Presidential Search Announcement

 

I am writing to share an exciting update regarding the work of the Loyola Blakefield Presidential Search Committee. Formed in November 2022, the Committee has tirelessly and diligently labored while engaged in a process that yielded a pool of qualified candidates. In July, the Committee selected three finalists who took part in robust campus visitation days, which included meeting with Loyola Blakefield community members representing every constituent group. Informed by community-wide engagement, collaboration, and faithful discernment, the Committee proposed a finalist to the Loyola Blakefield Board of Trustees for approval. As a result, I am pleased to announce that the Board of Trustees has unanimously approved the appointment of Rev. Dennis M. Baker, S.J. as Loyola Blakefield’s next President.

 

Fr. Baker’s selection comes after a rigorous search process conducted in partnership with DRG Talent, a national leader in talent consulting and executive searches for schools and nonprofits. Fr. Baker’s educational leadership experience includes service as President of Xavier High School in Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia from 2016-2021, during which he led the institution through a devastating tropical drought and the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fr. Baker’s focus on fundraising and the fiscal management of the school resulted in an unprecedented injection of capital projects that delivered a variety of innovative offerings, including a new computer lab, the construction of a new Jesuit residence, and the renovation of the student chapel.

His global experience also extends to his Jesuit Tertianship in Africa as part of the Jesuit Conference of Africa and Madagascar in South Africa from September 2022 to April 2023. He also served as Director of Engagement and Planned Giving at Xavier High School in Manhattan from August 2021 to August 2022.

 

A knowledgeable and respected member of the broader Jesuit educational network, Fr. Baker currently serves as a Trustee at the University of Scranton and Holy Cross High School. He is a former Trustee at Fairfield University and Regis High School in Manhattan. His educational experience includes five years as a classroom instructor at Saint Peter Roman Catholic School in Lewiston (NY), Canisius High School, and Xavier High School in Manhattan.

 

Fr. Baker attended Fordham University, where he earned a B.A. in History and an M.S. in Philosophy. He also holds an M.S. degree in Criminal Justice Administration from Niagara University, a Master of Divinity degree from the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry, and an M.Ed. from Columbia University Teachers College. He was ordained in 2015.

 

Raised in Upstate New York, he is a 1998 graduate of Canisius High School, a Jesuit college preparatory school for boys. An avid sports fan, Fr. Baker is also an experienced scuba diver who has surveyed wonders from shipwrecks to sharks in the Pacific, Florida Keys, South Africa, and countless other locations across the globe.

From the commencement of our search process, the Search Committee defined the start date for the next President as on or before July 1, 2024. In the weeks ahead, we will collaborate with Fr. Baker and Mr. John Stewart ‘60 on a mutually determined start date and begin a transition process that enables Fr. Baker to begin his tenure as the spiritual and formational leader of our school community.

 

In closing, I would like to express my gratitude to all those who actively participated in the search process, especially the dedicated members of the Presidential Search Committee: Victor DeSantis '78, Maru Fava, Wayne Gioioso '78, John Leahy '75, Hon. Albert Matricciani '65, Colonel Percy Moore, USMC, Ret., Robert Robinson, Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer, and Rev. William Watters, S.J.

 

Please join me in welcoming Fr. Baker to Loyola Blakefield!