BRAINTREE -- "I think it's important for school leaders to be bold," says James Hickey, head of school at Austin Prep in Reading.

Hickey became head of Austin Prep in 2013. Under his leadership, the Augustinian school is at full enrollment, has a larger staff, and has invested $22 million in upgrades to its campus. In 2022, Austin Prep left the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association and joined the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council, which serves college prep schools like Austin, a move which Hickey said has improved the experience for players and coaches.

To Hickey, it's a sign that his boldness has paid off. So is the fact that he will receive the National Catholic Educational Association's Lead. Learn. Proclaim. Award at the association's 2025 convention in Orlando, Florida, this April.

"I was very surprised by it because I didn't expect to be recognized for the work I do every day in Catholic education," Hickey told The Pilot on Jan. 17. "It's a vocation for me. I love very much what I do, so I never think of it in terms of being recognized."

The NCEA is the world's largest private professional educational association, serving as a unifying voice for Catholic schools in the U.S. Out of 140,000 Catholic school educators in the U.S., only nine of them receive the Lead. Learn. Proclaim. Award each year. The educators are nominated by their schools and selected by an NCEA committee.

NCEA Vice President of Content and Program Development Laura MacDonald said that Hickey was chosen due to his "visionary leadership, commitment to faith, and dedication to building a dynamic and mission-driven school community."

"The committee recognized Hickey as an outstanding leader who is exceptional and inspiring," MacDonald told The Pilot on Jan. 17. "His dedication as a lead learner, significant contributions to the evangelizing mission of the church, and consistent demonstration of inspiration, kindness, and guidance to others were pivotal in earning him high praise and this prestigious recognition."

Hickey has worked as an educator for over 30 years in private and public schools. He was named New Jersey Principal of the Year in 2009 for his leadership of the struggling Old Bridge High School, one of the largest in the U.S. His tenure saw increased test scores and a dramatic drop in suspensions and tardiness. Old Bridge's placement in New Jersey Monthly magazine's high school rankings increased by 125. Before coming to Old Bridge, Hickey was director of development at St. Joseph-by-the-Sea High School on Staten Island. He is proud that he started his career in Catholic education and is proud of his school for the work it has been doing to strengthen its Catholic identity. He said that his success would not have been possible without the school community behind him.

"We have a robust, vibrant community that's growing and thriving," he said, "so I think that Austin Prep is, in many ways, demonstrating how good Catholic education should work."