Our Leadership Team
At St. Norbert School, we are blessed to be led by an inspirational team of leaders. With such extensive experience you can feel confident that your chid’s education is in the best hands. Meet the team.
Fr. Chris Gustafson
Pastor
Dr. Maggie Hoody
Director of Curriculum & Student Services
Harold “Jack” Shepherd
Principal
MaryBeth Schwall
Assistant Principal
Lisa Oetking
Preschool Director
Fr. Chris is a great supporter and proud product of Catholic School education. He attended St. Margaret of Scotland and St. Germaine Elementary schools and Marist High School, all on the southwest side of Chicago. He then attended and received a B.A. degree from the University of Notre Dame. He went on to receive his law degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law and practiced law before attending the University of St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein, being ordained five years later in 1995.
He has served as Assoc. Pastor at Sacred Heart, Winnetka; St. Christina, Chicago; and St. Mary, Lake Forest. He also served as Pastor at Our Lady of Ransom, Niles and now at St. Norbert and Our Lady of the Brook Parish since July, 2019.
Maggie Hoody began her career as a middle school science teacher at a Catholic school in St. Paul, MN. She went on to spend over ten years in K-12 education as a classroom teacher at Catholic, public, and charter schools across grades 1-10.
In 2007, Dr. Hoody moved to higher education as faculty at Winona State University in the Department of Education where she co-led a transformational redesign of the teacher education program and was awarded tenure. In addition, Maggie was the educational research lead with InSciEd Out (2009-2018), a science education resource center serving southeast Minnesota, and the founder and director of a summer STEM Camp at Riverside Central Elementary School.
Maggie has a BA from the University of St. Thomas, an MS from Minnesota State University - Mankato, and a doctorate from the University of Minnesota. Maggie and her husband, Tom, have two boys at St. Norbert School.
With over 35 years in education, Jack Shepherd brings a deep commitment to student growth and the St. Norbert community. He spent 16 years teaching elementary grades in Des Plaines District 62, leading classrooms in 2nd and 4th grade, and a 3/4 multi-age team. He also developed and ran both an intramural sports program and a competitive chess team.
In 2005, he moved into administration, holding leadership roles in Bolingbrook, Iowa, and then spending 14 years as principal at Hanover Countryside in District U-46. After retiring from public education in 2024, he felt called to serve in Catholic education, first at St. Alphonsus in Prospect Heights, and now at St. Norbert, where he is excited to lead and grow with the community.
He and his wife Mary Jo have been married for 34 years and live in Schaumburg with their five children. Their youngest, Annabelle, who has Down Syndrome, is the heart of their home and keeps everyone smiling. In his free time, Jack enjoys walking, biking, fishing, kayaking, and being outdoors.
MaryBeth Schwall proudly serves as Assistant Principal at St. Norbert School, where she also teaches 6th and 8th grade Language Arts. A proud alumna of St. Norbert (Class of 2009), MaryBeth represents the third generation of her family to have graduated from St. Norbert, following in the footsteps of her father and grandfather.
MaryBeth began teaching at St. Norbert in the fall of 2017 and stepped into the role of Assistant Principal in 2024. MaryBeth holds a bachelor’s degree in English Education from Illinois State University and is currently completing her master’s in Educational Leadership, set to graduate in spring 2026.
MaryBeth lives in Chicago and enjoys reading, spending time with friends and family, and continuing to grow as an educator.
Lisa Oetking has been a part of St. Norbert School for more than 15 years. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and graduated Summa Cum Laude from Bradley University in 2007. She went on to receive her Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from Concordia University in 2011.
“I absolutely love my job as both director and teacher. I work with the best preschool team, and we constantly learn from one another. St. Norbert is a very special place and I feel so honored to be part of this wonderful community.”