Community Advocate Staff Report
Shrewsbury – Tom Ryan, currently the vice president for Institutional Advancement at Assumption College, will become the chief advancement officer for St. John's High School in Shrewsbury.
According to St. John's Headmaster Michael W. Welch “78, Ryan is an experienced selection.
“[Ryan] is well acquainted with Saint John's,” Welch said, “as a parent of an alumnus and as a former trustee.”
Ryan recently completed nine years of service on the Board of Trustees of St. John's (2002 to 2011) and he was the chair of the Advancement Committee for the last five years. He was also an important advisor during the school's recent successful $20 million campaign.
With more than 30 years of experience in the advancement field, Ryan is expected to bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to St. John's. He worked in many capacities in the College of the Holy Cross development office for 21 years (1978 to 1999), including campaign director for the college's $60 million 150th Anniversary Campaign, which finished at $76 million in 1994. Upon arriving at Assumption College in 1999, Ryan immediately began preparing for their Centennial Campaign, which commenced in 2000. The $30 million campaign concluded in December 2006, raising more than $33 million. These campaigns were the largest fund-raising initiatives for each college at the time.
Along with overseeing the development operation, Ryan's role at Assumption College has also included supervising Alumni Relations and Public Affairs, as well as Government and Community Relations for a period of time. While there, he has been known for his dedicated service and the quality of the programs and publications produced by his office.
“Tom's commitment to forwarding the mission of Catholic and Xaverian education coupled with his strong work ethic made him the ideal choice,” Welch said. “Tom's experience and leadership at the College of the Holy Cross and Assumption College will be a great gift to St. John's as we continue our commitment to serve young men from a wide range of economic backgrounds. Tom understands the “ministry of advancement” and will assist us as we forward the mission of Catholic and Xaverian education at St. John's for the families of central Massachusetts and beyond.
Ryan will continue to work at Assumption through the month of January and will join the St. John's community Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012.