Cristo Rey Jesuit High School is proud to welcome two new members to its Board of Directors. Meet Ana Casanueva and Mark Matejka.

Ana Casanueva has a bicultural legal education and background, with more than 18 years of legal experience, including law firms, a family office holding investments in different sectors, and leading the Legal Department of a financial institution held by a public company.

Ana most recently held the role of Senior VP & Legal Director at Byline Bancorp, Inc. She is also a Director at Poder & Oprima-1 LLC, the Head-Legal at Controladora Gek SAPI de CV, a Member-Leadership Council at Rise Up (California), and a Member at the Bar Association of the District of Columbia. She has legal experience mainly in Corporate Governance, Securities Regulations, M&A, Corporate Development, Contracts, Corporate Law, Policy Development, Investor Relations, among others.

She holds graduate degrees from Universidad Iberoamericana, Columbia Law School, and DePaul University College of Law.

Ana is committed to her community by providing pro-bono representation of immigrants with the National Immigrant Justice Center. Ana is also an avid runner and has completed 10 marathons!

“I’m excited and honored to join the Cristo Rey Board. I’ve witnessed how the Cristo Rey program works, and the opportunities it brings for Hispanic students in Chicago. I’m ready to collaborate and be part of this amazing effort.”

In his role as Development Consultant, Mark Matejka spends time working with organizations on Strategy, Staffing and Staff Development/Coaching, Donor Development and Stewardship, Capital Campaign Management and Event Strategy and Execution.  He especially enjoys partnering with leaders to provide support and counsel. 

Since retiring from the corporate world, Mark has worked closely with organizations such as Jesuit Refugee Services, St. Teresa of Avila, Daniel Murphy Scholarship Fund, and Old St. Pat’s Church.  He prides himself on his ability to connect with donors, staff members and clients and is grateful to support organizations that focus on providing others with a “hand up.” 

Prior to joining the non-profit sector, Mark spent more than 30 years leading Sales and Marketing/Communications teams at large public and private corporations such as SAP/Concur, Aetna, CVS/Caremark and Blue Cross Blue Shield.  His responsibilities included top-line and bottom-line growth, which he achieved by building and investing in strong cohesive teams.  With enabling-technologies to establish and maintain the productivity metrics, Mark leveraged his strong communication skills to motivate, improved, and drive productive results. During this time, he achieved several significant milestones, including closing a $3B sale and being honored several times as a top salesperson. 

As a volunteer, Mark has served on the United Way of Lake Country Grants Panel, Archdiocese of Chicago Youth Ministry Volunteer Leadership Team, The Night Ministry Volunteer Meal Coordinator, and St. Teresa of Avila Parish Council, Growth Committee Leader, and member of the Time of Your Life Fundraising Committee. 

Mark holds a B.S. in Business Administration and an M.B.A. from Saint Louis University (Home of the Billikens!).  He has also received Professional Chef Certifications from the Florence Culinary Arts School (Florence, IT) and Le Cordon Bleu (Paris, FR) and enjoys cooking for family and friends.  

“This is a great opportunity for me to use my experience and the skills I’ve gained to help others achieve their own academic goals. I’m really excited to work with the Board and help the school pursue its worthy mission.”

Cristo Rey Jesuit had the privilege of hosting The Very Reverend Arturo Sosa, SJ, who serves as the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, for a special Mass on Sunday, April 14. This was a significant and momentous occasion in our school's 28-year history.

Father General Sosa, who leads the Jesuits worldwide, visited Chicago as part of his listening tour to understand the needs of those being served and how the Jesuits are addressing those needs. He is a Venezuelan Catholic priest and currently serves as the present 31st Superior General of the Society of Jesus, following in the footsteps of St. Ignatius of Loyola, who was the first Superior General nearly 500 years ago.

During his visit to the United States, Fr. Sosa spent most of his time in the Midwest. He intentionally planned his visit to Cristo Rey as his final stop to leave a lasting impression on his time here. As Mass began, Fr. Sosa introduced himself by saying, "Buenos días, mi nombre es Padre Arturo Sosa, y soy un Guadalupano" (Good morning, my name is Father Arturo Sosa, and I am a Guadalupano).

Approximately 60 students, each accompanied by one parent, attended the intimate gathering. We were also honored to have several faculty and staff members, alumni board members, and Jesuits in attendance, including Fr. Patrick Fairbanks, S.J., Fr. Jim Gartland, S.J., and our Midwest Provincial, Fr. Karl Kiser, S.J. Fr. Sosa also visited Jesuit works in Omaha, Milwaukee, and Detroit on his trip to the Midwest.

Cristo Rey Jesuit students earn the majority of their tuition by spending four days a week in college preparatory classes and one day in a professional, entry-level job through the Corporate Work Study Program (CWSP). Recently faculty and staff had an opportunity to shadow students at their jobs, meet their supervisor and coworkers, and get a better understanding of students' work experience on Teacher to Work Day.

CWSP job partners Northern Trust, CME, GTCR, Collins Engineers, Chicago Title, Senior Lifestyle, Catholic Extension, and the Cristo Rey Network hosted teachers and staff members for an afternoon to see firsthand how skills at the workplace connect with lessons in the classroom.

The CWSP vans took teachers and staff downtown, where each group visited two job partner offices. At each company, the senior students gave tours, introduced their co-workers, and gave presentations on their jobs to their teachers.

Upon return, the Cristo Rey adults gathered with the CWSP team to reflect on the afternoon. The teachers and staff were overwhelmingly impressed by the presentations given by the students, as well as the tasks and projects they are currently undertaking. 

We are grateful to the seniors for their remarkable presentations, and also to our job partners who provide our students with meaningful and valuable work experiences.