Dear Totino-Grace High School Community,

It is our pleasure to announce the selection of Craig Junker as the next President of Totino-Grace High School.

While getting to know Craig over the last couple months, it has become clear that Craig is a great fit for Totino-Grace.  His enthusiasm for Catholic education is contagious. Craig's many professional experiences include volunteering with the Christian Brothers, serving as a Catholic School Principal and President in Winona, Minnesota, and working as Superintendent of Lake City Schools.  His experiences and his deep Catholic faith will help him guide Totino-Grace to a wonderful future.  We look forward to many years of Craig's inspiring leadership. 

A major part of the Search Committee's work was to call the references provided by the candidates.  After checking those initial references, we then moved into second and third levels of references, all in an attempt to make sure the candidates "walk the talk."  In Craig's case, parents, students and faculty all confirmed what we saw throughout the extensive interview process.  As we considered feedback from the TG community, there was a clear desire for the next President to unify the community and to bring a strong commitment to our Catholic identity and Lasallian mission.  The Search Committee believes Craig's many gifts are a tremendous match with the needs of our school community. It was out of this sense of his "fit" with the culture of TG that the Search Committee unanimously recommended him as the next President, the Corporate Board unanimously accepted the recommendation, and Archbishop Nienstedt affirmed his appointment as President of Totino-Grace.

Our hope is that the information provided in this announcement will add to your anticipation of Craig's start as President of Totino-Grace on July 1, 2014.  The Corporate Board is excited by this prospect and based on the feedback we received from faculty, staff, parents, alumni and students, we are confident he will be warmly welcomed by the entire TG community.  For those who participated in the search process, we thank you.  Over the next few months, we will be in transition, hoping to make Craig's move to our community a pleasant one.

Live, Jesus, in Our Hearts.  Forever!

Corporate Board and Search Committee Co-Chairs

A Message from Dr. Craig Junker
The roles and responsibilities of Catholic school leadership in the 21st century are very demanding and challenging, which is why school leadership teams need to be anchored in high standards, ambitious goals, and a deep sense of personal mission. I aim to meaningfully use my talents, experience and dedication to servant leadership to advance the mission of Totino-Grace High School. I am committed to building community, organizational advancement, and student growth, development and academic achievement.

What excites me about Totino-Grace is that the staff meets students at the door and helps them to become the person God wants them to be. Once people are part of Totino-Grace, they belong to a community that will have a life-long impact. People profoundly care about one another and are invested in each other's success. Totino-Grace is for life.

Dr. Junker's Brief Biography and Career Highlights 

Dr. Junker is currently the Superintendent of Lake City Public Schools and previously served as President of Cotter Schools in Winona, Minnesota. Although he has enjoyed his work with Lake City Public Schools tremendously, he wants to return to a leadership role in a Catholic school, one that has a sense of family and community, as well as teamwork throughout the faculty and staff. Dr. Junker wants to be a part of a community where "God is in the kids' lives."

Early in his career, Dr. Junker served as a Lasallian Volunteer for two years, teaching English and Religion, at St. Joseph's High School in Greenville, Mississippi.

He followed this experience as an English teacher and then Junior High School Principal at Cotter Schools. He was named President of Cotter Schools in 2000, leading 500 students, 85 staff members and an annual budget of over $4.5 million. Cotter Schools is an educational consortium and network of interdependent schools and programming including a high school, junior high school residence center for international students, a math and science academy and a performing arts center. Dr. Junker directed institutional advancement, financial operations, community relations, local and boarding admissions and enrollment management, marketing, academic programming, and strategic planning for the Catholic schools of Winona.

In 2009, he was named Superintendent of Lake City Schools. His oversight included 1,260 students, 175 staff members and an annual budget of over $14 million. Dr. Junker was responsible for the successful administration of the school district, including managing the budget, making data driven decisions to identify district successes and address challenges, recommending and implementing district goals, and developing strategic and long-range planning.

Dr. Junker's academic credentials include a Bachelor of Science from St. John's University, a Master of Arts in Instruction from St. Mary's University of Minnesota, Principal and Superintendent Licensure from Winona State University, and a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from St. Mary's University of Minnesota.

Dr. Junker and his wife Jennifer, a special education teacher, have been married for 15 years and have three children in grade school. The Junker family currently resides in Lake City, Jennifer's home town, but will move closer to Totino-Grace in the summer.