Mathew Heersche, EdD
Partner
Catholic School Practice Leader
Head of School Search, Organizational Development, Governance
Over the course of his career, Matt has developed a wealth of knowledge and information about Catholic schools. His BA and Masters from California State University are in the field of Linguistics. His doctorate from the University of San Francisco/Institute for Catholic Education Leadership is in Private School Administration with a specific focus in international education.
Matt began his teaching in higher education with the California State University and from time to time, has returned to that world as lecturer at Los Angeles Valley College, and professor at Senzoku Gakuen College, Japan and Troy State University, Korea and Hawaii.
His experience with independent schools includes teacher and associate dean of students at St. Vincent’s High School (CA); teacher, coach and Director of the International Student Program at Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy (CA), and academic dean at Marymount High School (CA) and middle school head at San Domenico (CA).
Most recently, Matt stepped down after 10 years as Head of San Domenico School - a day/boarding school founded by the Dominican Sisters, coed day in grades PK- 8 and girls only boarding/day in grades 9 -12. Among his accomplishments were the creation of a Master Plan, the new construction of a science and technology center, hall of the arts and athletic center, and the installation of one of the largest school based solar systems. In addition, he was responsible for the creation of a new teacher mentoring program, implementation of Teaching Excellence/Broad Band compensation model to promote professional excellence for faculty, as well as the enhancement of best practices for faculty in such areas as integration of literacy strategies across the curriculum.
Recognizing the importance of education and being of service to the larger community, Matt has served on the board of Seeds of Learning, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving educational opportunities in rural Latin America. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Academy of Notre Dame, Tyngsboro, Massachusetts.