Beginning next year, De Smet Jesuit welcomes Mr. Corey Quinn as he takes over as the new president on July 1. He will replace Fr. Wally Sidney, who announced his retirement last year.

A native of St. Louis, Mr. Quinn graduated from De Smet Jesuit with the Class of 1990.

“I grew up in Webster Groves and attended Mary Queen of Peace grade school, but my parents moved our family to the Central West End just before I began as a freshman at De Smet Jesuit. This proved to be an enormous eye-opener for me, as my worldview was dramatically shaped by the combination of living in a diverse community while being influenced by the ‘radical’ Ignatian teachings of men like Fr. Francis Ryan, SJ and women like Sr. Blanche Marschner. My years at De Smet Jesuit, without question, shaped the man that I am today,” Mr. Quinn said.

He attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and earned a degree in philosophy. In 1998, he began his career in education at Rockhurst High School in Kansas City. In 2003, he returned to De Smet Jesuit as a theology teacher and taught until 2008.

“The students and staff at De Smet Jesuit were second to none. I felt privileged to share in a community where every person’s gifts were celebrated and yet all were called to a higher level of service to our world,” Mr. Quinn said.

He is currently the president of De La Salle Middle School, located in the Ville neighborhood.

“Many aspects of my work at De Smet Jesuit will mirror the work that I’ve done at De La Salle for the past seven years. More students, more alumni, more benefactors and constituents to get to know, more faculty and staff to serve as we aim to live out our mission – in short, more resources to strategically and creatively deploy in developing the next generation of Men for Others,” Mr. Quinn said.

A search committee narrowed down the list of candidates and was impressed with Mr. Quinn. The committee was comprised of members of the Board of Trustees, alumni, parents and two faculty members: learning consultant Mrs. Linda Doherty and head of Campus Ministry and theology teacher Dr. Michael Callahan.

The Board of Trustees unanimously elected Mr. Quinn.

“Part of the reason we chose Mr. Quinn over our other candidates is that we thought he best embodied the Jesuit Mission through his answers [to interview questions] and his experience as an educator and president of De La Salle,” Mrs. Doherty said.

In the future, Mr. Quinn hopes to see De Smet become a more welcoming and distinct community.

“As we enter our 50th year, St. Louis will celebrate De Smet Jesuit as a treasure in terms of the men – fathers, community servants, leaders, activists and influencers – who, having been formed by our mission, enhance the world by living as Men for Others,” Mr. Quinn said.