National Catholic Education Commission executive director Jacinta Collins will step down in 2026, after serving in the role since February 2019.
Bishops Commission for Catholic Education chair Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP and NCEC chair Nicholas Moore made the announcement in a statement on the NCEC website.
“With sincere admiration and deep gratitude for her significant service to Catholic education, we write to inform you that Jacinta Collins has decided that this chapter of her contribution to public life and her leadership of the National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) will come to an end in early 2026,” Archbishop Fisher and Mr Moore said in the statement.
The chairs said that in her seven years at the helm of the NCEC, Ms Collins “has been able to navigate a complex federated educational system with grace and poise and secure recognition for Catholic education through deliberate and informed representation”.
“Jacinta had the courage to step into the leadership of the NCEC after a very difficult period in the funding history of Catholic education and steered us to a place of stability and relative security,” they said.
“As a direct result of her advocacy, Catholic education secured the current funding agreement which ensures parents have the right to choose a quality Catholic education for their children.
“Not only has her campaign for accessible Catholic education formed the system we are all proud to serve but she has established herself as the leading expert on school funding and resource allocation.”
Archbishop Fisher and Mr Moore described Ms Collins as a “deeply faith-filled person” whose “commitment to the Mission of the Church is evident in her decision making, her strategic planning and her representation of our sector”.
“Unapologetically Catholic in both public and private engagements, Jacinta is a model of lay leadership for future leaders in Catholic education,” they said.
“As the Bishops Commission for Catholic Education establishes an independent review of the mission, governance and operations of the NCEC, the next phase of its leadership will build on the legacy of Jacinta’s contribution.”
The Bishops Commission for Catholic Education will oversee the search for the new executive director, with recruitment to begin in the coming months.
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