Marquette University High School Board Chair Sharon deGuzman has formed the Presidential Search Committee to lead a comprehensive, mission-driven national search for the school’s next president.

Committee members include:

The search will be led by co-chairs Anne Zizzo and John McDermott ’76. Patrick Gallagher, the Midwest Province Jesuits Associate Provincial Assistant for Secondary Education, will serve the committee along with deGuzman.

• Fr. Joe Simmons, SJ, ’00 — Assistant Professor of Theology, Marquette University; MUHS Board member
• Mr. Tom Jackson — Theology Chair, Marquette High; MUHS Board member
• Dr. Gonzalo Barinaga ’04 — Orthopedic Surgeon, Orthopedic Institute of Wisconsin; MUHS Board member
• Ms. DeVona Wright Cottrell — Chief Legal Officer & General Counsel, GMR Marketing; MUHS Board member

The committee will guide the process, hear from the community and share updates, and recommend the final candidate to the Board of Directors by spring 2026. 

In early October, the Rev. Michael Marco, S.J., announced he will conclude his service as president at the end of the current school year, and will be embarking on his next mission with the Midwest Province. Father Marco, who became the 11th president of MUHS in 2016, has guided the school through a decade of growth and success.

About the search committee leaders

Sharon deGuzman is a Managing Director and Senior Portfolio Manager at Baird Advisors, with over 35 years of investment experience. She serves as Chair of the MUHS Board of Directors, and her leadership extends across numerous civic and faith-based boards in the community including Catholic Charities, the American Red Cross SE WI and the American Lung Association. Her husband, Jim ’82, graduated from MUHS, and their five children attended Divine Savior Holy Angels and MUHS: Luke ’23 and William ’23, and daughters Nicole (DSHA ’15), Mara (DSHA ‘22) and Olivia (DSHA ’23).

John McDermott is the former Senior Vice President at Rockwell Automation, where he spent 39 years in leadership roles. He has served on several boards, including Divine Savior Holy Angels, the Skylight Opera Theatre and the MUHS Board of Directors from 2002-2008. An MUHS alumnus, he is married to DSHA alumna Chris Oldam-McDermott and is the father of MUHS and DSHA alumni John "Jack" McDermott '10, Joseph McDermott '06 and Erin McDermott-Stanek, a 2004 graduate of DSHA.

Anne Zizzo is the founder and CEO of Zizzo Group Engagement Marketing. She served on the Executive Committee of the MUHS Board of Directors, chaired its Marketing Committee from 2018 to 2024, and is the mother of MUHS alumni Johnny Zizzo ‘15 and Antonio Zizzo ‘17. Anne has also holds leadership roles on multiple boards, including Froedtert Thedacare Health, Marquette University, and the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee.

In his role as Associate PASE, Patrick Gallagher supports Jesuit secondary and pre-secondary schools in the Midwest Province in the areas of school governance, mission formation, and leadership development working closely with boards, presidents, principals, and mission formation officers. Prior to joining the Midwest Province office, Gallagher served for 16 years at Saint Ignatius High School in Cleveland, where, among other achievements, he helped lead the academic focus of the school's strategic plan Vision '30.

MUHS has hired Spano Pratt Executive Search, a national executive search firm specializing in recruiting CEOs and senior leaders for nonprofit organizations and foundations. Recent clients include Special Olympics Wisconsin, Nativity Jesuit Academy, Milwaukee Jewish Federation, Messmer Catholic High School and UWM Foundation.

MUHS Vice President of Communications & Marketing Tim Cigelske will serve as the committee’s communications liaison to internal and external audiences throughout the search.

The committee will share community listening opportunities and a candidate profile in the coming weeks. Updates will be posted on the MUHS website as milestones are reached.