St. Clair Catholic is pleased to share that Trustee John Van Heck has been acclaimed as Regional Director for the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association (OCSTA). In this role, John will represent Catholic school boards in our region—including St. Clair Catholic, Windsor-Essex, and London District—as part of the OCSTA Board of Directors, which leads advocacy efforts and provides a strong provincial voice for publicly funded Catholic education in Ontario.

John follows in the faithful footsteps of Trustee Linda Ward, who has served on the OCSTA Board of Directors since 2007. A trustee with St. Clair Catholic since 2000, Linda has been acclaimed to the OCSTA Board ever since her election and has provided decades of extraordinary dedication, advocacy, and servant leadership in support of Catholic education.

“I am very pleased that John will be stepping into my shoes,” says Linda Ward. “He brings a great deal of knowledge and experience in education and is a true role model in his Catholic faith.”

“We are thrilled for John and this next step in his leadership journey,” says Lisa Demers, Director of Education. “His voice will be a tremendous gift to OCSTA, just as Linda’s has been for so many years. Our board and our students have been incredibly blessed by the faithful service of both trustees.”

“It’s truly an honour to serve Catholic education in this new role,” says John Van Heck. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to represent our region and to continue building on the strong foundation that leaders like Linda Ward have laid. I look forward to contributing to the mission of OCSTA and working with trustees across Ontario in service of Catholic education.”

Congratulations, John — and thank you, Linda!