Dr. Erin Barisano

Every Catholic school district should be so lucky as to have a superintendent like Dr. Erin Barisano. I first met Erin when she was the assistant superintendent in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles before taking on her current role as the Superintendent for the Diocese of Orange, and I was immediately struck by her professional competence. No surprise Erin would be the 2018 recipient of the University Council of Educational Administration’s award for Excellence in Educational Leadership. But professional competence has never been the only thing that distinguishes Erin. What struck me most when I met Erin was her deep commitment to ongoing spiritual practice. It was my interview with Erin that nudged me in the direction of writing Chapter 12 in Redeeming Power about the importance of learning to honor sabbath time. And this was not the only contribution Erin made to the book. As you’ll hear in these highlights from our conversation, Erin was also the one who helped me begin to think more deeply about different generational experiences of power and influence. (Released August 9)