Dr. Hargens earns citation from Maryland General Assembly

Dr. Donna Hargens, the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s outgoing superintendent of Catholic schools, received a citation Jan. 28 from the Maryland General Assembly during the Maryland Catholic Conference Leader Reception in Annapolis.

Maryland Catholic Conference Executive Director Jenny Kraska presented the citation to Hargens in the presence of several state senators and delegates. Also in attendance were Baltimore’s Archbishop William E. Lori and auxiliary Bishops Adam J. Parker and Bruce A. Lewandowski, C.Ss.R.; Wilmington Bishop William Koenig; Washington’s Cardinal Wilton Gregory, Cardinal Robert McElroy, auxiliary Bishops Roy Campbell and Bishop Juan Esposito; and Kelly Branaman, superintendent of schools for the Archdiocese of Washington.

Hargens announced Sept. 12 that she will retire at the end of the school year in June after spending 45 years in education, including the last seven leading Baltimore’s Catholic schools.

During her tenure, Hargens guided schools through the COVID-19 global pandemic and ensured the Cognia re-accreditation of local Catholic schools through 2027. She was involved in the opening of Mother Mary Lange Catholic School in 2021, a $25 million investment and the first new Catholic school in Baltimore City in six decades.

In September, five of the archdiocese’s elementary schools were named 2024 National Blue Ribbon schools. Only 50 nonpublic schools earned that distinction in the entire nation.

“How grateful I am for the leadership Dr. Hargens has provided to our Catholic schools,” Archbishop Lori said after her retirement announcement. “She brings her faith, love for the Lord and ministry to her work. She is a consummate educator who has developed and made accessible tools for success for our students.”

Archbishop Lori said Hargens’ impact and work “has helped transform Catholic education in the archdiocese.”

Hargens previously served as superintendent of Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville, Ky.; chief academic officer for Wake County Public Schools in North Carolina; and worked as a principal, assistant principal, and a high school Spanish and English teacher. She earned a doctorate in educational leadership, management and policy from Seton Hall University.

A national search is underway for Hargens’ replacement.