SHERMAN OAKS—On Tuesday, February 9, Notre Dame High School (NDHS) announced Samuel Carl Laganà as the next President and he will begin his term in the 2021-2022 school year.
“Sam is a servant leader. His strengths include fostering strong community and civic relations as well as coordinating advancement activities as part of a team that raised $440 million in a university-wide campaign. Having served on numerous boards for many worthwhile causes throughout the city, he brings with him a deep, lifelong commitment to Los Angeles, an eagerness to engage with our Notre Dame community, and a desire to bolster students’ voices and sense of belonging,” the school said in an official statement.
Laganà currently serves as the Associate Vice Chancellor at Pepperdine University and has been with them since 2002. He holds a BA from Loyola Marymount University and earned an MBA from Pepperdine University.
“We are blessed to enter this new decade under Sam’s leadership as we move forward with a renewed spirit and commitment to our mission. We are delighted that Sam brings with him such a deep connection to higher education, his faith, and our diverse Los Angeles community, all of which are at the heart of Notre Dame,” said Board Chair Justin Rawlins.
“It is truly an honor to be selected as the president and chief executive of Notre Dame High School,” Laganà in an official statement. “I look forward to fully embracing, promoting, and expanding the mission of student success and the commitment to educating the mind and heart. The values of NDHS, offering students the finest academics with co-curricular avenues to a collegiate experience while emphasizing core relational and faith-based principles, is something the faculty, staff, and the Congregation of Holy Cross have established as foundational strengths since 1947. I look forward to getting to the campus in July to join with the faculty, staff, and stakeholders to build on the efforts to advance the finest cross-cultural, diverse, coeducational Catholic high school in greater Los Angeles. My gratitude goes out to Board Chair Justin Rawlins and the entire Board of Directors, as well as the search committee led by Chair Jamie Wagenbach, for this extraordinary opportunity. May our Lady of Victory pray for us!”
Laganà and his wife currently reside in Pacific Palisades and are active members of Corpus Christi parish. They also have two daughters who were both educated in Catholic schools.
