Director
Dr. Denise Ball is an award-winning Catholic educator, author, researcher, retreat facilitator, and United States Army veteran with more than twenty-eight years of experience in Catholic education. Her career has included service as a teacher, principal, and Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning. She now supports educators and school leaders as an ADAC executive consultant, through teaching, research, professional learning, leadership development, writing, and retreats designed to strengthen school communities and awaken the hearts of Catholic educators.
Dr. Ball holds a bachelor’s degree from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, a master’s degree from the University of Detroit Mercy, and a doctoral degree from Liberty University. She serves as an Assistant Professor of School Administration and Supervision at Marymount University, where her teaching and research focus on school culture, teacher retention, educational leadership, and the role of professional learning in creating environments where educators thrive.
She has presented her scholarly work internationally at the Oxford Education Research Symposium and continues to collaborate with educators and researchers focused on strengthening school culture, leadership, belonging, and educator well-being. She hosts the Sharing the Good with Dr. Denise Ball podcast.
Author of The Four Pillars of JOY for Catholic Educators—A Pocket Retreat (Loyola Press, 2026) and co-author of The Middle School Culture Blueprint (NCEA, 2027)