James Gerard Devine was born on December 1, 1956, in Strabane, Northern Ireland, to William James Devine and Dorothy Elizabeth Gallagher. He came to the United States in 1985 and became a naturalized American citizen in 1992.
His background connected Northern Ireland, Britain, South America, and the United States. His later career developed primarily in education, with work in Catholic and international school settings.
Devine received a Bachelor of Education with honors from St. Mary's University in London in 1979. St. Mary's was founded in 1850 as a Catholic teacher-training college and retained a strong teacher-education tradition during the period of his studies.
He received a Master of Arts degree from St. Thomas University in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1986. Founded in 1885 by Archbishop John Ireland, the institution developed from a Catholic seminary into a private university serving the educational and civic life of Minnesota.
Devine began his professional career as a teacher of physical education and geography at St. John the Baptist School in Woking, England, where he worked from 1979 to 1982. He then served as director of physical education at the British Schools in Montevideo, Uruguay, from 1983 to 1984, extending his educational work into an international school environment.
After moving to the United States, he became dean of students and later principal of Archbishop Brady School in West St. Paul, Minnesota, serving from 1986 to 1992. These administrative roles preceded his long association with Cotter High School in Winona.
Devine became president of Cotter High School in 1992. Cotter opened in 1911 as a Catholic boys' school, became coeducational in 1952, and moved to the former College of Saint Teresa campus in 1992. During Devine's presidency, the school continued its Catholic educational mission and developed its role as a coeducational institution serving students from Winona, the surrounding region, and international communities.
Devine is a Roman Catholic. His educational and professional career included leadership in Catholic schools, including Cotter High School in Winona, Minnesota.
Roman Catholic education combines academic instruction with formation in the intellectual, ethical, and spiritual traditions of the Catholic Church. Cotter High School, founded in Winona in 1911, developed as a Catholic secondary school and has emphasized academic standards, faith, service, and community life.
Devine has been a member of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, the National Catholic Education Association, the Knights of Columbus, and Rotary. The first two organizations support professional development and educational leadership, while the Knights of Columbus is a Catholic fraternal organization and Rotary promotes civic and community service.
Devine married Kimberly Ann Fowler on October 30, 1982. They have two children, Fallon Marie Devine and John Brennan Devine. His parents were William James Devine and Dorothy Elizabeth Gallagher.
