Leadership

GRACE President Kimberly A. Desotell and the principals / headmasters at each school form the GRACE Leadership Team, which meets regularly to collaborate and coordinate programming at GRACE schools. The Leadership Team reviews policies, creates the common school calendar, develops the staff professional development program and advises the President on matters common to the GRACE schools.

• Diocese of Green Bay Office of Catholic Schools Curriculum & Board of Education Policy

Board of Directors

Bishop David Ricken of the Diocese of Green Bay serves as the chair of the GRACE Board of Directors. Meetings are held twice per year, in the spring and fall.

• 2025-26 GRACE Board of Directors
• Meeting Schedule – fall and spring during the academic year
• Meeting Minutes

Board of Trustees

The GRACE Board of Trustees provides ongoing governance of the GRACE school system under the direction of the Board of Directors.

The Board of Trustees meets every other month during the school year, and it oversees five committees (which are listed in the sections below). These committees are comprised of trustees and members-at-large to provide leadership and support to the many facets of GRACE’s mission and vision.

• 2025-26 GRACE Board of Trustees and Committee Members
• Meeting Schedule – every other month, August through June
• Meeting Minutes
• GRACE Strategic Plan

Development Committee

This committee is focused on elevating the system’s current development foundation and enhancing initatives based on guiding principles encompassing a faith foundation, transparency, gratitude and generational Catholic development.

Education Committee

This committee is dedicated to assuring quality educational programs based upon standards, benchmarks and grade-level expectations. Within the committee’s work is the effort to assure that the Catholic faith and practices are inherent in the curriculum across all content and co-curricular areas.

Facilities Committee

This committee works to foster relationships between school and parish sites in order to achieve common goals involving safety, appearance and functionality, in order to provide and enhance an inviting, quality, faith-filled teaching and learning environment. 

Finance Committee

This committee is committed to establishing a budget that is as efficient and effective as possible in consideration of tuition, parish subsidy and third-source funding.

Governance Committee

This committee is working to support the organization’s function, responsibilities and requirements through visionary leadership initatives involving, in part, leadership evaluation, recruitment, development and retention in addition to succession planning.

GRACE President Kimberly A. Desotell

Mrs. Kimberly A. Desotell is serving her eleventh year as the President of GRACE Schools. She brings a wealth of experience in education and leadership as well as a deep commitment to the Catholic faith. 

Mrs. Desotell served as the Director of Development at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay before joining GRACE. Her background in education includes experience as a grade school teacher, principal, technology and training specialist, consultant and administrator.

She holds a Master of Science from Cardinal Stritch University in Administration and Instructional Leadership. Her undergraduate degree is from St. Mary’s College-Notre Dame, Ind., where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Education and a minor in Biology.

The Desotell family lives in Green Bay and is active at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Parish in Green Bay. Mrs. Desotell and her husband have three children all of which have attended and graduated from Catholic schools.

Resume

You can view Mrs. Desotell’s full resume here.

Executive Accomplishments and Leadership Milestones

System-Wide Vision and Strategic Growth

• Decade of Excellence: Orchestrated 11 years of continuous brand elevation for the GRACE system, successfully championing a dual mission of rigorous academic distinction and deep-rooted faith formation
• Scale and Market Presence: Championed the brand transformation and unified marketing strategy that solidified GRACE’s reputation as a premier System of Schools (and it’s now recognized as one of the largest and most influential Catholic school systems in Wisconsin)
• Strategic Planning: Acted as a foundational catalyst in the initiation and formulation of the GRACE Strategic Plan (2025-27), charting a sustainable roadmap for future success
• Crisis Leadership: Demonstrated resilient, agile leadership during the global pandemic, spearheading the operational strategies required to safely maintain in-person learning and preserve educational continuity when students needed it most
• Architect of Expansion: Guided the high-stakes physical relocation of three GRACE schools, directly optimizing resources to ensure long-term financial sustainability and future growth

Innovative Partnerships and Foundational Launches

• Pioneering Classical Education: Led the historic, system-wide launch of two landmark institutions: GRACE St. John Paul II Classical School (August 2015) and Chesterton Academy of St. John Paul II Classical School (August 2021), expanding the diocese’s educational portfolio into classical pedagogy
• CatholicLink Leadership: Served as co-leader for CatholicLink, a cutting-edge, collaborative partnership designed to revolutionize and advance Catholic education across the greater Green Bay area and regional landscape

Core Pillars of Impact

• High-Quality Academic Innovation: Cultivating environments that challenge and inspire
• Faith-First Leadership: Integrating spiritual formation into daily operational excellence
• Talent Investment: Prioritizing competitive employee compensation to attract and retain top-tier educators
• Strategic Alliance Building: Fostering community partnerships that bridge the gap between faith, education, and civic engagement