March 27, 2009, WORCESTER, MA -- Most Rev. Robert J. McManus, Bishop of Worcester announced today that Delma L. Josephson, Ph.D., has been named Superintendent of Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Worcester.

            Since 2004, Mrs. Josephson has been assistant superintendent of the Narragansett Regional School District which includes Templeton and Phillipston. Mrs. Josephson will retire from the regional school district and begin her duties with the diocese this summer.

According to Bishop McManus, “I am delighted to be able to hire Mrs. Josephson as superintendent. She brings a wealth of experience to the position, both in the classroom and in administration.”

            Bishop McManus, who recently completed his term as the chair of the U. S. Bishops’ Committee on Catholic Education, noted how Catholic schools are very important in the life of the diocese. “Catholic education is one of the vehicles that have strengthened the Catholic Church in the country for 150 years.”

            Mrs. Josephson looks forward to the transition from public schools to Catholic schools. She commented, “I have long supported what Catholic schools stand for and what they mean to children.”

            David Surprenant, Esq., who chaired the search committee on behalf of the diocese, said, “Of the several candidates ultimately interviewed by the Search Committee, Dr. Josephson was selected for her strong background as an educator and administrator with a particularly deep understanding of curriculum and instruction. Dr. Josephson has also demonstrated a high degree of commitment to Catholic values and is a very involved member of her home parish of Immaculate Conception in Marlborough. She brings a high degree of energy and enthusiasm to the position.”

            She graduated from Marlboro High School and earned both her bachelor’s degree in 1976 and her master’s degree in 1982 from Framingham State College. In 2008 she received a doctorate in school administration from Boston College. She has 18 years of teaching in grades 5-12, 17 of them in Harvard. For six years at The Bromfield School she was assistant principal in a superintendent/principal administrative model that had no assistant superintendent. She was dean of students at Bromfield for two years.

            She has been involved with professional and curriculum development programs both at Narragansett and in Harvard, including a new teacher induction and year-long seminar series at Narragansett and responsibility for evaluation and supervision of one half of The Bromfield School’s teaching staff.

            In 2006 she attended the joint U.S.-China conference in Beijing which she characterizes as helping her to “focus on the need to develop global awareness for students and 21^st century skills.” Consistent with that global outlook, she is also a member of the Massachusetts Association of Teachers of Speakers of other Languages (MATSOL).

            Mrs. Josephson is a member of Immaculate Conception Parish in Marlboro. She was a lector for seven years and Eucharistic minister for five years at her parish. She taught religious education in the parish for 10 years. She was born in Marlboro and lived in Worcester until the family moved to Sterling, where they were members of St. Richard of Chichester Parish before returning to Marlboro.

            Mrs. Josephson has a broad array of community involvement in areas both directly and indirectly involving young people. She oversaw budget and fund raising for the Marlboro Girls Club Inc. She was one of two co-founders of Girls Inc. of Marlboro, formerly the Girl’s Club. She was a member of the Marlboro Boys and Girls Club advisory board and board of governors. From 1973 to 1976 she was a member of the Girls Club of America national board of directors. For seven years she served as a member of the Harvard Substance Abuse Prevention Task Force. She is a former member of the Greater Marlboro United Way, served seven years on the Harvard Substance Abuse Prevention Task Force, and nine years as Liquor License Commissioner for Marlborough.