IN THE NEWS: Mount Appoints Dean of Academics

June 19, 2020 - The Caldwell Progress

CALDWELL - Mount St. Dominic Academy has named Laura Hollenbaugh as the new dean of academics.

She will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the school, with special focus on the academic progress of the students and the review and development of curriculum scope and sequence. She also will work with the faculty to improve classroom delivery and student outcomes.

Hollenbaugh replaces Marissa Muoio, who was appointed dean of academics in 2018. Muoio, a 2008 graduate of the Mount, will become head of upper school at Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart in Princeton.

"As an alumna of the Mount, we are so proud of Dr. Muoio's accomplishments and grateful for her contributions during her time as part of the Mount faculty," Mount spokeswoman Kate Sullivan said. "It is exciting to watch as women in education like Ms. Hollenbaugh and Dr. Muoio continue to innovate and progress in making important and meaningful impacts on the lives of their students and within their school communities."

Hollenbaugh joins the Mount from Don Bosco Preparatory High School in Ramsey, where she served as assistant principal for academics since fall 2017. From 2013 to 2018, she was a school counselor to the Don Bosco community of more than 850 young men.

She was a social studies teacher there from September 2008 to June 2015 and briefly returned to that role in the spring semester of 2019.

“In her 12 years at Don Bosco, Laura has developed key insights and a level of expertise in several key facets of education - from the classroom to counseling to academic leadership,” said Sister Frances Sullivan, head of school at the Mount, an independent Catholic school for girls.

“In addition to both schools’ dedication to academic rigor, there are several parallels between the Mount and Don Bosco - a school conducted in the charism of St. John Bosco - including complementary missions of empowering young people with an understanding they will go on to make the world a better place. Laura’s leadership and commitment to education driven by mission make her uniquely qualified to lead our school into its next chapter.”

Hollenbaugh said, “To now be in a single-gender school with young women is exhilarating for me, both personally and professionally, and I am eager to embrace the collective power of these young women, to support them in a process of authentic self-discovery, and to help them capitalize on their strengths to become change agents in a world that really needs them.

“Despite the current barriers we face to making personal connections, I feel genuinely and warmly received, and I am grateful for this opportunity to be part of such an exceptional learning community. I look forward to building collaborative and meaningful relationships with our Mount faculty, students and families.”

She earned a master's degree in educational leadership from St. Peter’s University in 2019, a master's in school counseling from Seton Hall University in 2013 and a bachelor's in psychology from Columbia University in 1993.

An avid runner, Hollenbaugh resides in Ramsey and is the very proud mother of three independent and uniquely talented young men.