Damien Memorial School Chief Executive Officer Greg O'Donnell will retire June 30.

Brother O'Donnell, who has served as Damien's chief executive and president since 2000, announced his retirement plans Sunday during the school's graduation ceremony at Blaisdell Concert Hall.

"The last 10 years have flown by," O'Donnell told students.

"Damien went from a school where finances were a major problem to a school which presently is on a firm financial footing."

O'Donnell, 68, is the longest serving head in Damien's 45-year-history. He became principal of the Kalihi private school in 1997 after serving seven years as the chief fund development officer for the Congregation of Christian Brothers' western province. He became Damien's president and CEO in 2000.

During O'Donnell's tenure, Damien added a middle school and acquired nearby property to increase the campus's size by 10 percent.

Since 2003, the school's enrollment has grown by 50 percent and is projected to top 600 students next year.

O'Donnell, a native of Chicago, said he wants to stay in Hawai'i and use his background as an educator to work with prisoners here.

Founded in 1962, Damien is a private Catholic school for boys from seventh to 12th grades. The school is named after humanitarian Father Damien de Veuster of Moloka'i.

Reach Rick Daysog at rdaysog@honoluluadvertiser.com.