St. John’s Prep welcomes advancement, communications, and enrollment management leaders in support of the School’s ambitious vision

Located in Danvers, Massachusetts, St. John’s Prep is an inclusive, Catholic, Xaverian Brothers Sponsored School for young men in grades 6 through 12. Founded in 1907 on the Xaverian values of compassion, humility, simplicity, trust, and zeal, the Prep educates students to be, do and stand for good in the world. Today, 1,500 students from more than 60 communities thrive at the Prep as part of a culture that encourages students to “become their best selves, pursue excellence in all endeavors, and open hearts and minds to transformational encounters with diversity of people and experiences.”

Our partnership with St. John’s Prep began over five years ago with the recruitment of a new Chief Advancement Officer. Building upon our successful partnership, St. John’s Prep hired us once again to partner on two c-suite level searches: Assistant Head of School for Marketing and Communications and Assistant Head of School for Enrollment Management.

Reporting directly to the Headmaster, the new Assistant Head of School for Marketing and Communications manages all internal and external communications and marketing campaigns to position the Prep as an educational leader. The position partners closely with the enrollment management team to strengthen messaging and branding to attract new families, as well as with the advancement team to effectively engage and encourage giving among the alumni community. The Prep’s incredible brand drew significant interest in the position, so critical to identifying and engaging the top candidates was our ability to deeply assess commitment to the Prep’s Xaverian mission. In addition, open communication and a focused, flexible approach were key components of our partnership with the leadership of the Prep and resulting success. Jim Frackleton has joined the Prep from Merrimack College, where he was the Director of Digital Marketing. He brings over 7 years of exceptional marketing and communications experience to the Prep’s leadership team.

While conducting the search for the marketing and communications position, St. John’s Prep invited us to partner on their search for an Assistant Head of Enrollment Management as well. This was Development Guild’s first search of this nature and gave us the exciting opportunity to commit ourselves to learning the enrollment management landscape. Thanks to the support and feedback consistently provided by St. John’s Prep, as well as our ability to adjust accordingly, we were able to identify a strong slate of candidates who were committed to St. John’s Prep mission of educating young men and deeply believed in the value of an Xavierian Brothers education. As the new Assistant Head of School for Enrollment Management, Gianna Voccola will develop and implement a strategic plan to recruit, enroll, and retain students at the Prep. She comes to the position with over a decade of enrollment management experience at institutions such as Merrimack College and Manhattan College.

These critical hires mean St. John’s Prep will continue to strengthen their remarkable brand as an educational leader and attract the interest and support of students in the Massachusetts area and beyond.