De La Salle Institute (De La Salle) is pleased to announce that Carlene Klaas will be the Dean of Enrollment Management. As the chief enrollment executive, Klaas will report to President Fr. Paul Novak, OSM; oversee the Admissions operations of the school; and provide leadership to strategically plan, develop, coordinate, and implement De La Salle’s comprehensive enrollment management and retention efforts.
“Carlene is one of those rare individuals who demonstrates a clear understanding of data-driven strategies while displaying tremendous emotional intelligence. She is a seasoned professional with connections throughout the City and country, and we are confident that she will keep our enrollment management plan moving forward,” said Fr. Novak. “Throughout her career, she has championed programs that remove barriers for students, so her values align perfectly with our commitment to equity and inclusion. We are very excited to have her lead our admissions team.”
Klaas will start the position on July 1, 2021, taking the place of John Brogan who will focus full time on his role as Dean of Social Sciences. “I am grateful to John for his strategic leadership of the Admissions team,” noted Fr. Novak. “Under his direction the school has put in place excellent recruitment practices and sustained positive enrollment rates during a critical transition period in our school’s history when we merged the girls’ and boys’ campuses into one coeducational experience. I know John will continue to serve as a resource and a guiding force for Carlene and the Admissions team.”
Klaas received both her BSC and MBA from DePaul University. At DePaul, Carlene has worked as an admission counselor, associate director of admission and director of admission, serving as Dean of Undergraduate Admission since 2007. She is currently a member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling, the Illinois Association for College Admission Counseling, and the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers.
“I am thrilled to be joining an outstanding institution that is dedicated to providing a robust Catholic high school experience for students,” stated Klaas. “De La Salle truly strives to live out its mission of preparing Chicagoans of all backgrounds for college and beyond and I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of the team.”
De La Salle Institute, founded by the Brothers of the Christian schools, has served the students of Chicagoland for over 130 years making it the third oldest Catholic High School in the Archdiocese of Chicago. De La Salle fosters the Lasallian values of faith, service, community and a passion for academic and athletic excellence.
Media Contact:
David Terry, terryd@dls.org; 312-842-7355 x 145