Earlier this week, BSM’s Board of Directors announced Danielle Palkert Hermanny ‘03 as the next President of BSM. She will officially begin her role on May 15, 2023. Read more from the Board’s announcement here. 

This announcement comes after a nearly year-long presidential search. Just a few weeks ago, the final three candidates toured campus as the presidential search committee entered the final stages of the search process. After the tours were completed, Palkert Hermanny quickly emerged as the leading candidate. “It was very clear from that feedback that Danielle was the preferred choice among all the different stakeholders, and so they moved forward. They brought a recommendation to the executive committee of the board and ultimately had a recommendation to the board of directors to approve Danielle as the incoming president,” Interim President Meghan DesLauriers said. 

After being approved by the board, Hermmany was confirmed by the Archdiocese. “Danielle and the Board chair Laura Portz went over and met with Archbishop Hebda and some other members of the Archdiocese and the Archdiocese gave approval for her. And then she said yes to the offer ultimately,” DesLauriers said.

Although she is new to the president role, Hermmany is a long-time member of the BSM community. She graduated from BSM in 2003, before attending Notre Dame for college and law school. Now, she works in Catholic Education at the University of St. Thomas. “I remember when I had her in class…it’s cool to see how people grow into themselves,” English teacher Anne Marie Dominguez said. 

Now that Hermanny has accepted the position, BSM’s administration is preparing for her transition. Interim President DesLauriers will finish out some of her duties for the year while helping Hermanny adjust to her role. “There will be one week of overlap where we’re both 100% full time…trying to get her introduced to people, familiarize with internal and external responsibilities, and [help her get] up to date on where we are on the strategic plan,” DesLauriers said.

After the initial week of overlap, DesLauriers will work part time finishing up projects and continuing to help with the transition. “I’ll be doing baccalaureate, graduation, and the 8th grade mass, so I’ll kind of close out the year on that end, and then fully hand over the keys and support her,” DesLauriers said.

Overall, the BSM community is excited to welcome Hermmany as president. “The first word that comes to mind is impressive…she clearly showed her passion for education…she understands what it’s like to be able to have a large community that involves education not just in the classroom, but of the whole person,” Dominguez said.