After a months-long national search process, Loyola Academy has selected Steve Tortorello as its next principal, choosing him from outside the current leadership ranks of the Wilmette-based Catholic high school, run by the Jesuit order of priests.
Totorello boasts nearly 20 years of Catholic educational experience, leading Marian Catholic High School in Chicago Heights for nearly a decade before leaving in 2023 to work at the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Office of Catholic Schools. He currently serves there as director of partnerships and special projects.
“My whole life’s work has been in Catholic education,” Tortorello told the Pioneer Press.
“I like to joke with people that I went to Catholic preschool, Catholic kindergarten, Catholic elementary school, Catholic high school, Catholic graduate school…taught at Catholic elementary school, Catholic high school and then I was a Catholic high school principal for nine years.”
Tortorello said he’s always been drawn to the structure of a Jesuit education, the way schools like Loyola Academy teach students to “focus and care for the whole person,” while developing them into lifelong learners and thinkers.
“It’s truly an incredible place,” Tortorello voiced of Loyola. “It’s kind of like the opportunity arose to be the coach or manager for the Yankees…when that job arises, you don’t want to pass it up.”
Totorello will officially assume the role of principal July 1, but will begin the transition period into the position this month, he said, to overlap with current leader Tim Devine, who plans to return to teaching in the school’s social studies department.
“It has been a privilege to serve Loyola Academy in this role and to work alongside such talented and dedicated faculty, staff, students, and families,” Devine said in a school news release.
“I am thrilled to welcome Steve to the Loyola community and look forward to supporting him during the transition while continuing to do what I love most: teaching and accompanying Ramblers in the classroom.”
In a May 18 statement announcing the leadership transition, Loyola Academy President Rev. Gregory J. Ostdiek said Tortorello is a “mission-driven leader who understands both the opportunities and responsibilities of Catholic education.”
“He brings a deep commitment to forming the whole person, a collaborative spirit, and a clear vision for helping students grow intellectually, spiritually, and socially-emotionally.”
Tortorello’s experience working in Catholic schools throughout the region will bolster Loyola Academy’s efforts to build “even stronger relationships with the Archdiocese of Chicago,” Ostdiek said.
While working for the educational arm of the Archdiocese of Chicago, Tortorello served as the liaison for all 29 of the Catholic high schools overseen by the organization.
Unlike parish schools, the high schools are owned and operated independently. Tortorello was tasked with being the primary contact point between schools to coordinate the sharing of information and best practices.
For the last two years, Tortorello said he has been leading the charge for informing school leaders on how to broach the topic of AI in education, with the goal of assisting principals and administrators in thinking about “how they may or may not incorporate it into their teaching,” he said.
Tortorello added he plans to leverage AI education into Loyola’s current practices once he begins the new leadership role.
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“I think how AI is or isn’t used is one of the cornerstone questions facing all high schools, and so I think that’s going to be a big part of our work going forward,” Tortorello said.
Beyond that, he’s looking forward to just “learning and growing” in the position as he goes.
“Because I’m not an internal candidate, while I know a great deal about the school, I don’t know everything, and so really, my first priority is learning, meeting our faculty and kids and parents, and all the stakeholders,” to get a sense of “where Loyola is, where it wants to go, and how I can help it get there.”
“I don’t have any buzzy top line goals for six months or a year or anything like that,” Tortorello added, “beyond learning about the community and learning how I can best serve.”
After earning bachelor’s degrees in English and American studies from the University of Notre Dame, Tortorello received a master’s degree from the school’s education and educational administration program.
He is also a graduate of the University of Notre Dame’s Mary Ann Remick Leadership Program and the Notre Dame Alliance for Catholic Education Principal Academy.
“[Loyola Academy] is one of the crown jewels of education in Cook and Lake County, let alone the Midwest,” Tortorello said.
“I’m really excited to be on the team and help serve the mission.”