Jennifer Kaniecki MacNeil attended St. Joseph High School in the 1980s, when Steve Jobs first introduced the desktop computer to the masses.

“We had an Apple IIe at school and that actually launched my passion for technology,” MacNeil said. “It was while at St. Joe’s that I found an enthusiasm for that field which turned into a 28-year tech career.”

MacNeil was appointed Friday as president of her alma mater by Bishop David Zubik, head of the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh.

She brings many gifts and talents to the job, especially a desire to serve the Catholic mission and identity of the school in Harrison, Zubik said.

MacNeil replaces Beverly Kaniecki, her mother, in the role.

Kaniecki previously served 31 years as principal at St. Joe’s and will move to the position of director of special projects.

“The number of people we know from our years at St. Joe’s is invaluable,” MacNeil said. “My mom graduated in 1964, and I graduated 25 years later.

“I’m excited to pick up where she left off and keep moving the school forward.”

The Catholic high school, on Montana Avenue at Broadview Boulevard, was founded in 1915 in Natrona. It had just nine students in its first graduating class in 1917.

The high school moved to Harrison’s Natrona Heights neighborhood in 1977.

It currently has an enrollment of about 130 students. Teens come from two dioceses, 44 parishes, all four Alle-Kiski Valley counties, and 21 school districts.

Principal Kim Minick said the appointment of MacNeil is an exciting way to start the school year. On Tuesday, an official announcement regarding MacNeil’s appointment was made to the students after morning Mass.

They celebrated by having doughnuts with the new president before classes.

“I’m extremely excited to be back,” said MacNeil, who earned a bachelor’s degree from Saint Mary’s College in Indiana and a master’s from Carnegie Mellon University.

She also received a certification in Catholic School Management from Villanova University.

MacNeil, an Oakland resident, previously served on the board of directors at St. Joe’s and as a trustee to the endowment for the past 10 years.

She currently is enrolled in the online Mary Ann Remick Leadership Program at Notre Dame.

“I want to keep learning and keep us vibrant for another 100 years,” MacNeil said.

She is looking forward to partnering with Minick, who runs the day-to-day operations while MacNeil handles the mission and finances.

“We will work in tandem to take the school forward,” she said.

While much has changed since MacNeil roamed the hallways as a student, she said the mission has remained — to prepare students for college, life and heaven.

“When I was a student, we played sports on the concrete at Mary Queen of Apostles in New Ken,” she said. “We are blessed to have a gym now and, of course, the technology to prepare our students for the future.”

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)