WATTS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Verbum Dei High School, a private Jesuit college preparatory school for young men and a member of the Cristo Rey network, announced today that Fr. Travis Russell, S.J. will become Verbum Dei’s next President in June 2022 following the upcoming retirement of current President, Fr. Stephen Privett, S.J. The decision to hire Fr. Russell was approved by the school’s Board of Directors following the unanimous recommendation by a Search Committee formed in the Fall of 2021 following Fr. Privett’s retirement announcement.
“I am very excited to welcome Fr. Russell to Verbum Dei High School as its next President. Fr. Russell’s intellect, enthusiasm and commitment to education and opportunity are perfectly matched with Verbum Dei’s mission to provide a rigorous, college preparatory education to young men from the South Los Angeles community. The entire Board is looking forward to partnering with Fr. Russell,” said Joseph T. Viola, Chairman of Verbum Dei High School’s Board of Directors.
Fr. Russell brings broad experience to Verbum Dei, including working with the Jesuit Refugee Service in Malawi, Africa, while an Associate Pastor at St. Ignatius Parish in San Francisco and most recently as a Senior Policy Advisor for the Jesuit Conference Office of Justice and Ecology in Washington, D.C. In addition, Fr. Russell spent time at Verbum Dei High School from 2014 to 2016 as a teacher, Director of Adult Faith Formation and working with Mission Advancement. Most recently, Fr. Russell has been completing his Executive MBA at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
“I am humbled by the opportunity to serve as Verbum Dei’s next President. From my previous time at Verbum Dei, I continue to be impressed by the school’s mission to educate and provide unique opportunities to students through the Corporate Work Study Program, which helps each student gain valuable work experience that broadens their interests and understanding of the world around them. I am grateful for this opportunity to come full circle and return to Verbum Dei and work with its talented faculty and staff to pursue our collective mission of shaping future leaders,” said Fr. Travis Russell, S.J, adding, “I look forward to working with the Board of Directors to continue the leadership, dedication and commitment demonstrated by Fr. Privett during his tenure as President.”
About Verbum Dei High School
Verbum Dei is a Jesuit Catholic college preparatory school that is part of the Cristo Rey Network. Based in Watts, CA, it offers young men from supportive families with limited resources a college prep curriculum, corporate work experience, and faith formation that prepares them to graduate from college and become professionals that will lead lives of purpose and meaning. Additional information about Verbum Dei High School can be found on its website at www.verbumdei.us
About the Cristo Rey Network
The Cristo Rey Network of 38 high schools delivers a career focused, college preparatory education in the Catholic tradition to more than 12,000 students with limited economic resources, uniquely integrating rigorous academic curricula with four years of professional work experience and support to and through college. Cristo Rey partners with educators, businesses and communities to enable students to fulfill their aspirations for a lifetime of success. Students who graduate from Cristo Rey schools are more than twice as likely to complete a bachelor’s degree by age 24, compared to the total U.S. low-income population.
Notes to Editors:
- Nature of the school: all-male, Jesuit, college prep high school
- Year of inception: 1962
- Current enrollment: 322 students
- Religious composition: 80% Catholic, 14% Christian, 6% Other
- Ethnic composition: 74% Hispanic, 19% African American, 3% Other
- Number of faculty: 27
- Students attend four-year colleges such as Stanford, Georgetown, UC Berkeley, among others
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College acceptance for graduating Class of 2022:
- Total Students: 86
- 93% acceptance rate to four-year colleges
