In December of last year, it was announced that Dr. Jeremiah Russell was named the new Associate Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama and that he would begin his duties following the completion of the 2024-2025 school year. Russell graciously granted the One Voice an interview to introduce himself to the faithful of the diocese: the complete text of which follows herein. To learn more about diocesan Catholic schools, please visit bhmdiocese.org.

What is your background? 

I join the Catholic Schools Office entering my ninth year working for the diocese—serving six years as principal of St. John Paul II Catholic High School in Huntsville and two years as principal at Sacred Heart Catholic School in Anniston. My new role as associate superintendent is a position that I thought I might pursue years down the road, but as the position continued to remain open after a few rounds of searching, it increasingly was on my mind. Through a period of discernment, speaking with the superintendent, my spouse, and other confidants, I decided to apply. This role was attractive to me because it is service—helping and supporting our principals in their ministries. At least that’s how I view it. I also knew that the superintendent, Margaret Dubose, needed an extra set of hands to help carry out the vision and initiatives of the Catholic Schools Office, and I knew, working with her for several years, that my strengths and work experience would complement the staff. 

What will your duties be in your new position? 

The way in which I will support the superintendent and serve our principals is through several key areas of responsibility, including working on initiatives related to Catholic identity and its integration into all aspects of school life; monitoring schools to ensure that we do everything necessary to maintain our accreditation; helping schools in planning and executing continuous improvement; supporting school administrators and staff in the areas of finance and facilities; and developing programs for Catholic school leadership development. 

Based on your previous work/life experiences, what are your goals for the Schools Office? 

As with any new position, I first want to listen—listen to the principals and our school communities. Having served in Catholic schools within our diocese, I do have an advantage in already knowing some of the strengths and needs of our schools. This year, among other things, I will be forming a committee to develop Artificial Intelligence (AI) guidelines for Catholic schools within our diocese, facilitating our new principal mentor program, and helping our schools determine their current enrollment capacity. In addition, I’m most excited about creating a year-long program for those within our diocese who are interested in learning more about serving our schools as principals or other leadership roles, which hopefully will begin in the fall of 2026. 

Where do you go to church?   

My family and I are members of Annunciation of the Lord Parish in Decatur. We joined the parish in 2020 after moving to Decatur when I took the position at St. John Paul II. We enjoy our parish home and are active there in various ways. 

Now that you have joined the Chancery staff, what do you look forward to most?  

I am really looking forward to getting out into the wonderful schools across our diocese and helping our principals in their ministries. Being a Catholic school principal is a very demanding job—you are responsible for the spiritual life of the school, its academic success, the safety and wellbeing of the community, the development and morale of the staff, the facilities, the finances, and much more. Knowing that full well, I am excited to serve and support our principals in the diocese by helping them in any way I can so that they have the time to focus on improving the spiritual and academic formation of the students God has entrusted to our care. 

If you want to share about your family, please do?  

My wife and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary this year. She is the music director at Annunciation of the Lord Parish, as well as the music teacher at Holy Family Catholic School in Huntsville. We have two daughters, who both attend St. John Paul II Catholic High School in Huntsville.