Cristo Rey’s ‘remarkable’ president retiring in 2020

By Tim Puet
Catholic Times Reporter

Jim Foley, the founding president of Cristo Rey Columbus High School, said he plans to retire in July of next year so he can spend more time with his family.

Foley informed the school’s board of directors of his decision on Tuesday, Sept. 17 and has been discussing it with staff members, parents and students this week. He said a nationwide search for his replacement will be conducted by a committee led by the board’s chair, Steve Kennedy. Foley will be part of the committee, along with several other board members and the president of the national Cristo Rey network.

“This is a good time to retire,” said Foley, 67. “The foundation of the school is solid. It has taken a while to reach this point, but I feel the school couldn’t be in a better position than it is now, six years after the first students entered in 2013.

“It’s also a good time for my family, and that’s the most important thing. This is a very time-consuming job, and I just want to be able to have more time to enjoy with my wife, Vicki, and our daughter, three sons and six grandchildren.”

Foley became the first staff member of the four-year college preparatory school in July 2011 and took the position of president of Cristo Rey Columbus on Jan. 1, 2012, three years after now-retired Bishop Frederick Campbell,  then-diocesan school Superintendent Lucia McQuaide and a group of local business executives began studying Cristo Rey schools nationwide.

Foley had been an attorney for 29 years with Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease of Columbus and had held volunteer leadership roles with several diocesan and civic organizations, including the chairmanship of Catholic Social Services.

Cristo Rey Columbus High School opened in August 2013 with a freshman class of 85 students at a temporary location in the former Diocesan Child Guidance Center, 840 W. State St. One year later, it moved to its permanent location in the restored former Ohio School for the Deaf at 400 E. Town St.

One class of students was added in each of its first four academic years, with 48 of the original 85 students graduating in 2017. That number increased to 72 in 2018 and 82 this year, for a total of 202, all of whom were accepted to attend institutions of higher learning. Members of the three graduating classes have combined to earn $16 million in scholarship money, including $8 million this year.

“The single greatest satisfaction I’ve had from eight years at Cristo Rey has come from the students,” Foley said. “They’re a talented, hopeful, resilient group of young people who have achieved great success and overcome obstacles along the way and continued the Cristo Rey tradition of having every graduate accepted by a college. That’s hands down what I’m proudest of. These students are going to change the community and their professions for the better. They are the hope of the future.

“To get to where we are, we had to accomplish many goals and go through extensive procedures mandated by the Cristo Rey Network and the state before we even opened. Then in Year Two came the big move to our current location. Enrollment has been up every year since we opened and now stands at 415. The building has a capacity of 425 to 450 students, so there’s still a little room to grow.

“We’ve also increased the number of business sponsors every year, and now it’s at 134. We combine that with a staff of smart, hard-working people who are passionate about our mission and students,” he said.

Kennedy, the school’s board chair, said Foley “has been a remarkable inaugural president for Cristo Rey. It was a true blessing that he was willing to leave his successful law practice and lead what amounted to a startup venture. Over the last eight years, Jim has been at the center of transforming the school from a novel idea into one of the most successful Catholic school stories in Ohio. 

“His robust knowledge of legal matters, appreciation for an organization’s fiscal strength and passion for social justice combined to ensure the school was built on a strong foundation that will enable it to continue in perpetuity.”

“I firmly believe the Holy Spirit sent Jim Foley to us,” said McQuaide, who was instrumental in hiring him. “His skill set was perfect. He had a background that helped him understand and embrace the mission of Cristo Rey. He was familiar with the diocese and known because of his work with Catholic Social Services. His law background was a valuable asset. 

“Over the years, I have known him to be a quick learner and to have the ability to understand the Catholic education and corporate work partnership. He has proven to have limitless energy, but most of all, he is a faith-filled man and a true example of Catholic leadership.”
The first Cristo Rey school was founded in 1996 in Chicago. There are now 37 Cristo Rey high schools in 24 states, including locations in Cleveland and Cincinnati. 

The school’s unique work-study program allows students in need of an affordable education to gain real-world business experience at participating employers for one day each week. The jobs are standard entry-level positions with appropriate responsibility, and the money the students earn goes to the school to help reduce tuition. Several business partners in Columbus and elsewhere have hired Cristo Rey students for continuing work during summers after the school year ended.

Foley said the school is in the midst of a strategic planning process in which representatives of all its stakeholders are looking ahead to where they would like to see it five years from now, with the goal of increasing the number of students and business partners and the amount of financial aid available. His successor will be part of the process.  

“Cristo Rey is God’s work, the Sermon on the Mount in Columbus,” he said. “I feel the Holy Spirit will continue to guide the success of the school in the future. That belief, combined with a great staff, makes it possible for me to walk away from an extraordinary job and mission. It’s challenging to leave people you love, but I feel the school is in good hands and, with God’s grace, it will continue to flourish.”