Jesuit's New President

Jesuit High School today announced its next school president, naming Fr. Vincent Giacabazi, S.J. as the 22nd leader in the school’s 125-year history in Tampa.

Father Giacabazi, who is currently the principal at Rockhurst, a Jesuit high school in Kansas City, Mo., has been a member of the Board of Trustees at Jesuit in Tampa for the past eight years.

“I have witnessed the exceptional culture, tradition, and success of Jesuit High School, and I am thrilled to join the school as its president and help further build on that extraordinary foundation,” said Father Giacabazi, 42, who will officially begin his tenure this summer. “Jesuit has a very strong faculty, staff, and administration leading an outstanding student body. Together we will grow and develop the foundational priorities outlined in the school’s strategic plan – advancing academic opportunities, forming a community of faith, and strengthening student life and leadership at Jesuit High School.”

The announcement is the culmination of a diligent four-month national search process following the departure of Fr. Richard C. Hermes, S.J. at the end of August. Father Hermes was Jesuit’s longest-tenured president (16 years) since its founding in 1899.

The Chairman of Jesuit’s Board of Trustees, Bill Muir Jr., and the Board established a special presidential search committee led by former Board Chair Joe Caballero ’86.

“Joe and the committee have found the right leader, a remarkable leader, to guide and propel Jesuit into its next chapter,” Muir said. “Father Giacabazi has a deep understanding of the school’s mission and will build on the powerful foundation put in place over the years by Jesuit’s many talented leaders, faculty, and staff members.”

The search committee worked in partnership with the Province in which Jesuit High School is an apostolate, the Jesuits USA Central and Southern. Caballero had previously served on the 2008 committee that selected Father Hermes.

“We were blessed with a pool of extremely strong applicants, which was no surprise with the school in such good standing,” Caballero said. “As we worked through the process during the fall, we became increasingly assured that Jesuit’s next president would be a tremendous leader who will be embraced by the school community, continue to build on the school’s tradition of excellence, and affirm its Catholic, Jesuit identity.”

Father Giacabazi will meet Jesuit’s faculty and staff, students, and administrators this week. He will periodically be on campus during the spring before officially starting at Jesuit this summer, in preparation for the 2025-26 school year. Jesuit principal Mike Scicchitano has been the school’s interim president during the current school year, and Scicchitano will continue in the dual roles of principal and interim president through the completion of the 2024-25 school year.

Father Giacabazi is a 2004 graduate of Saint Louis University, where he majored in Political Science and International Studies with minors in Spanish and Theological Studies, and he joined the Society of Jesus the following year. He has significant experience in a variety of roles at Jesuit high schools, beginning with three years at DeSmet Jesuit in St. Louis and then nine years at Rockhurst. He has taught Spanish, Theology, and Social Studies, served in campus ministry, been a Department Head, and for the past five years has served as principal and Chief Operating Officer at Rockhurst.

He also has a wealth of pastoral leadership and governance experience. In addition to his lengthy Board tenure at Jesuit in Tampa, he served three years on the Board at Creighton Prep and seven on the Board at Rockhurst. For more biographical information about Father Giacabazi, click here.

“Throughout the process, it became clear that Father Giacabazi is an outstanding leader with a strong grasp of the school and its culture, and with the skill, acumen, and experience to lead Jesuit High School into another successful era,” Muir said. “We are excited to make this announcement and bring Father Giacabazi to Jesuit as the school embarks on the next 125 years of forming young men in the Tampa Bay area.”