A message from our President, Fr. Daniel Lydon, C.S.V.

Dear Saint Viator Community,

It is with great pleasure that I announce the hiring of Mr. Jeff Ardito as our Executive Director of Institutional Advancement. Jeff served for 22 years at Saint Patrick High School in Chicago, most recently as Vice-President of Institutional Advancement. In that role, Jeff guided Saint Patrick’s admissions, fundraising, special events and marketing efforts. Jeff successfully completed a capital campaign at Saint Patrick’s with total commitments of $7.5 million.

At Saint Viator, Jeff will be responsible for the day-to-day operation of our Advancement team. Jeff will provide leadership in the areas of the annual fund, special events, alumni events, stewardship, and the capital campaign. Additionally, he will serve as an ex-officio member of the Board of Trustees and the Investment Board.

Mr. Dan Santucci, President of Saint Patrick, remarked that Jeff “has made our school an ever-better place for young men to grow. Saint Viator is lucky to have him.” 

Our search committee selected Jeff because of his strong leadership qualities, his passion for Catholic education, and his strong collaborative and interpersonal skills. I know that Jeff will find a home here at Saint Viator and that he will “hit the ground running.” 

Jeff is well-acquainted with the Saint Viator community as he is a current parent - his daughter Grace will be a junior this year. Jeff also has two daughters who have graduated from Saint Viator: Allison ’22 and Nicole ’20.

Jeff will begin at Saint Viator August 7. Join me in welcoming Jeff to our community!

Adored and loved be Jesus!

Fr. Daniel J. Lydon, C.S.V. ‘73

President