Dr. Dan O’Connell currently serves as Assistant Principal for Faculty Development at Loyola High School. He returned to his alma mater after serving as the Deputy Superintendent of High Schools for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, where he led a system of 51 Catholic high schools and was responsible for growing the academic, spiritual, organizational, and fiscal excellence in the schools. Prior to becoming Deputy Superintendent, he served as Director of High School Curriculum & Leadership Development for the Archdiocese. In this role, he worked with school leaders and teachers of the Catholic high schools to increase student achievement and college readiness through a focus on instructional leadership, effective teaching practice, rigorous curriculum design, and assessment for learning. Before joining the Department of Catholic Schools, he served as principal of Verbum Dei High School, a Jesuit Cristo Rey all-boys high school located in Watts, where he developed and nurtured a collaborative, data-informed culture focused on ongoing improvement leading to improved student academic outcomes, including 100% of seniors accepted to college. Dan began his education career at Loyola High School, serving in Campus Ministry, teaching English, coaching diving, and moderating clubs.
Dr. O’Connell holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of California, Berkeley; a California Single Subject Teaching Credential in English; and a Tier 2 Administrative Services Credential. He earned a Master of Arts in Secondary Education from Loyola Marymount University in 2004 and a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership for Social Justice from Loyola Marymount University in 2008.