June 7, 2007

Kostyniak Named Secretary of Catholic Education

Education Department reorganization part of

“Journey in Faith and Grace”

Bishop Edward U. Kmiec has appointed Carol Kostyniak as the new secretary of Catholic education for the Diocese of Buffalo. She replaces Denise McKenzie who will become diocesan director of religious education. As part of the reorganization of the Department of Catholic Education, Mary Beth Coates, the current director of religious education, will become the director of lifelong formation.

Since last August, Kostyniak has been director of the Catholic School Development Program, an initiative of the Foundation of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo designed to improve the marketing, governance, enrollment and fundraising of Catholic elementary schools.

“Catholic education in Western New York is poised for new growth,” said Bishop Kmiec, “and I am confident that under Carol’s leadership, our schools will continue to be centers of academic excellence, and with a great deal of collaboration and hard work, our schools will attract even more students.”

Kostyniak will focus on implementing the strategic plan for Catholic schools (www.buffalodiocese.org/plan), including a reorientation and redeployment of Department of Catholic Education resources for the effective implementation of that plan. The Catholic Schools Development Program will be incorporated in to the work of the department.

“Catholic education has a long, distinguished history in the Diocese of Buffalo and countless thousands of men and women can trace their success to the training they received in our schools,” said Kostyniak. “I want to continue to serve and support that tremendous tradition. We need to be involved in our communities and I invite all of our partners to assist us with this great venture. In addition to enhancing our record of academic excellence and faith formation, we need to be attentive to the business dimensions of education including leadership development, recruitment, finances and fundraising.”

A member of Assumption Parish, Buffalo, and a resident of Amherst, Kostyniak has an extensive background in education. She is a graduate of Nazareth College in Rochester and the State University of New York at Buffalo. She studied mathematics, accounting and computer technology and has a master’s of education in secondary mathematics.

For more information on Catholic education in the Diocese of Buffalo, please visit www.wnycatholicschools.org

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