New Leadership for DLS De La Salle Selects First Lay President John M. Knight named Brother Thomas Lackey’s Successor The De La Salle Collegiate Board of Trustees has selected John M. Knight to be the next President of the school. He becomes the first lay President of De La Salle.
President Brother Thomas Lackey, President Emeritus Brother Robert Carnaghi, and Brother Patrick McNally, also interviewed each of the finalists.
Dr. John Moore, Board Chairman, made the announcement in late February 2015.
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“I am grateful to the Board of Trustees for the invitation to serve the De La Salle Collegiate community as its next president,” said Knight. “A Lasallian education is a gift from God, and a call to each one of us to continue each day to live out the Gospel message of Jesus to love one another, to be accepting of all, to forgive those who harm us, and to always take care of those who are marginalized in our world. De La Salle Collegiate is a school that has, through its storied history, represented well the spirit of St. John Baptist de La Salle. It is an honor to be joining this exceptional school community.” Knight succeeds Brother Thomas Lackey, who announced in June 2014 that he would be stepping down at the conclusion of the 2014-15 academic year after four years at the helm. Knight’s appointment concludes a seven-month search process led by a subcommittee of the Board of Trustees, and involving stakeholders from within the De La Salle community.
“It is an honor to join this exceptional school community.” As President, Knight will have primary responsibility for reinforcing and amplifying the high school’s Lasallian Mission, achieving the goals of the recently completed strategic plan, and serving as the school community’s faith leader. “We could not be more pleased to announce John Knight’s joining our De La Salle family. He is well-equipped to represent the
Lasallian charism that makes our Catholic educational institution so unique,” said Dr. Moore, a 1975 De La Salle graduate. “We are also excited that he brings his considerable experience to help forward our strategic plan, build upon the great things that are happening right now at our school, and help La Salle to become an ever more important and positive change agent in the greater southeast Michigan community. “We are grateful for the service that Brother Tom has rendered to the school,” Moore added. “As a result of the efforts of Brother Tom, our Principal Pat Adams, the administrative team and the faculty, our school has an impressive list of accomplishments over the past four years. We look forward to working with John, Pat, and the DLS team as they continue in our tradition of building boys and making men.” Knight brings a wealth of experience to his new position, having spent the last 28 years in Catholic secondary education. He has served as school president at both St. Ignatius Prep in San Francisco (CA), and Canisius High School in Buffalo (NY). Prior to moving into school leadership, Knight spent 15 years at University of Detroit Jesuit High School in Detroit in campus ministry and as a teacher and coach.
