Loyola High School has appointed Rev. Tom McClain, S.J. as interim president, effective July 14.
A Detroit native and seasoned Jesuit leader, McClain brings decades of experience in education, finance, and pastoral ministry to this role.
McClain succeeds Deborale Richardson-Phillips, who resigned last week due to personal family reasons. He will serve in this role while the Loyola High School Board of Directors conducts a national search for a full-time successor.
“We are honored to have Fr. McClain lead our school,” says Barbara Runyon, chair of the board of directors. “His deep commitment to Jesuit education, his love of Detroit, and his global leadership experience make him uniquely suited to guide Loyola during this transitional period.”
McClain currently serves as the superior of the Detroit Jesuit Community, caring for Jesuits in two residences and supporting the six Jesuit works in the metropolitan Detroit area. He will continue to hold this role as well as interim president of Loyola High School.
He recently served as the general treasurer of the Society of Jesus at its headquarters in Rome, where for seven years he oversaw global financial operations and civil legal matters for the Jesuits worldwide. His leadership extended to the society’s highest levels, including his role as a delegate to General Congregation 36 in 2016, which elected the current superior general, the Rev. Arturo Sosa.
Prior to his international service, McClain held several positions in the United States. He was president of Regis High School in New York City (1996-2004); pastor of St. Mary’s Student Parish and director of Catholic Campus Ministry at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor (2005-2009); and treasurer of the Detroit Province (1992–1996).
His earlier career included teaching and leadership roles across Jesuit institutions, where he also served as superior of multiple Jesuit communities.
McClain is a proud alumnus of Gesu School, University of Detroit Jesuit High School, and the University of Detroit-Mercy. He holds a master’s degree in German literature from the University of California at Berkeley and a Master of Divinity from the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley. He entered the Jesuit order in 1967 and was ordained a priest in 1977.
