The Institute of Notre Dame (IND), Baltimore, has appointed Charisse Fenari Wernecke as its new president. Sister Kathleen Cornell, S.S.N.D., chairperson of the board of directors, made the announcement following the unanimous recommendation of the board of directors and approval of the provincial council of the School Sisters of Notre Dame of the Atlantic Midwest Province.
Mrs. Wernecke will become the second IND president with responsibility for the overall operation of the school, which serves approximately 400 students in grades 9 through 12 with a faculty and staff of 65. She succeeds Sister Mary Fitzgerald, S.S.N.D., who had served as the school’s first president since 2000.
“The Institute of Notre Dame remains faithful to its original mission today,” said Mrs. Wernecke, a parishioner of the Shrine of the Sacred Heart, Mount Washington. “Its urban location provides ready access to the rich resources of the city of Baltimore. Through focus upon the whole person – mind, body and spirit – the Institute of Notre Dame graduates students well prepared to succeed at the undergraduate level and beyond.”
Mrs. Wernecke comes to IND after 15 years as the chief financial officer of the Boys’ Latin School of Maryland, where she taught and guided strategic initiatives. Before joining Boys’ Latin, she served as the chief financial officer of Lion Brothers Company, Inc. and as supervisor for Ernst & Young. Mrs. Wernecke has also served on the faculty of Villa Julie College, where she taught in the School of Business.
Mrs. Wernecke earned a bachelor of arts degree from Loyola College in Maryland, Baltimroe, and a master of administrative science degree from the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore. She is a certified public accountant and has served on a number of boards of directors, including Educators’ Benefits Services (EBS), a subsidiary of the Association of Independent Maryland Schools.