Dr. Nadolny received his Ph.D. in Education from Oregon State University, a certificate in fundraising management from the University of Indiana, and a higher education management certificate from the University of Oxford. He taught both college- and high school-level courses in business, information technology, philosophy, and theology. He holds a master’s in theology and has served as a chaplain, Catholic youth minister, and faith formation director. He has written extensively, publishing several books and numerous articles. In 2016, in the lead up to the presidential election, he published a Washington Post editorial highlighting the positive impact free tuition made in the lives of Williston State students.
An advocate for immersion education, Dr. Nadolny’s wife Joyce Shui, who is also an attorney, operates an afterschool program that teaches students in multiple languages. Their eldest daughter is a graduate of the University of Washington and their second oldest is a freshman at the University of California Los Angeles. Their youngest daughters attend Chinese immersion schools in the Bellevue School District. Dr. Nadolny and his family currently live in Bellevue, Washington, and plan to move to Red Cloud’s campus.
Dr. Nadolny will lead Red Cloud following a time of tremendous growth and success. Red Cloud implemented its first comprehensive strategic plan, advancing the organization’s work in crucial ways. Red Cloud introduced innovative educational programs fostering Jesuit and Lakota values and culture, expanding both the groundbreaking Lakota Language Project and a series of unique arts education opportunities. As a result of comprehensive planning and innovative programming, Red Cloud is experiencing unprecedented levels of student success, inside the classroom and out. Red Cloud’s graduation rate is close to 94%, compared to an average of 70% for Native students nationwide.
Dr. Nadolny will work side-by-side with administrators, teachers, students, and community members to build on this success and to promote Lakota, Jesuit, and Catholic values across the organization. Specifically, he will focus on making significant strides toward the organization’s goals of recruiting and retaining highly qualified teachers and staff, increasing access to student scholarships, innovating Red Cloud’s unique educational programs in Lakota language and culture, updating the school’s aging infrastructure, and other key priorities.
As Red Cloud’s first lay president, Dr. Nadolny will bring new experience and perspectives to the organization, while honoring its long-standing Jesuit tradition. Red Cloud is a thriving, longstanding Jesuit institution truly special to the Society of Jesus as its only school system serving an indigenous community in the United States. Red Cloud has the strong support of Jesuit leadership and the eleven Jesuits assigned to work, teach, and provide pastoral care at Red Cloud. As Rev. Brian G. Paulson, SJ, Provincial of the Midwest Province of the Society of Jesus shared recently, “As I have come to know Ray, I appreciate his fervent energy for Catholic mission and his deep appreciation for inter-cultural partnership with the Lakota people. Ray will join my brother Jesuits, our Lakota partners, and our lay colleagues to lead Red Cloud Indian School to even greater service.”
The search for Red Cloud’s new president began in June 2018. The search committee, which included Board, staff, and administrative representation, was charged with presenting to the Board of Directors a demonstrated leader who valued Red Cloud’s unique identity and mission. In order to collect input from Red Cloud’s community about what the organization’s next president must bring to this role, the search committee shared a comprehensive survey with staff, students, families, and parishioners to gain their insight and perspective. The committee created a set of rigorous standards with which to gauge candidates for president and implemented a comprehensive strategy to recruit candidates from diverse tribal, public, and private institutions.
"We had a range of wonderful candidates for this position, but Dr. Nadolny’s experience and background is truly aligned with Red Cloud’s goals and needs,” said Maka Clifford ‘05, Red Cloud’s Director of Curriculum and Assessment and a member of the search committee. “He is not only an accomplished educator and administrator, but he also understands what it means to serve communities and institutions with limited resources and succeeded in creating extraordinary opportunities for students and families. He has a deep respect for the Lakota and Jesuit values that guide Red Cloud today—and he has already demonstrated the deep respect he holds for our community as well. I know he will work in close partnership with our students, staff, and families to achieve our goals in the years ahead.”
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