Christ the King Jesuit College Preparatory School named Clement V. Martin, a Catholic school leader and educator, as its next president, according to a release from the school.
On July 1, Martin will become the school’s second president and replaces the Rev. Christopher J. Devron, S.J., who will return to the New York Province of the Society of Jesus in his new role as the president of Fordham Preparatory School in Bronx, N.Y.
Devron came to Chicago to help establish Christ the King six years ago.
An experienced Catholic school leader, Martin has demonstrated a commitment to social justice and helped create access to quality, educational opportunities for underserved students, according to a Christ the King press release.
He comes to Christ the King after serving as the executive director of Cicero Catholic Schools, where he built a reputation as a mission-driven educator focused on expanding school enrollment.
Educated in the Jesuit tradition at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., Martin is deeply motivated to extend Christ the King’s mission to a growing number of students, the statement from the school reads.
He is committed to helping them become “men and women for others” and dedicated to God’s greater glory, according to the release.
“We are thrilled to welcome Clem Martin as the new president of Christ the King, and we are confident that he will carry on Father Devron’s efforts and legacy of passion and success in educating students on the West Side of Chicago,” Scott Murray, chairman of Christ the King’s board of directors, said in a statement. “Personally impacted by the values of his own Jesuit education, Clem brings an appreciation of the Cristo Rey model, experience in both education and business, and a record of exemplary school leadership.”
Prior to his current role as executive director, Martin served as principal of Our Lady of Charity and St. Frances of Rome in Cicero. Martin also brings with him a background as a classroom teacher in mathematics and religion.
He began his career in education by serving as a lay volunteer teacher and member of the Inner City Teaching Corps (now the Alain Locke Initiative), and he has experience in the field of international finance. At Holy Cross he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history. He received a Master of Arts degree in educational administration from Dominican University and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Loyola University Chicago.
“I am deeply honored to join Christ the King’s Jesuit, Cristo Rey mission to educate students on Chicago’s West Side,” Martin said in a statement. “I am eager to become part of Christ the King’s pioneering vision and mission that is transforming the lives and futures of so many young people, and I am excited to contribute to the innovative Cristo Rey model in which high school students have the opportunity to earn their tuition while gaining valuable, on-the-job experience through the Corporate Work Study Program. I look forward to helping (the school) grow its mission and expand its effort to educate more deserving students.”
Martin and his family are residents of Chicago. He and his wife, Norma, a first grade Chicago public school teacher, have three children– Clemente, Mateo and Itzel– who all attend Catholic schools.