Rev. Christopher J. Devron, SJ, Named 25th President of Regis High School

The Regis High School Board of Trustees on Tuesday, January 25, 2022 unanimously voted to appoint Rev. Christopher J. Devron, SJ, as the next president of Regis High School. Please see below for the full announcement from Search Committee Chair Marty Mannion '77 and Board Chair Tony DiNovi '80.

Dear Members of the Regis Community,

We hope this important update about the future of Regis High School finds you healthy and doing well. We are excited to announce that on Tuesday, January 25, 2022, the Board of Trustees unanimously voted to appoint Rev. Christopher J. Devron, SJ, as the next president of Regis High School. Following a national search that attracted a wide range of qualified and experienced candidates, and a rigorous process that included input from hundreds of members of our Regis community, our presidential search committee enthusiastically recommended Fr. Devron, highlighting his many years of experience as the head of Jesuit high schools, his connectivity to Regis and passion for our unique mission, and his outstanding pastoral leadership skills. Fr. Devron will begin his term as the 25th President in our school’s proud history in the summer of 2022.

“I am profoundly humbled and honored to be selected by the Regis board as the next president,” Fr. Devron said this morning in a message shared with the Regis faculty and staff. “In 2001, I came to Regis, in my first assignment as a Jesuit priest, as a classroom teacher, campus minister, and founding director of the REACH Program. I am thrilled to return to 84th Street to serve this special community of students, faculty, administrators, and alumni.”

Fr. Devron brings with him 16 years of highly successful experience shepherding Jesuit high schools. He is currently in his ninth year as president of Fordham Preparatory School, where he has overseen a period of dynamic growth. Prior to Fordham Prep, Fr. Devron was the founding president of Christ the King Jesuit College Prep, a Cristo Rey high school on the West Side of Chicago focused on providing a quality Catholic education for families that otherwise could not afford private school.

Of course, Fr. Devron already is well known and highly respected within the Regis community. In addition to the vision and leadership he provided the REACH Program from 2001 through 2006, he also served as a valued friend and mentor to many students, faculty, and staff. He also served on our Board of Trustees from 2014 to 2020.

Fr. Devron grew up in Palatine, Illinois and graduated in 1989 from the University of Notre Dame, where he majored in philosophy and government. He entered the Society of Jesus in 1991 and was ordained to the priesthood in 2001. Fr. Devron holds a Master’s in Philosophy from Loyola University Chicago as well as a Master’s in Divinity from the Weston Jesuit School of Theology. He also earned a Master’s in Theology in African American spirituality through coursework at the Harvard Divinity School and the Institute for Black Catholic Studies at Xavier University in New Orleans.

We are so thankful to the many faculty and staff members, students, parents, alumni, and alumni parents who shared their time and insight as we identified the most important qualities needed in our school’s next leader. We also have tremendous gratitude for the 11 members of our search committee who invested so much time and energy over the past five months.

On behalf of the board, and the entire Regis community, we want to thank Christian Talbot ’93 for his extraordinary service to our alma mater as the Interim President. Christian not only provided stability, but continued to move the school forward, and we are forever grateful to him for his leadership. Christian will continue to guide Regis through the conclusion of this academic year.

Christian asked us to share with the Regis community his enthusiasm for Fr. Devron’s appointment. “I am thrilled with the selection of Chris Devron as the next President,” he said. “I have known Chris as a friend and colleague for 20 years, and if I were in charge of the search, Chris is exactly whom I would have selected.”

In the coming months, there will be opportunities for you to reconnect with Fr. Devron or meet him for the first time. In the meantime, we hope you will join us in welcoming him back to our community. Thank you for your continued support of the life-changing mission of Regis High School.

Sincerely,

Marty Mannion '77 Search Committee Chair

Tony DiNovi '80 Board of Trustees Chair

Photo of Fr. Devron courtesy of Fordham Prep.