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Fairfield Prep Announces Spanish Teacher Will Take Over As New President

FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- The Rev. Thomas M. Simisky, S.J., has been appointed president-elect at Fairfield Prep after a national search.

The Rev. Thomas M. Simisky, S.J., has been appointed president-elect at Fairfield Prep.

The Rev. Thomas M. Simisky, S.J., has been appointed president-elect at Fairfield Prep.

Photo Credit: Contributed

The announcement was made by the Rev. Jeffrey P. von Arx, S.J., president of Fairfield University, a Jesuit four-year college. Fairfield Prep is a division of Fairfield University.

Simisky will assume leadership of the school on July 1, succeeding current president, the Rev. John J. Hanwell, S.J., who has been named socius for the Jesuit USA Northeast Province.

 “I am pleased to appoint Father Simisky to lead Fairfield Prep,'' von Arx said. "In his short time already at the school, his passion for and commitment to the school, the students, and Jesuit education have been evident to all. He has my full support and confidence, and I pledge to him and the Prep community the University’s continued and steadfast support of the school.

"I also would like to thank Father Hanwell for his service and contributions to Prep. We are going to miss him and wish him well in his new upcoming assignment helping to administer the Jesuit USA Northeast Province.”

Simisky, 44, currently teaches Spanish at Prep and fulfills additional administrative and pastoral roles. Since arriving in August, he also celebrates Sunday Mass in Spanish at St. Charles Borromeo parish in Bridgeport, where many Prep students volunteer for service.

"Fairfield Prep is a school committed to excellence, knowing that with opportunity comes responsibility,'' Simisky said. "We form leaders who will engage the world from a core of faith and justice. Being at Fairfield Prep allows me to share my love for Ignatian spirituality and secondary education, combined with a missionary spirit that finds creative ways to express itself."

The search committee was led by Timothy H. Murphy, Class of 1985 and chair of Prep’s Board of Governors, and included additional representatives from the Board of Governors, Fairfield Jesuit community, University Board of Trustees and administration, Provincial’s office, and Prep parents and alumni. 

Originally from Worcester, Mass., Simisky graduated from St. John's High School and Assumption College with a degree in politics. He served as an artillery officer in the Marine Corps in the Persian Gulf and Western Pacific.

He later was a district sales manager for an industrial manufacturer before returning to school and earning a master’s degree in economics from Boston College. 

Ordained in June 2014, Simisky has lived in Jamaica, Bolivia, Chile, Russia, and Kyrgyzstan. He speaks Spanish and Russian. Additionally, he received a degree in philosophy from the Universidad Alberto Hurtado in Chile, as well as master’s degrees in divinity and theology from Boston College.

He previously worked at Cheverus High School in Maine, Boston College High School, and Catholic Memorial in Boston. 

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