Michael Riley is the new president of Bishop Miege High School.
The Roeland Park Catholic school announced Riley’s appointment from the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas last week on LinkedIn.
Archbishop Shawn McKnight appointed Riley to the position in a Feb. 17 press release, in which he said the schools’ board of trustees “recognized in him a servant leader committed to fostering a school community where students are supported and formed in faith.”
“As president, Mr. Riley bears primary responsibility for preserving and strengthening Bishop Miege’s Catholic identity and values, while serving as a prudent steward of its resources,” McKnight said in the press release. “I offer him my prayerful support and extend prayers and best wishes to the Bishop Miege community as it moves forward in its mission of forming young men and women in faith, friendship and purpose.”
This appointment comes roughly eight months after former president Phil Baniewicz was put on administrative leave — and, ultimately, “restricted from all active ministry” — after “an allegation of inappropriate behavior with a minor.”
Riley has Johnson County ties
For 13 years, Riley has worked in Catholic education under the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas as well as the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, according to the press release.
Riley started out as a social studies teacher at Bishop Meige 20 years ago, then went on to teach for eight years at Sumner Academy in Kansas City, Kansas, according to his LinkedIn profile.
He returned to Johnson County education, serving as principal at St. Ann Catholic School in Prairie Village from 2015 to 2019. He has been principal at St. Elizabeth Catholic School in Kansas City’s Waldo area since 2019.
He and his family are Kansas City-area residents for 22 years, and go to Curé of Ars Catholic Church in Leawood.
Prior to his work in the Kansas City region, Riley earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame before earning his master’s in education, secondary education and teaching from Notre Dame in 2003.
In 2012, Riley earned his master of arts in school leadership from Benedictine College.
Riley is currently a participant in the Alliance for Catholic Education Principal Academy Cabrini Fellowship at Notre Dame. The academy is a “high-quality professional development and coaching for school principals,” according to its website.
This concludes a national search
The Bishop Miege High School Board of Trustees, an executive search committee and the Catholic Recruiter Associates conducted a national search before McKnight appointed Riley to the school’s open president role.
The Catholic Recruiter Associates contacted hundreds of candidates and interviewed dozens of applicants before making recommendations, according to the Feb. 17 press release.
The board of trustees also hired Sutton Associates — a New York-based screening and investigative services company — to vet references and conduct background checks.
Holly Bentley, the chair of the board of trustees, said in the press release that there was a “commitment” to picking “a leader who would strengthen our school community and guide us into the future.”
“Mr. Riley not only embodies the mission and vision of our school community, but is dedicated to creating opportunities for students to thrive both academically and spiritually,” Bentley said.
Riley will start at Bishop Miege on July 1
- Riley’s tenure at Bishop Miege begins on July 1, according to the press release.
- As president, Riley will work with and be accountable to the board of trustees at Bishop Miege.
- Additionally, his duties include “strategic planning and governance, collaborating with diocesan leadership … fundraising and development, financial and business management, and external relations,” according to the press release.
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