2010 Most Influential Women Honoree: Amy DeMelo, Ed.D.

Amy DeMelo has experienced the classroom from just about every angle, from student to teacher to assistant principal, and since 2007, she has been director of Springfield Catholic Schools.

Always, her focus is on the students.

“I have spent my entire professional career in education. As a teacher and school administrator I (am) responsible for the academic success of my students. Their success was – and still is – remarkably important to me,” DeMelo says. “It is a great and humbling experience when I meet my former students and graduates in the hallways of schools, and they are now teachers themselves.”

DeMelo has worked at Springfield Catholic Schools since 1997. Not surprisingly, DeMelo’s proudest accomplishment to date is tied to her own education. In July, she earned her doctorate in educational leadership and policy analysis from the University of Missouri.

“I think it is important to model what is important to me, such as the value and benefits of lifelong learning, as well as the importance of hard work and perseverance,” DeMelo says, noting that the process of earning the degree introduced her to other community leaders and reinforced her belief that accomplishment is never about one individual.

“I think leadership is about being part of a team,” she says. “I view my leadership role as one which brings others together to help share their ideas, passion, gifts and talents all in the name of providing excellent schools for our students.”

DeMelo’s leadership style and endeavors have brought significant recognition to Springfield Catholic Schools, which has 1,300 students in four preschools, four elementary schools and one high school. In 2008, the Acton Institute named the high school one of the Top 60 Catholic schools in the nation for academic excellence. In 2009, Springfield Catholic Schools was a Springfield Business Journal Economic Impact Awards finalist in the private education category. She’s quick to point out that she alone isn’t responsible for those achievements.

“These accomplishments could not have happened without the help and support of so many people who have a vision for excellent schools,” she says. “I learned very quickly that although I am responsible for providing these opportunities for my students, in no uncertain terms could I accomplish this without the help and support of, not only my fellow teachers, and parents, but also from the greater community.”

One supporter DeMelo mentions is David O’Reilly, whose generous donation during the 2009–10 school year has enhanced students’ access to what she says is some of the best technology in southwest Missouri.

Students at Springfield Catholic Schools are required to perform at least 60 hours of community service in order to graduate from high school, and it’s important to DeMelo to set an example.

She serves as a lector at her parish, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, and she is a member of Leadership Springfield Class XXIV, which raised more than $3,000 for the Child Advocacy Center. She also is a member of Southeast Rotary, National Association of Secondary School Principals and the National Catholic Education Association.[[In-content Ad]]