By Lindsay Steele
The Catholic Messenger
KEOKUK — Keokuk native Shari Bozorgzad is returning to her hometown to serve as principal of St. Vincent School.
Bozorgzad has more than 30 years of experience in education around the globe, including at St. Vincent, where in the late 1990s and early 2000s she founded, directed and taught in the preschool program. Most recently, she served as an academic dean, department head and teacher in McLean, Virginia.
“Coming back to my hometown feels very surreal,” said Bozorgzad, known generally to students as “Mrs. B.” “St. Vincent’s is where I started my educational journey, and I am thankful for the foundational skills and life-long friendships I received. I am honored to lead my alma mater!”
Bozorgzad is an alumnus of St. Vincent and Cardinal Stritch Catholic Schools in Keokuk. Cardinal Stritch later merged to form Holy Trinity Catholic Jr./Sr. High School in Fort Madison. She earned her M.Ed. in Elementary Education and a certificate in Leadership and School Management from Harvard University. She and her husband of 37 years have two children and one grandchild.
Bozorgzad said her hope for St. Vincent “is to continue offering a rigorous faith-based education while nurturing our students’ social-emotional learning. In addition, I hope to maintain the school’s operations, grow resources and secure long-term sustainability. Our students and community deserve the very best that we have to offer.”
She is most excited to showcase St. Vincent’s “excellence in education” to the Keokuk community. “Through previous and newly formed connections, involvement and outreach, I hope to continue moving the school upward and forward.”
