Father Ryan High School announced that Elizabeth Coyle will become the school’s new Dean of Student Life and Campus Ministry effective July 1, according to Jim McIntyre, president.
Coyle will be replacing Tim Forbes, who left the position after nine years to become the principal of St. Matthew Catholic School in Franklin, TN.
In announcing the appointment, McIntyre praised Coyle for her extensive work in ministry and spiritual leadership, pointing to her work with the youth and the marginalized as a compelling reason for the decision.
“Elizabeth brings a vibrant perspective to our offices, backed by years of work in ministry,” said McIntyre. “Her dedication to Catholic social teaching is evident both in her experience and in her education. She has some excellent ideas for our school, and we believe she will be a perfect fit as we continue our school’s time-honored tradition of faith, knowledge and service.”
A 2002 graduate of Father Ryan High School, Coyle returns to her alma mater from Cincinnati, where she has worked as the co-director of the Lydia House, a hospitality home servicing women and children in crisis, and as a part-time university minister at Xavier University for the past year. Before moving to Cincinnati, Coyle spent three years as the Associate University Minister at the University of San Diego, where she worked as a minister both to the students on campus and to the marginalized in the community.
She travelled to San Diego after receiving her Master’s in Theological Studies from Vanderbilt Divinity School in 2011, graduating summa cum laude. Coyle spent some time in Middle Tennessee before receiving her Master’s, working closely with the diocese as a Theology teacher at Pope John Paul II High School from 2007 to 2009, and volunteering with the Catholic Youth Office, the Campus for Human Development and Catholic Heart Work Camp. After graduating summa cum laude with degrees in English and Theology from Xavier in 2005, she worked in Milford, OH, as a youth minister at the Jesuit Spiritual Center, and in Albuquerque, NM, as a conference coordinator for the Center for Action and Contemplation, each for a year respectively.
Coyle stated that she is excited to return to her hometown again to work with the Father Ryan community. “Working with young people and helping them grow in their faith is the most rewarding thing I do,” Coyle said. “To be able to come home and do that work at my alma mater is truly special, and I’m very thankful to everyone at Father Ryan for giving me the opportunity.”
Father Ryan is a diocesan, co-educational Catholic high school established in 1925 with more than 950 students. More information is available at www.fatherryan.org.
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