Marist Principal Larry Tucker Appointed School President

CHICAGO, IL — Marist’s long-time principal Larry Tucker has been appointed to school president effective July 1, 2020. The promotion to school president follows an extensive nationwide search by the Marist High School. Tucker, the school’s first lay principal, will be Marist’s first lay president.

Current Marist president Br. Hank Hammer, FMS, will complete his term as president on June 30, 2020. Br. Patrick McNamara, FMS, Provincial of the Marist Brothers of the Schools and a former Marist president, praised Tucker’s “Christian care for students and humble work ethic pushing Marist to stretch towards the future in all respects.”

“We want to thank Brother Hank for his many years of service to Marist, six as its president, and welcome Larry to his new role at Marist,” said Br. Patrick said in a news release. “The Marist Brothers and the Marist Chicago community are blessed to have Larry, whose experience and passion for education will continue to contribute to the success of Marist High School.”

Tucker, a 1979 graduate of Marist High School, has served as its principal since 1998 and is the longest-serving principal of a Marist school in the United States. After 33 years in Catholic education, 24 of them with Marist, Tucker is a proven visionary and transformational leader. As principal, Tucker spearheaded expansions of critical infrastructure and curriculum, among them the completion of Marist’s Monastery Hall, a $15 million dollar expansion encompassing the cutting-edge Gregory and Mary Beeson Science Center and Our Lady Queen of the Heavens Planetarium. He implemented a 1:1 iPad initiative and more recently, a drop cascade schedule designed to increase daily instruction time to better prepare its students for college while reducing student stress and increasing collaboration among the faculty.

The ten-member committee, made up of Marist Brothers, board members, faculty, alumni, and parents underwent a thorough process which included soliciting input from members of the administration, faculty, alumni and parents, as well as hosting focus groups, to learn about the qualities that the Marist family deemed important for a new president.

“The committee received interest from qualified candidates from coast-to-coast across the United States – and even from Canada – and interviewed a select group of highly-qualified candidates,” said Erik Kantz ’90, presidential search committee chair. “In the end, we were fortunate to have the best candidate in our own building. Larry is a 21st century Catholic educator, and we are confident that he will continue to be a visionary leader in his new role and confidently lead Marist into the next decade.”

Tucker holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and economics from Lewis University, as well as a master’s degree in English from Chicago State University and a degree in educational administration from Lewis University. A devout Catholic, he is passionate about the value of Catholic education and has a deep commitment to living a life of value to the greater community. Tucker lives the Marist mission and its charism, integrating it into all aspects of his work and modeling it to the Marist community.

“I am excited to engage with the Marist community in a new role and am honored to be following in the footsteps of Br. Hank, Br. Patrick, and all those who have served the school so well and faithfully," Tucker said. "It is a privilege to lead a school so rich in the Marist tradition, and one that has provided an outstanding spiritual and academic education to thousands of young men and women from all backgrounds. I also look forward to assisting in Marist’s search for a new principal, and to work with that person and the passionate and dedicated members of our School Board, administration, faculty, and staff.”

As president, Tucker will act as the chief executive officer and “chief executive in faith” of Marist High School. He will be responsible for driving long-range planning and all aspects of the school’s general operations, financial management, and institutional advancement of the 55-acre campus.

Tucker and his wife, Anne, are proud Marist parents of Ryan ’14, Madeline ’16, Lauren ’18, and Jacklyn ’22.