St. Peter Faber Academy Leadership
Principal Sarah Bitzer
The University has selected Sarah Bitzer as St. Peter Faber Academy's inaugural Principal. Bitzer brings 12 years' experience as Principal across two Catholic schools in the Cincinnati area with a focus on comprehensive planning, transformation and strategic enrollment. Bitzer is also a Xavier graduate, holding a Master of Education Administration degree and having completed coursework at the University to receive her Principal and Superintendent licenses.
"I am truly excited to embark on this incredible journey with our youngest learners as they experience the transformational learning that comes from being connected to Xavier University," Bitzer said. "This unique partnership will provide a rare and valuable opportunity for our students to interact with Xavier students and professors. These relationships will provide enriching learning opportunities, further enhancing the student's educational experience. As the founding principal of St. Peter Faber Academy, I feel blessed to help shape a school culture that embodies Xavier’s values of educating the whole child — spiritually, academically, socially, and emotionally. Together, we will build a legacy at St. Peter Faber Academy, one that will positively impact many generations of graduates. I am excited to be part of this foundational process and to see how our school, in collaboration with Xavier University, will grow and thrive in the years to come."
Ann Marie Reinke
Transition Coordinator
Ann Marie Reinke is a retired teacher, school and district administrator with 38 years of experience in education. Ann Marie earned her BA in Education from Wilmington College of Ohio, an MA in Educational Leadership from Miami University of Ohio and has taken coursework at Xavier University to gain her Superintendent’s licensure.
During her career at Sycamore Community Schools, Ann Marie earned National Board Certification as a Middle Childhood Generalist. She started the Sycamore Literacy Council and the STEAM Council, two district-level organizations that led curriculum innovations within the district. These innovations were recognized regionally and statewide.
Delane Bender-Slack
Professor of Literacy, Director of the School of Education, Program Director for both Reading and TESOL
Delane Bender-Slack is Professor of Literacy, a Director of the School of Education, and the Program Director for both Reading and TESOL at Xavier University. With 13 years as a secondary English Language Arts teacher, she is currently a teacher educator, teaching courses in English Language Arts methods, middle childhood, adolescent, and multicultural literature, content area literacy, process writing, and reading theories. She has been published in a variety of journals and has published four books, Internationalization in the Classroom: Going Global, The Nicaraguan Literacy Campaign: The Power and Politics of Literacy, Towards Anti-Racist Educational Research: Radical Moments and Movements, and Equity-Oriented Critical Curricula: Envisioning Hope with Students. She coordinated and implemented international experiences in Peru, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. She has been involved in planning and implementing Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) across the campus, also collaborating with various international colleagues in Peru, Mexico, Ireland, and Ecuador. She received a Global Teacher Education Fellowship and a Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad (GPA) Program Grant from the U.S. Department of Education. Her research interests include social justice teaching, global issues/perspectives, gender, critical literacy, curriculum studies, study abroad, and adolescent literacy.
Brett Anthony Burton
Associate Professor of Education, Director of the School of Education, Program Director for Educational Administration
Brett Anthony Burton, is an Associate Professor and in Xavier University's Educational Administration program focusing on school leadership and preparing future principals, assistant principals, and athletic directors. Dr. Burton is a Director for the School of Education. Dr. Burton has over 20 years of experience in public education from Suburban Chicago. His experience includes elementary teacher, serving as an Elementary Principal, Middle School Principal, Assistant Principal at the middle and high school levels, High School Athletic Director, and Assistant Professor in Education Administration at Xavier University. Dr. Burton holds multiple licenses as a teacher and school administrator, including a Superintendent Endorsement from the state of Illinois and an Ohio Superintendent License. His research interests are school improvement, artificial intelligence, school crisis planning, and self-determination theory. Dr. Burton serves as the President elect for the Ohio Council of Professors in Educational Administration (OCPEA).
Fr. Eric Sundrup, S.J.
Vice President for Mission and Ministry, University Chaplain
Fr. Eric Sundrup, S.J. entered the Society of Jesus in 2003 after completing his undergraduate degree at Xavier University in Cincinnati, OH.
During his formation, he has worked in a number of Jesuit high schools in the United States as well as Peru. Fr. Sundrup has a master’s degree in Philosophy from Loyola University Chicago and an M.Div. from the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University in Berkeley, CA.
Eric was ordained in 2014 and worked as a campus minister and as the director of Hispanic ministry for St. Mary Student Parish at the University of Michigan.
He is one of the founders of The Jesuit Post, a website and social media outreach project targeted at 20-30-year-olds and that work led him to America Media where he worked from 2016-2019 as an associate editor focused on podcasts and partnerships.
He was the Pastor of Bellarmine Chapel from 2019-2023, Associate Vice President for Mission and Ministry at XU from 2023-2024 and currently serves as the Vice President for Mission and Ministry.