Warren — The all-boys De La Salle Collegiate High School announced John M. Knight will take over as the school’s president next academic year.

Knight will succeed Bro. Thomas Lackey, FSC, who announced last summer he would resign at the conclusion of the 2014-15 school year after four years at the helm. Knight also becomes the first lay president of the 89-year-old, 800-student Warren school, which was founded and run by the Brothers of the Christian Schools.

Knight has spent the last 28 years in Catholic secondary education, including as president of Catholic schools in San Francisco and Buffalo, N.Y. Before then, he taught and served in various roles at University of Detroit Jesuit High School.

John Moore, chairman of the school’s board of trustees, said the school could “not be more pleased” at Knight’s selection.

“He is well-equipped to represent the Lasallian charism that makes our Catholic educational institution so unique,” he said.

Knight, a native of Toledo, Ohio, holds degrees from the University of Toledo and Loyola University in Chicago and is a former Jesuit seminarian.

“De La Salle Collegiate is a school that has, through its storied history, represented well the spirit of St. John Baptist de La Salle,” Knight said. “It is an honor to be joining this exceptional school community.”

In 2014, De La Salle became the third private school in Michigan to offer the International Baccalaureate diploma program, and every student in its 2014 graduating class earned college acceptance. In November, the school’s football team also captured its first state title.