By Michael Gresham
The Texas Catholic

WAXAHACHIE — Sometimes, it truly is just a matter of being the right person in the right place at the right time. That is the case for Trinidad Saucedo, the new president of St. Joseph Catholic School.

“I feel like I was led here for a purpose,” said Saucedo, who served as the interim administrator for St. Joseph during the 2023-2024 school year before stepping into the president’s role as the Waxahachie school changed its leadership model for the upcoming academic year. “I think there is a lot to be excited about here at St. Joseph, and we really expect great things this year.”

Father James Yamauchi, pastor of St. Joseph Catholic Church, called Saucedo a compassionate leader, who makes clear decisions after receiving all the necessary input from others.

“She has demonstrated selfless service to enhance the school and its interests, from pursuing available grant money to fund enhanced educational material in the classroom to better automate the cafeteria system to streamline the payment of lunches,” Father Yamauchi said. “She is respected as a person of high integrity who seeks to do the right thing for the right reason.”

When she retired in 2021 from a career with the Army & Air Force Exchange that spanned more than 40 years, Saucedo expected to ease into a leisurely life of retirement, looking forward to becoming more involved as a volunteer at her parish, St. Joseph Catholic Church in Waxahachie.

“I remember thinking, ‘This is great. I’m going to just do my thing and do more at my parish,’” said Saucedo, who lives in nearby Midlothian and has been a parishioner at the Waxahachie parish since 2010.

Then Father Yamauchi asked Saucedo and her husband to be a part of a leadership committee the priest was putting together for the parish school.

“He said they were wanting to look into what all the school needs,” Saucedo said.

A couple of months later, the decision was made for Saucedo to step in as the interim administrator. “Father Yamauchi said it would be for two months and then we’d select a principal.”

Saucedo tackled the job with gusto, jumping in to begin implementing plans for improving the campus, including renovating hallways, installing new lighting, and repainting areas.

“I realized that we needed to do more…we needed to do something about communications, about marketing, about finances, and about the curriculum,” Saucedo said. “We started dipping into all of these areas, and we knew we needed to do more.”

Saucedo pitched the idea of a five-year plan to the school advisory committee. Then the work began…and two months turned into more.

At that time, Father Yamauchi and Dr. Rebecca Hammel, superintendent of the Diocese of Dallas Catholic Schools, asked Saucedo to stay on throughout the academic year as they continued the search for a principal.

So, she did.

Saucedo spent the rest of the year fleshing out the five-year plan, writing and applying for grants, overseeing operations and finances, and implementing curriculum.

“I was juggling all these different tasks,” she said.

That is when Saucedo approached Father Yamauchi about implementing the president-principal model.

“In today’s culture, the pastor needs to delegate someone to handle the business operation of the parish,” Father Yamauchi said. “Similarly, the president/principal model ensures our parish school is run effectively while meeting the ongoing needs of our growing parish thanks to the respective expertise of both leaders. We work as a team.”

Saucedo agreed, adding that the dual posts allow for a more efficient work strategy.

“The principal can focus on teachers, parents, students, and the overall education piece,” she said. “The president then can focus on grants, finances, business plans, project management, and, in particular, marketing the school to the greater community.”

Saucedo is no stranger to Catholic education. She is a cradle Catholic who herself attended Catholic schools growing up in San Antonio and earned her bachelor’s degree in management from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio. She also earned a master’s degree in public administration from Webster University.

“One of the first things I said to Father when I started here at St. Joseph Catholic School is ‘I’m home,’” Saucedo said. “I truly was seeking a path to serve my Church, and the Lord led me here.”

Editor’s note: Find more stories about new administrators and coverage celebrating Catholic schools in the Diocese of Dallas in our Aug. 23 print edition.