Deacon Hicks Armor Appointed As Notre Dame High School Interim Leader

Bishop Richard F. Stika has appointed Deacon Hicks Armor as interim Head of School for Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga. 

“Deacon Hicks is the right person to lead Notre Dame at this time,” Bishop Stika said. “He is a Notre Dame alumnus, and I am pleased that he graciously accepted my invitation to guide the school and the Notre Dame community until we can select a permanent Head of School.”

“Deacon Hicks will be utilizing the talents and advice of many individuals in his new position, including Dr. Sedonna Prater, superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Knoxville; Dr.

Caroline Carlin, principal of Our Lady of Perpetual Help School in Chattanooga; Dickie Sompayrac, president of Knoxville Catholic High School; and other individuals in Chattanooga education circles and the Diocese of Knoxville,” Bishop Stika said.

Deacon Armor is a product of Catholic education, having graduated from St. Jude School and Notre Dame. He was instrumental in forming the Notre Dame Alumni Association and other school-related alumni activities in the early to mid-1980s. He was ordained as a deacon in the Diocese of Knoxville in 2018. 

In addition to recently assisting Bishop Stika as an adviser to NDHS, Deacon Armor serves as chairperson for a major planning initiative for the Chattanooga Catholic schools.

In 2020, Deacon Armor was appointed by Bishop Stika as director of stewardship and strategic planning for the Diocese of Knoxville. He will continue in this role while he serves as interim Head of School at Notre Dame.

Deacon Armor graduated from UT-Chattanooga with a degree in business administration.

Prior to his career with the Diocese of Knoxville, Deacon Armor, a Chattanooga native, had a successful career in health care.  He held executive positions in government claims, sales and marketing, and corporate projects for Blue Cross-Blue Shield of Tennessee. He also served as the founding CEO of Galaxy Health Alliance, an alliance of 15 hospitals that focused on operational savings, clinical effectiveness, and network contracting. He was also a member of the regional executive committee and directed the property and casualty operations of First Tennessee Bank’s commercial insurance division in Chattanooga.

“This is an important role, and I am eager to help guide Notre Dame High School during this transition period,” Deacon Armor said. “I know the school, the Notre Dame community, and I have a great love for the Chattanooga community. This is an exciting time for Catholic schools in Chattanooga.  We have a long, successful history educating and forming students in a Christian environment, and we are making plans to build on that tradition. I am humbled to accept Bishop Stika’s invitation to lead this process at this time.”