Allison Hoover
By: Dean Vaglia | Madison-Park News | Published April 30, 2026
MADISON HEIGHTS/CHESTERFIELD — Austin Catholic High School kicks off May with a new face around the halls, as Allison Hoover becomes the school’s new president on Monday, May 4.
“I’m so excited and looking forward to doing some great things in the community,” Hoover said. “I consider it quite a privilege and a great responsibility to lead the school into the next chapter.”
Hoover comes to Austin Catholic with a background that has its roots in business. Graduating from Oakland University with an economics degree, Hoover worked in telecommunications and pharmaceutical sales and even started her own e-commerce business. In 2023, Hoover found an opportunity at Bishop Foley Catholic High School in Madison Heights to serve as the school’s director of advancement. While a move to education administration may not seem in line with a background in sales and entrepreneurship, Hoover’s past with Catholic education made the role stand out.
“I have a long history in Catholic education, personally,” Hoover said. “My brother (and) my grandfather graduated from De La Salle, which is an all-boys Catholic school. My daughter went to St. Lawrence in Utica from the time she was about 3 years old all the way through 14. My parents both attended St. Clement when that was a co-ed Catholic school in Center Line, and I myself am a graduate of Regina High School. I really appreciate the values of Catholic education and all of the great things it did for so many in my life and many of my family members’ lives.”
Hoover would go from director of advancement to senior director of advancement at Bishop Foley, combining her career experience with her background in Catholic education to help students and families find success. But when Austin Catholic posited it was looking for a new president, Hoover saw an opportunity to expand on what she believed were the school’s strengths.
“Austin is a very unique value proposition,” Hoover said. “I think that they offer accessibility and excellence in the community. They’ve got some very interesting pillars going for them.”
Notable points that stood out to Hoover was the quality of the education, the small class sizes and a supportive community.
“When I looked at it, I saw a location that’s fantastic — over in Chesterfield off 23 Mile Road, so they had coordinates that families can reach,” Hoover said. “It’s co-ed. That’s a really unique value proposition for families. (It is) Catholic, and in addition, they are at a very competitive cost point. All of those things make it attainable for many families that are in the area, so when I saw the president role open up, I thought, with all of those value propositions and my background, I would have an incredible opportunity to really expand its reach here in the community.”
In the future, Hoover hopes to make Austin Catholic a “first-choice destination” for families looking for a school to put their kids through and build up Austin Catholic’s presence in the community. She aims to work with local organizations, businesses and alumni to help get the school’s name into the world and communicate what she believes is the value of an education at Austin Catholic High School.
And while Hoover is only just getting into the role this May, she’s already planning to get out and spread the work about Austin Catholic. When not out speaking with community members, Hoover plans to work on the impact stories of past Austin Catholic families and alumni to help with communicating and promoting Austin Catholic to the world.
“This week, Austin was featured on Channel 7,” Hoover said. “Our STEAM students put together a 3D printed prosthetic arm for a third-grade student in Grand Haven. The student had been born with a congenital birth defect, and our students 3D printed a prosthetic arm for the student. Stories like that, I want to make sure we are doing all that we can to get that out into the community and all tying back to making sure everyone knows Austin is really a first-choice destination when you’re looking for community and impact and a Catholic education in the area.”