so in the future,” said DeMarco. “I also would like to thank the Faculty and Staff for their commitment to the Mission. The school is successful because we all work together and have a great partnership with parents as the primary educators of their sons.”
A graduate and former teacher, DeMarco was appointed by the Board of Trustees as president of De La Salle High School on July 1, 2007. With broad experience in administration, organizational and strategic planning, he has more than 30 years in educational teaching and management stretching from elementary through high school. Prior to returning to De La Salle in 2007, DeMarco served as assistant, then Superintendent of Schools for the Diocese of Oakland. He served on a number of boards throughout his career including the California Catholic State Superintendents (chair), the Western Catholic Education Association, the University of San Francisco Institute for Catholic Educational Leadership and the California Private School Advisory Committee where he was appointed by the State Superintendent for Public Instruction.
Leaving a legacy
In the announcement released to the parents earlier this week, De La Salle Board of Trustees Chair, Frank Wagner, said, “We appreciate all of Mark’s excellent accomplishments, and cherish how he’s placed our students, the school, our community, and our Lasallian Catholic mission above himself. He leaves the school in a strong financial position, with an excellent academic reputation, significant enhancements to the school’s facilities, and a legacy of enabling students to become young men of faith, integrity, and scholarship.”
Brother Donald Johanson, FSC, Visitor of the District of San Francisco New Orleans, expressed his gratitude for Mark’s efforts at the school, “We are grateful for Mark’s leadership and lifelong dedication to De La Salle High School. From his days as a student and throughout the time since he first returned to campus, Mark’s commitment to the De La Salle community has never wavered. I wish him the very best in his retirement from a long career devoted to Catholic education.”