Maura Kennedy
Board of Trustees - Board Member
Before assuming the responsibility of full-time wife and mother, Maura Strickland served Catholic high schools across the country for 7 years. During that time, she worked as a teacher, administrator, and consultant. Throughout, Maura developed a passion to support good formation and organizational health with a rich Catholic identity. She is honored to join the diverse and historic legacy of the SMA community.
Originally from outside of Chicago, Maura went to an all-girls Catholic high school. She received her Bachelor’s degree from Franciscan University of Steubenville, where her love for education was ignited. Since college, Maura has sought to answer, “What makes a good education?” Following undergraduate studies, she joined the Providence Alliance for Catholic Teachers (PACT) at Providence College in Rhode Island. PACT is a two-year program where young teachers live in community, pursue a Master’s degree in education and teach full-time in a local school. Maura taught Theology and Ethics and coached soccer at Bishop Feehan Catholic High School. There, she found a love for high school students.
With this deep passion for Catholic Education blooming, Maura then sought a Master of Arts in Catholic Studies, an integrated liberal arts and humanities program, at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota. There Maura helped the department to develop the Graduate Certificate in Mission and Culture of Catholic Education. Also in Graduate school, she met her now husband, Peter. Guided by his desire to serve in the U.S. Army, they moved to rural Kansas, near Fort Riley. Most recently, Maura worked with Hayden Catholic High School and the Topeka Region Parishes. She gained much experience continuing and cultivating Fr. Hayden’s Catholic tradition, established over one hundred years ago. In her work, she liaised with the high school and local community to unite the vision of Catholic formation in Topeka.
Maura is now a full-time mother of two, Aletheia and Mary, with a third on the way. Her family are members of Our Lady of Good Counsel, where Maura currently serves on the school board for the future elementary school. In her free time, she enjoys time at the local park, walking the blocks of her tree-lined streets, and the light of her house in the afternoon. Some other passions include her local book club, two-stepping with her husband, and traveling. She looks forward to integrating more into the community and continuing to make her home in Kansas City.