Fr. Dennis M. Baker, S.J. was named President of Loyola Blakefield on October 4th, 2023.
Fr. Baker’s educational leadership experience includes service as President of Xavier High School in Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia from 2016-2021, during which he led the institution through a devastating tropical drought and the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fr. Baker’s focus on fundraising and the fiscal management of the school resulted in an unprecedented injection of capital projects that delivered a variety of innovative offerings, including a new computer lab, the construction of a new Jesuit residence, and the renovation of the student chapel.
His global experience also extends to his Jesuit Tertianship in Africa as part of the Jesuit Conference of Africa and Madagascar in South Africa from September 2022 to April 2023. He also served as Director of Engagement and Planned Giving at Xavier High School in Manhattan from August 2021 to August 2022.
A knowledgeable and respected member of the broader Jesuit educational network, Fr. Baker currently serves as a Trustee at the University of Scranton and Holy Cross High School. He is a former Trustee at Fairfield University and Regis High School in Manhattan. His educational experience includes five years as a classroom instructor at Saint Peter Roman Catholic School in Lewiston (NY), Canisius High School, and Xavier High School in Manhattan.
Fr. Baker attended Fordham University, where he earned a B.A. in History and an M.S. in Philosophy. He also holds an M.S. degree in Criminal Justice Administration from Niagara University, a Master of Divinity degree from the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry, and an M.Ed. from Columbia University Teachers College. He was ordained in 2015.
Raised in Upstate New York, he is a 1998 graduate of Canisius High School, a Jesuit college preparatory school for boys. An avid sports fan, Fr. Baker is also an experienced scuba diver who has surveyed wonders from shipwrecks to sharks in the Pacific, Florida Keys, South Africa, and countless other locations across the globe.