A Chicago native, Father Foley entered the Society of Jesus in 1954. He earned a BA in Latin from Xavier University in Cincinnati and holds an MA in Sociology and M.Ed. from Loyola University in Chicago . From 1961 to 1995 he served the Jesuit missions in Peru , working primarily in education. He served as President of two of Peru 's Jesuit K-12 schools.

He returned to Chicago in 1995 to collaborate in establishing Cristo Rey Jesuit High School . He was named President of the school in 1996 and served for eight years. During his tenure, he oversaw the effort to establish the school, hiring of all personnel, student recruitment, and the construction of 150,000 square feet of classroom and recreation space. Father Foley raised more than $26 million during this eight year term and left Cristo Rey Jesuit High School with a $2 million endowment. More importantly, he established the tradition and spirit of a school that has become a national model. In January of 2005, he assumed the presidency of the Cristo Rey Network and is responsible for managing its day-to-day programs and activities.

Fr. Foley has received 3 Honorary Doctorates in recognition of being the Founder of the first Cristo Rey School...Georgetown University, Fordham University and Marquette University.

The National Catholic Education Association (NCEA) awarded Father Foley the Seton Award in 2007. 

Fr. Foley was featured in Fast Company in April 2006 and named in Newsweek 's "Who's Next for 2007.

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President

Biography>> 

Mr. Birdsell joined the Cristo Rey Network on October 1, 2007. Prior to joining the Cristo Rey Network, Mr. Birdsell was a Managing Vice President with Eduventures, an industry leader in educational research and consulting. Before Eduventures, Mr. Birdsell was a Managing Director at Clark Consulting, a human capital consulting firm. Mr. Birdsell also taught English Literature for seven years at Marquette University High School in Milwaukee , Wisconsin and at Loyola High School in Los Angeles .

Mr. Birdsell has been involved in the Cristo Rey movement for many years. He worked on the feasibility study to start Chicago 's second Cristo Rey High School , has been a member of the Leadership Advisory Council at the original Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Chicago , and was involved with the start of Cleveland 's Cristo Rey high school, St. Martin de Porres.

Mr. Birdsell will be in charge of the day-to-day operations of the Cristo Rey Network central office, including oversight of all programs, conferences and trainings for the 19 member schools.

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Robert M. Mooney

Vice President for Mission Effectiveness

 Biography>>

Mr. Mooney joined the Cristo Rey Network on October 1, 2007 as a senior consultant.  Prior to joining the Network he was a founder and founding board chair of St. Martin de Porres High School in Cleveland, OH, a Cristo Rey Network member school opened in 2004.  He has served on the boards of several non-profit corporations and Catholic high schools in Cleveland including acting as board chair of Jesuit owned St. Ignatius High School. 

Mr. Mooney is an investor with more than 30 years experience in management, ownership, board and transaction work with chemical and other businesses both private and public.  He as a BS degree in Aerospace Engineering from St. Louis University and an MBA from the Harvard Business School. 

Mr Mooney will be responsible for new initiatives, startup and early stage schools, and the overall mission effectiveness of the Network schools.  He also serves as Treasurer of the Cristo Rey Network.  He lives in Cleveland, OH. 

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Robert Cummings
Vice President of Advancement
Biography >>

Rob Cummings’ career spans 32 years as a development leader at some of Chicago’s oldest and best-known institutions.  Through his understanding of the field and his capacity to build relationships with donors, Rob has established an enviable record of success in major gift solicitation and building strong fund raising programs.

Over much of the last decade, Rob transformed the development program of the Chicago Lighthouse for People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired into one of the most respected of its kind in the country, raising $25 million for the “Bold Visions” campaign and other priorities.

Beginning his career at St. Ignatius College Prep, first as alumni director and then as vice president for development, Rob crafted the strategy for the first Campaign for St. Ignatius, partnering with Father Donald Rowe to fund the rebirth of that famed Chicago institution.  His leadership as chief development officer at both Loyola University Medical Center and Saint Xavier University saw the first seven-figure gifts from living donors to each institution and a notable advancement of their fund raising programs.

Rob co-founded the Chicago Archdiocesan Development Council and is a regular speaker at virtually every major fund raising conference including CASE, NCDC, and AFP.  He is the recipient of the Board of Directors Award from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago, two Golden Trumpet Awards from the Publicity Club of Chicago, and the St. Ignatius Alumni Medal.  He also served as a member of the board of Gads Hill Center, a social service agency in the Pilsen neighborhood, and is a frequent mentor to young development professionals.

An alumnus of John Carroll University, Rob holds a bachelor’s degree in English.  Rob and his wife, Linn, have three grown children and reside in Lemont, Illinois.

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Kristy Blackmore became the Cristo Rey Network Director of Communications and Events in September of 2002. She is responsible for coordinating all visits to Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, compiling data and information on Network schools, disseminating information to Network members and those interested in starting schools, publication of Network marketing materials, website upkeep, and coordination of all Network meetings. She is available to answer questions about the work-study program, budgeting, job descriptions, scheduling and other maters.

Ms. Blackmore spent part of her time working as a member of the Corporate Internship Program team in Chicago, enabling her to learn the intricacies of the work-study program. In addition to her Network responsibilities, Ms. Blackmore helps coordinate the Ambassador Program at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, through which students host visitors, give school tours, meet with and answer questions from prospective students, and provide other needed services at school. Kristy also helps the schools with the work study summer trainings.

Ms. Blackmore is a 1993 Graduate of Marquette University, where she majored in Elementary Education. She worked for two years as a pre-school and kindergarten teacher in Chicago before taking a position at a recruiting firm. She spent two years working in training and sales at an educational media firm before joining the Cristo Rey team.

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Jay Brown
Director of School Support
Biography>>

Ms. Brown taught elementary and middle school science for seven years. Ms. Brown served as the Elementary Vice-Principal of Milwaukee College Preparatory School (formerly Marva Collins Prep.), one of the country's most well known and highest achieving charter schools.  Ms. Brown helped develop and implement many of the key components of the school’s culture  -- a feature credited as a critical component enabling student success.  She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Bradley University in 1995 and her Master of Arts degree in Educational Policy and Leadership from Marquette University in 2002.  Most recently, she leveraged her experience to assist principals with the planning and execution of culture-building, professional development, compliance, data decisions, and effective systems/routines with a data management and accountability group in Albany, NY.

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Chris Broughton
Director of Post-Secondary Services
Biography >>

Chris joins the Cristo Rey Network as the Director of Post-Secondary Services in August 2008.  His primary responsibility is to ensure Cristo Rey Network graduates have the resources and support necessary to be successful in college and beyond.

Prior to joining the Cristo Rey Network, Chris served as a dual Assistant Director in the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) program at the University of Notre Dame. As a member of the Administrative and Pastoral Staff, he helped recruit, place, and support ACE teachers in almost thirty dioceses across the country.  Furthermore, he worked in the ACE Fellowship Office to empower ACE graduates and other committed leaders in Catholic education to deepen their service to inner-city Catholic schools in one of twenty Fellowship Regions nationwide. 

Chris received his BA in Economics and Public Policy from the University of Notre Dame in 2004 and his M.Ed after completing the ACE program in 2006.  He taught Spanish, History, and Math for two years as an ACE teacher in Oklahoma City.

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Anna Hall, M.Ed.
Development Officer
Biography >>

Anna Hall became the Development Officer for the Cristo Rey Network in December 2007. She is responsible for fundraising, public relations, and supporting member schools development efforts.

Anna is a 2003 graduate of Loyola University New Orleans with a degree in Music Business and worked in television and concert production for 3 years. She holds a Masters in Higher Education Administration with an emphasis on Institutional Advancement from Vanderbilt University's Peabody College. While in Nashville, TN, she worked with LEAD Charter School, Peabody Professional Institutes, and the Peabody Development Office.

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Laura Wolfe
Office Manager
Biography >>

Laura Wolfe joined the Cristo Rey Network as the Office Manager in September 2008.  Her primary responsibility is to manage internal operations at Cristo Rey Network including human resources, financials, and oversight of the Network’s intranet, SharePoint.

Prior to joining Cristo Rey Network, Laura worked in HR Benefits for many  years at companies such as Hewitt Associates, Household International (HSBC), and UBS Financial Services.  Most recently, Laura spent several years as the Finance and Marketing Manager for Enteo Software handling all finance, marketing, and human resources functions for North American operations of the company.

Laura is a graduate of Miami University (Ohio) with a BA in Speech Communications (emphasis in Organizational and Behavioral Communications).  Outside of work, Laura is actively involved with the Junior League of Chicago and has been involved with the American Heart Association’s Chicago Annual Gala Ball and Go Red for Women campaign.

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