About this episode

Jesse Hicks discusses his journey from student to President of Loyola Catholic School, reflecting on leadership and the future of education.

In this episode of the Get Deep Podcast , we sit down with Jesse Hicks, the new President and Chief Advancement Officer of Loyola Catholic School, for a conversation about leadership, faith, football, fundraising, and coming home. Jesse’s story starts in the halls of Loyola, where he was once a student himself. He reflects on the people, values, and experiences that shaped him during those formative years — including his time on the football field, which eventually led him to play college football at Saint John’s University under legendary coach John Gagliardi. From there, Jesse walks us through his professional life, including how he landed his first job in development at Loyola and the career that followed across education, healthcare, philanthropy, and institutional advancement. Along the way, he shares stories from each chapter — the lessons learned, the mentors who shaped him, and the moments that helped define his approach to leadership and service. We also dive into the bigger picture: what it means to return to Loyola at this stage of his career, how advancement work is really about relationships and trust, and what he believes the future of education — and Loyola…

People in this episode

Hosts: Wesley Otto, Aaron Jones

Guest: Jesse Hicks

Topics covered

• leadership
• faith
• football
• fundraising
• education
• personal development

Keywords

• leadership
• Loyola Catholic School
• Jesse Hicks
• education
• football
• fundraising
• mentorship

Sponsors

Community Bank Mankato, Vanderberg Clean, Chankaska Winery & Distillery

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Loyola Catholic School, Saint John’s University

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