Joseph E. Vorbach III can see the big piles
of dirt from his window at Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington.
Construction has begun on a new academic building and a 160-seat stone chapel —
a welcome upgrade for the 62-year-old high school. Vorbach says the intense and
challenging project also has been one of the most rewarding he’s been a part of
during his 11 years working at his alma mater. This summer, he’s trading that
view for one a few miles away as he transitions to his new role as the diocesan
superintendent of schools.
“Dr. Vorbach is a successful school
administrator, a highly respected leader, and most importantly a devout
Catholic gentleman who will assist me in this ministry by helping to lead our
schools with great skill and an authentic witness to our faith,” said Bishop
Michael F. Burbidge.
Vorbach will replace Jennifer Bigelow,
who has been superintendent since 2016. She will become associate
superintendent for curriculum with the Diocese of Richmond.
Vorbach credits his many mentors for his
love of education, starting with his parents. “The
traits they shared most strongly in common were their faith and their interest
in constantly learning, valuing knowledge and the pursuit of understanding,” he
said.
The caring teachers at O’Connell made
their mark on him as well. “I’m still in touch with
friends and mentors, including a coach who was very impactful in terms of
helping young people keep faith and balance in their lives,” he said. His
geometry teacher memorably showed him the connections between art and math. An
English teacher encouraged him and his classmates to write and gave him a
rosary on the day of his graduation.
After high school, Vorbach continued his
studies at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn., where he graduated
in 1987. “My
comparative politics instructor at the academy was a young lieutenant who had
just graduated from the Fletcher School at Tufts University with a degree in
international relations. I remember saying that's exactly what I want to do,”
he said. So he earned his doctorate at Tufts in Boston and later taught
American foreign policy, international relations and similar classes at the
Coast Guard Academy.
While living in Arlington and working at
the National Defense University, he began considering a career change. “My son was rehearsing with the choir at St. Ann (in
Arlington) one night and I was waiting nearby, reading the Catholic Herald, when I saw the ad for the principal
position,” he said. “I thought I could bring something to the table, so I
inquired and ultimately applied.”
Vorbach started working at O’Connell in
2008 and transitioned into the head of school role in 2013, the same year he
earned his master’s degree in school leadership from Marymount University in
Arlington. He and his wife of nearly 28 years, Colleen, have two children,
Dylan and Mary Frances, who both graduated from O’Connell. He and his wife are
parishioners at St. Philip Church in Falls Church.
During his time at the high school, Vorbach
and his colleagues worked to further the school’s faith mission. “It sounds trite to say but we’re not trying just to get
them into college, we’re trying to get them into heaven,” he said. “The whole
mission here is that when life presents these young people challenges, they
will have their faith to reach to. We help them develop their abilities, to use
the gifts God’s given them, to have that sense of God’s presence.”
Vorbach is looking forward to the new
challenge of using his gifts in service of all diocesan schools. “There’s a lot of really good people at the diocese whom
I’ve come to know over the years,” he said. “I’m privileged to join the team
and make my contribution.”
Bishop Burbidge’s statement
The Most Reverend Michael F. Burbidge has appointed Dr.
Joseph E. Vorbach, III as Superintendent of Schools for the Diocese of
Arlington, effective July 1, 2019. Dr. Vorbach is currently Head of School at
Bishop Denis J. O’Connell High School, in Arlington, Va. This appointment follows
a search process conducted by a committee of highly-talented Catholic
educators, led by the Reverend Lee Roos, Pastor of All Saints Church in
Manassas. The committee reviewed applications from many qualified candidates
from across the nation and recommended Dr. Vorbach as the most outstanding
candidate.
Dr. Vorbach is a 1983 graduate of Bishop O’Connell High
School. He received a Bachelor’s degree in Government from the U.S Coast Guard
Academy, a Master’s degree and a Doctorate in International Relations from
Tufts University and a Master’s degree in Education from Marymount University
in Arlington. After a 20-year career in the U.S Coast Guard, Dr. Vorbach served
briefly at the National Defense University before becoming Principal at Bishop
O’Connell in 2008 and President (Head of School) in 2013.
In addition to outstanding leadership in the effort to
promote the integration of the school’s Catholic identity in all areas of
student life, Dr. Vorbach has achieved significant milestones in enrollment,
philanthropic support, capital improvement, curricular development and
inclusive education at Bishop O’Connell. Bishop Burbidge observed, “The
ministry of teaching the faith is one of my greatest responsibilities as a
diocesan bishop. Dr. Vorbach is a successful school administrator, a highly
respected leader, and most importantly a devout Catholic gentleman who will
assist me in this ministry by helping to lead our schools with great skill and
an authentic witness to our faith.”
Upon accepting this appointment, Dr. Vorbach stated: “This
opportunity is an honor, and I am truly humbled to have been appointed to this
critical role in the Diocese of Arlington, in which I will assist in Bishop
Burbidge’s teaching ministry and administration of our Catholic schools. I look
forward to collaborating with colleagues in the Office of Catholic Schools to
promote Catholic education and supporting the parents who entrust their
children to our schools. Over the past 11 years, I have personally witnessed
the great zeal for the mission of Catholic education expressed by countless
people in this Diocese, and from that, I know the potential that lies ahead in
what we, as the Body of Christ, can accomplish.”