Waldron Mercy Academy Appoints New Principal

MERION STATION, PA – As longtime Waldron Mercy Academy Principal Nell Stetser steps down from her role, a new principal was installed at the Main Line private school.

The Waldron Mercy Academy Board of Trustees named Ann Marie Braca as the 11th principal the school’s 94-year history, the school announced Tuesday, Sept. 19.

Braca succeeds Stetser, who stepped down in June after a 27-year career at the school. In her last five years her served as the school's principal.

Braca was installed on Sept. 19, 2017 as a part of Waldron Mercy’s annual Mercy Day Mass, which has been a Mercy tradition for 190 years.

“I truly appreciate the confidence Waldron Mercy Academy’s Board has placed in me,” Braca said. “Based on my personal experience, I value how students and their families benefit from more than a superior academic education in a Mercy-sponsored school. The spirit of Catherine McAuley, who founded the Sisters of Mercy, and her charisma transformed my career as an educator.”

Braca brings eight years of experience from Holy Family Regional School in Phoenixville to the academy.

During her tenure, she improved students’ results on standardized tests and successfully led the school through its Middle States reaccreditation. Additionally, Braca's time at Holy Family Regional School led to it now being debt-free. While there, the school also established a balanced budget and capital fund. The school raised funds to provide more scholarships to students. During her administration, Holy Family earned the National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence, an honor also bestowed twice on Waldron Mercy Academy.

Braca holds a master of science in education from Gwynedd Mercy University and a bachelor’s degree from Villanova University.

She has served as a Trustee for the Board for the Foundation for Catholic Education and as a member of the Chester County Advisory Council for Catholic education.

Welcome aboard, Ann Marie Braca!

Pictured above from left to right are Sr. Patricia Smith, former Waldron Mercy Academy principal; Ann Marie Braca; Sr. Patricia Vetrano, president of the Sisters of Mercy Mid-Atlantic Community; and Kimberly Baxter, chair of the Waldron Mercy Academy Board of Trustees

Image via Waldron Mercy Academy