#10923 Mike Maruca, grew up in Princeton, NJ, home to a large contingent of Dudley campers and alumni. His first season was in 1970 as a Junior in Huron Cabin, where he quickly earned the nickname “Mook.” He spent four ‘best ever’ summers there, finishing as a Junior Leader in 1973.

Mike graduated from Bates College in 1980 and that summer entered the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), where he was a member of the Maryland Province for sixteen years. During that time, among other adventures, he earned degrees in philosophy and theology, enjoyed his first teaching experience in Scranton, PA, and studied in Santiago, Chile.  In 1990, he was sent to Richmond, VA, where he started Sacred Heart Center (SHC), a community center for residents of a low-income neighborhood.  

In 1996, not long after leaving the Jesuits, Mike served as Middle School Head of the Steward School in Richmond, VA, for 11 years. In 2009, Mike became the Founding Headmaster of Anna Julia Cooper School, which opened its doors in a refurbished house with 25 students and two teachers.  AJC, a tuition-free, faith-based, and independent school, currently serves 215 students in grades K-8. 

Largely due to the generous scholarship program from Dudley and Kiniya, about two dozen AJC students have attended Dudley and Kiniya over the past six years, several for as many as five summers. 17 students attended in the summers of 2024 and 2025. It is now the annual trip to Dudley to drop off or pick up his students, which has brought Mike back into the Dudley fold.

Mike lives in Richmond, VA, with his wife, Jeanine, a daughter, a stepson, and their golden retriever.