Announcing Bellarmine's New President, Dr. Kelly Goodsell

To Our Bellarmine Community,

As you know, this has been a year of leadership transition for Bellarmine. After an extensive search process, and thoughtful discernment, I am pleased to announce that the Board of Directors has selected and approved Dr. Kelly Goodsell to serve as Bellarmine’s next President.

Dr. Goodsell is known to many of you as the Director of Bellarmine’s Academic Center of Excellence, a role in which she created, executed, and expanded a multifaceted program offering pathways of scholarship and support to all students – a significant strategic success for the school. As an experienced educator with a demonstrated record of building strong teams and systems to propel the institution forward, Dr. Goodsell articulates a dynamic vision for Bellarmine as it enters its next century. Most importantly, she is a faithful servant leader, immersed in our Jesuit-Catholic values, who will orient her work around the fulfillment of Bellarmine’s mission. Please join me in celebrating Bellarmine’s next President, and the first woman in history to hold that title, Dr. Kelly Goodsell.

 

With humility and gratitude, I look forward to serving Bellarmine as its next President. I will honor and strengthen our deep institutional roots while cultivating a bold future. Inspired by our Catholic legacy and Jesuit charism, Bellarmine students will be proudly world affirming, grounded in religious strength, apostolic, and committed to inquiry and dialogue. I ask you, the Bellarmine community, for your prayers and partnership as we undertake this important work together. Dr. Kelly Goodsell President-Elect

To maintain operational continuity, Dr. Goodsell will work under the title of President-Elect while she develops and implements a succession plan for leadership in the Academic Center of Excellence and gradually assumes greater responsibility from the President’s Office. At the conclusion of the first semester of the upcoming school year (January 2024), Interim President Cindy Davis will revert to her role as Principal exclusively, and Dr. Goodsell will officially hold the title of President, occupying the role in its entirety.

In closing, I want to acknowledge and express my sincere appreciation for some of the many stakeholders who supported Bellarmine through this most critical year. The Presidential Search Committee, chaired by Gavin O’Brien, worked tirelessly overseeing the search, evaluating candidates, and making a recommendation to the Board of Directors. Cindy Davis served in dual roles, Principal and Interim President, providing a stabilizing force for Bellarmine and modeling self-sacrifice on its behalf. The Staff, Faculty, and Administration filled leadership gaps and continued to animate the mission, ensuring the student experience never waned during this time of transition. And many students, parents, alumni, volunteers, and benefactors participated in the public phase of the process, offering invaluable perspective and insight, and shaping the decision through their input. The success of this search was a collective effort. On behalf of the Board of Directors, I thank you.

AMDG,

Zeb Madison, B’97
Bellarmine Board of Directors, Chair