Maryville head named

By Michelle Martin
Staff writer

Maryville Academy, once the largest provider of residential care for children in the country, has its first new executive director in more than 30 years.

School Sister of St. Francis Sister Catherine Ryan assumed the post Dec. 1.

Ryan, 58, had led the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Juvenile Justice Bureau since 1997. Prior to that, she was in private practice as an attorney specializing in family law and a prosecutor for the state’s attorney.

Ryan will take over a troubled institution. The Maryville City of Youth Des Plaines Campus came under scrutiny in 2002, following the suicide of a teen girl and findings that staff members reported it improperly. During the course of the investigation, several incidents, including fights and alleged sexual assaults among the young residents came to light.

Father John P. Smyth had led Maryville from 1970 until he stepped down Jan. 1. The former chief operations officer, Father David Ryan, served as acting executive director until Sister Ryan’s appointment. Smyth is expected to stay on as president emeritus, focusing on fundraising, and as a pastor at Maryville. Father Ryan is expected to be assigned to a parish.

“Sister Ryan uniquely combines knowledge and experience with leadership,” said Charles Walsh, chairman of Maryville’s board, in a Nov. 29 announcement. “She brings compassion and vision to the position, assuring us that our mission and Father John Smyth’s foundation in child care at Maryville are in good hands.”

Catherine Ryan was born in Davenport, Iowa, and raised in Glenview. She attended Regina Dominican High School in Wilmette and joined the School Sisters of St. Francis in 1965. She holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Alverno College in Milwaukee, a law degree from Northwestern University and a master’s in business administration from DePaul University.

After the troubles at Maryville were exposed, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich announced plans to remove all state wards from Maryville in September 2003. Shortly thereafter, the state and Maryville officials announced plans to transform the facility into an educational institution for older wards of the state.

But Smyth said he planned to continue accepting private placements of children for residential care. Walsh said that Maryville’s combined campuses—which include facilities for medically complex children, a reception center for infants coming into state care, a psychiatric treatment center and other programs—have 273 wards, including 17 from private placements.