Catherine Van Vooren

Senior education professional with 20+ years of visionary leadership combined with operational execution ability. Ensures mission delivery by scaling organizations, building partnerships, achieving consensus, and driving innovation. Relationship builder who wins stakeholder collaboration and community support to prioritize efforts, overcome obstacles, and maximize efficiencies.

Change leader who turns around underperforming organizations and leads them through major transformations. Adept at directing complex operations, managing multimillion-dollar budgets, and building scalable infrastructures. Multi-faceted expert in systems thinking, operational and capital budgeting, project management, facilities management, technology implementations, organizational restructuring, and process optimization.

Team Leader with strong communication skills who mentors talent, instills cultures of excellence, and inspires cross-functional teams to achieve strategic goals.

Independent Contractor at Van Vooren Consulting (2025-06 – Present)

Provide strategic planning, market expansion, and operational efficiency advisory services to large, medium, and small business clients across US and globally, including technology companies, educational organizations, and private equity firms. Provides content preparation, data analysis, task reviews, and data management services to startup and established AI clients.

Superintendent of Schools at Coatesville Area School District (2023-01 – 2025-01)

CEO-equivalent leadership role. Significantly improved student performance and behavior, finances, facilities, and community trust by realigning goals and strategies with educational standards and community needs, continuous improvement initiatives, and community partnerships. Expanded fundraising, imposed fiscal controls. $232M budget, 780 employees.

• Led full planning and execution of $255M in capital projects 2023—2025 for 2 new school buildings and major renovations and upgrades, building partnerships, winning stakeholder collaboration, and gaining community support.
• Applied standards-based curriculum and engagement strategies to boost elementary test scores by 5.2% in English and 10% in math, and secondary test scores by 29.5% in English and 10% in math and cut disciplinary referrals by 20%.
• Boosted daily student attendance rate by 4% across all 9 district schools between 2023 and 2024 by streamlining attendance reporting and record keeping, incentive programs, and remediation plans with child and family services.
• Restructured technology department, upgraded equipment, expanded iPad distribution to 1:1 ratio in grades K to 5 to support personal learning and digital literacy, and enhanced cybersecurity to slash cyber breaches by 97%.
• Transformed documented history of budgetary challenges including unbalanced budgets and deficits by implementing formal RFP cycle, renegotiating contracts, and eliminating unnecessary expenses, building reserves by $7.6M in 2023.

Director of Student Services at School District of Springfield Township (2021-01 – 2023-01)

Restructured special services program, realigned components with learning goals and community needs, enhanced professional training, implemented best practices. Optimized budget for instruction, technology, and supplies, managed COVID mitigation grants and other funding. Managed $1.8M budget and cross-functional team of 76.

• Managed receipt and disbursement of special education COVID mitigation and Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) grants to successfully maintain quality of targeted support services.
• Implemented key DEI policies and procedures as member of district's equitable practices committee, creating a more supportive and inclusive educational environment across the school district.

Principal, Enfield Elementary School at School District of Springfield Township (2016-09 – 2021-12)

Transformed quality of instruction, strengthened student support processes, and rebuilt staff engagement and commitment to school's mission. Directed staffing, curriculum, operations, and facility. Co-led new facility construction and move, oversaw transition to virtual learning during COVID pandemic. Managed 78 staff and $62K budget.

• Co-led design and construction of new $81.7M instructional facility, ensuring alignment with educational and operational goals.
• Honored by American School & University magazine at national architectural conference for design and construction of new school building, making presentation about project design and its effect on student learning.

Principal, Reeceville Elementary School at Coatesville Area School District (2013-08 – 2016-09)

Turned around underperforming school to improve quality of instruction, teacher accountability, operational efficiency, and community engagement to significantly improve student outcomes. Realigned special education program with strategic goals, strengthened learning culture focused on positive student outcomes. Managed 68 staff and $38K budget.

• Provided strong, visible leadership to reestablish educational, behavioral, and operational standards and instill a professional learning culture focused on student outcomes.
• Strengthened teacher accountability for student learning results including data-driven instruction, monitoring student progress, and providing individualized support.

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership and Management – Drexel University (2020)

Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Educational Leadership – Immaculata University

Bachelor of Arts in Science in Society, Child Development minor – University of Pittsburgh