Joe Vollert '84 Inaugurated as New SI President at Mission Mass
In front of hundreds of friends, family, colleagues, and well-wishers from the St. Ignatius community and wider Bay Area, Joseph A. Vollert '84 was formally installed as the director of the work as SI's 32nd president at a Mass celebrated by Jesuits West Provincial Sean Carroll, S.J. on Feb. 20, 2026, at St. Ignatius Church on the University of San Francisco campus.
Mr. Vollert has worked at SI for more than three decades as a teacher, coach, and administrator, most recently as vice president for advancement under the late President Edward A. Reese, S.J.
Upon Fr. Reese's passing in summer 2025, the SI Board of Trustees asked Mr. Vollert to assume the role of acting president while they evaluated next steps for the school. Through a process of discernment, the board determined that his extensive experience in many different aspects of the school, combined with his demonstrated administrative leadership and vision for SI's future, made him the ideal president. The board confirmed his appointment with a unanimous vote.
He steps into the role at a moment of change for SI. Construction has begun and fundraising continues for the New Learning Commons, a dramatic expansion of academic space that promises to transform the SI experience. Fulfilling and building upon Fr. Reese's vision for a new campus with flexible and sustainable space to serve Jesuit education over the next century is a top priority. At the same time, Mr. Vollert is focused on the present: SI's fundamental mission of providing excellent college preparatory academics while forming graduates who go out into the world ready to be leaders, and making a Jesuit education accessible to those eager to meet the challenge.
In his remarks delivered at the missioning Mass, Mr. Vollert thanked his family, the mentors who challenged him and nurtured him over the years, including former SI Principal Mario Prietto, S.J. and former SI Executive Vice President Steve Lovette, and his current colleagues. In reflecting on his journey so far and the path ahead of him, he said, "I thought I would follow in the steps of Brian Stretch '82 and teach for two years, then go to law school, but I fell in love with teaching. This job turned into a career… This career became a profession, and then somewhere along the way, I internalized this mission of Jesuit education — I didn't come up with the mission, but I own it, and it has become a vocation."
SI Board of Trustees Chair Niall P. McCarthy, Esq. '85 was effusive in his praise for Mr. Vollert, saying, "Sometimes in life there is a perfect match between a person and their job. That is the case with Joe in his role as St. Ignatius president. Joe has the intellect, the determination, and the ability to lead SI to new heights. Our community is quite fortunate to have Joe leading from the front."
Principal Michelle Nevin Levine added, "Over more than 30 years of working alongside Joe in many different capacities, I have had the privilege of witnessing firsthand his deep passion for students and for Jesuit education. It is with great pride that I call him my colleague, and with great confidence that I say he is exactly the leader SI needs."
Below, watch the video of the full ceremony and see photos from the ceremony and reception.
