The Cristo Rey Fort Worth Board of Directors this week announced the appointment of Dani Ray Barton as interim president of Cristo Rey Fort Worth College Prep, effective immediately. She will replace Nathan M. Knuth, who is leaving the school to pursue new opportunities, according to a press release.
Barton is the longest-serving leader of the Cristo Rey Fort Worth staff, joining in 2017.
Barton was the founding director of the Corporate Work Study Program (CWSP). In that capacity, she has led the CWSP to become one of the highest-rated work-study programs in the entire nationwide Cristo Rey Network.
The mission of the Cristo Rey network of high schools is disrupting generational cycles of poverty through a Catholic faith-based college preparatory curriculum integrated with a work-study program.
Cristo Rey was founded in Chicago in 1996 by Jesuits, a religious order of the Roman Catholic Church, to serve students from underserved, low income families. The network has grown to 35 schools across the country, including Dallas and Houston.
Cristo Rey came to Fort Worth at the invitation of Bishop Michael Olson of the Diocese of Fort Worth.
According to Cristo Rey Fort Worth, the network partners with more than 3,200 businesses nationwide, including 70 in Fort Worth. Cristo Rey’s work-study model involves local business and corporate partners, which cover about 50% of the tuition to the school through a sponsorship of students they select during an annual "draft day" to come work for them one day a week throughout the school year. The students work at the companies that “drafted” them to earn their tuition while gaining real-life experience.
Last year, the school welcomed its biggest freshman class since opening in 2018.
Chase Medelberg, associate director of the CWSP, will take on the role of acting director, according to school officials.
Knuth had served since March 2020.
“He has helped move our school forward and graduate our first class of high school seniors, who were all accepted into college,” the board said in a statement. “We thank Nathan for his contributions and wish him the greatest success in his new endeavors.”