President Search

Search Overview

The Loyola Blakefield Board of Trustees is currently engaged in a deliberate and discerning process to identify the next leader of our school community. This includes a robust national search to yield candidates who possess a passion for Jesuit education, an ability to inspire and execute a bold strategic vision, and a commitment to engaging all members of the community to strengthen and sustain our Catholic, Jesuit identity.

For additional details and updates on the search process and structure, please revisit this page regularly.

Search Structure

The Loyola Blakefield Board of Trustees has partnered with DRG, a national leader in education consulting and private school leadership searches. In addition to research-based best practices and experience in placing school leaders in prestigious faith-based schools, DRG brings an array of resources to facilitate a thoughtful, thorough, and inclusive search process.

Search Committee
The Search Committee comprises the Nominating & Governance Committee of the Board of Trustees and includes a faculty/staff representative. Collectively, the Committee represents alumni, current and past parents of Loyola students, benefactors, and staff.

Dan Cahill '81, Committee Chair & Vice Chair, Board of Trustees
Victor DeSantis '78
Maru Fava
Wayne Gioioso '78, Chair, Board of Trustees
John Leahy '75
Hon. Albert Matricciani '65
Colonel Percy Moore, USMC, Ret.
Robert Robinson, Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer
Rev. William Watters, S.J.

Interim Leadership

To optimize our candidate pool and align ourselves with a placement cycle consistent with head of school searches, we will employ an interim leadership model for the 2023–24 school year. We are pleased to announce that the Board of Trustees has unanimously selected John Stewart '60 to serve as Interim President effective July 1, 2023. John is proven leader who is deeply devoted to our mission, known within the extended Loyola community, and an enthusiastic ambassador for our mission.
 
John is currently serving as Special Assistant to the President on a part-time basis, primarily focused on assisting with alumni and benefactor outreach. He played a leading role in the success of the Ignite capital campaign as an Honorary Chair. Most notably, John devoted 47 years of service to Loyola as teacher, coach, and Dean of Students before stepping down from that role in 2014. In his interim role, he will work closely with the Board and Leadership Team to ensure that we maintain momentum and continue our community-wide commitment to excellence.

A Hamilton native, John attended St. Dominic School prior to enrolling at Loyola in 1956. Upon graduating, he earned a degree in political science from Loyola University Maryland, where he later returned for a master’s degree in education. After earning his undergraduate degree, he joined the U.S. Army as an officer and served in Korea. In 1967, John returned to Loyola as a mathematics teacher and coach. He was appointed Dean of Students in 1981 and served in that capacity until the conclusion of the 2013–14 school year. In addition to his role as Special Assistant to the President, he has also taken on the curation of Loyola’s archives and serves as the school’s resident historian. John and his wife Nancy have two daughters (Erin and Alison) and four grandchildren, one of whom is a current 6th grade student at Loyola.

Frequently Asked Questions

List of 9 items.

  • Role of the Board of Trustees

    As defined by its charter and consistent with its governance role, hiring the school's President is the primary responsibility of Loyola’s Board of Trustees. They will lead a thoughtful and collaborative process that seeks input from across the school community and from the Jesuit East Province. Existing members of the faculty & staff, including the school’s leadership team, will also be engaged in this work.
  • Role of Search Committee

    The Search Committee is led by Dan Cahill '81 (Vice Chair, Board of Trustees and comprises the members of the Board's Nominating & Governance Committee with representation from the school's leadership team. The Committee meets regularly and is responsible for working closely with SEARCH FIRM on all aspects of the search process, including providing updates to the community, gathering relevant constituent insights, and evaluating candidates. The Committee will identify leading candidates and make a formal recommendation on the finalist of choice to the Board of Trustees.
  • Role of the Search Firm

    DRG will work closely with the Search Committee on all aspects of the search process, which includes a few key phases: Discovery, Candidate Identification, Candidate Assessment, and Onboarding. In addition to the collaboration with their senior consultants, the Search Committee will also have access to an array of internal resources to help facilitate a thoughtful, collaborative, and inclusive search and leadership transition.
  • When will Loyola's next President be identified and named?

    We are proceeding with a plan to place a permanent President by July 1, 2024. A robust search process will identify ideal candidates, and a formal timeline to evaluate them will be determined by the Board of Trustees in partnership with DRG. Our search timeline is dependent upon a variety of factors and will remain flexible as we build a candidate pool. The interim leadership model that we have adopted allows us the opportunity to ensure that we are closely aligned with a placement cycle consistent with head of school searches. It also allows us the to optimize our candidate pool while excellent interim leadership is in place. Members of the Loyola community will be kept informed along the way.
  • How long will Mr. Stewart serve as Interim President?

    Mr. Stewart's appointment as Interim President is effective July 1, 2023. He has graciously agreed to serve in that role until we place a permanent President. We anticipate that to occur on or before July 1, 2024. Our timeline may adjust along the way, but the plan is to have John serve in an interim capacity for the full 2023–24 school year. We will issue updates as needed.
  • What role will constituents (families, faculty/staff, students, alumni & benefactors) play in the search process?

    As the search process unfolds, a key component will be a robust discovery phase that will invite broad input from across the school community. Our goal is to ensure that alumni, students, families, faculty/staff, and benefactors are able to have a voice in this important work so that all are engaged and invested in the future of Loyola Blakefield. 
  • What effect will leadership transition have on the experience of families at Loyola?

    We do not anticipate any impact on the student experience. Our talented faculty, staff, and leadership team will continue the work that has created the exemplary academic and co-curricular experience at Loyola, and we expect the transition to a new President to be one that furthers the school’s successes.
  • What is the status of current and ongoing initiatives, programming, and momentum on Loyola's next strategic plan?

    Due to the collaboration among the Board of Trustees and Loyola’s leadership team, the work toward the implementation of our newest strategic plan will continue without interruption. Further, Mr. Day will continue to lead all ongoing initiatives in partnership with the members of his leadership team, which include those who reside over academics, spiritual formation, fundraising, enrollment management, finance, facilities, and strategic planning.
  • How can I remain updated on the search?

    This page will be continually updated, and email updates will be shared with members of the extended Loyola community as the search and transition process unfolds. General questions regarding the process may be directed to communications@loyolablakefield.org.
500 Chestnut Ave. Towson, MD 21204
communications@loyolablakefield.org
(410) 823-0601