After serving the Church one way or another throughout his entire career, Mr. Jim Friend begins another chapter of his service amongst the Augustinians at Malvern.
As Malvern’s Executive Director of Advancement, Mr. Jim Friend is looking to make an impact on the school.
Friend has his degree from Rosemont University, however that wasn’t the first college he chose.
“I went to West Chester University, and then Rosemont College. I think my education prepared me to be a pretty good communicator,” he said. “I was a Communications major and then at Rosemont I got a master’s degree in English and Publishing.”
Friend enters the Malvern community not as a teacher, but as the Executive Director of Advancement, a new position that entails a lot of work. He will oversee three departments, Admissions, Marketing, and Development, all falling under the umbrella of Advancement.
“What I want to do is work with the teams and find new resources for those teams, provide some training. And also for myself, to get out there and raise funds for the school. I’ll be working closely with Father Reilly, I’ll be working with the alums and the parents to raise money. I’ll also be working closely with admissions and trying to recruit students,” Friend said.
Raising money for the Malvern fund is another important part of Friend’s job. For his first year, he has set an ambitious goal.
“We’re setting a really aggressive goal with the Malvern fund this year: we want to raise a million dollars. We haven’t done that in a while,” he said.
At his old job, The Faith in the Future Foundation, Friend was the Chief Development Officer, and oversaw the development of several schools in Allentown.
“I [worked] at The Faith in the Future Foundation. What’s interesting about Faith in the Future [is that] it was the first foundation to ever have a management contract with the archdiocese to outsource the management of the school system.”
He came to Malvern after hearing about the job opening from an old friend and mentor, Rev. Dennis Harten, O.S.A..
“[Rev. Harten] was telling me that Father Reilly had come to Malvern Prep and mentioned that they were looking for an Executive Director of Advancement, and he said ‘you really should think about that.’”
What really drew Friend to Malvern was its community.
“I saw it as a neat opportunity to reconnect with the Augustinians and be a part of a school community. When you’re at the diocesan level, you work with a lot of school, but you don’t really get to be part of any one community. I worked for students, served students, but I never really saw students. I didn’t get to go to a school mass or connect with students.”
In his free time, he began a podcast called “Advancing Our Church”, which can be found on advancingourchurch.com.
“It was just my own personal hobby. I got to interview some priests, some people that worked in the Church. I thought it would be an interesting way to put information out about the Church to help people who are trying to move it forward through stewardship, leadership, and advancement.”
Friend also has hobbies outside of his professional life. He enjoys golfing and watching superhero movies with his son.
“I used to collect comics when I was a kid, so it’s kind of fun to see all of the heroes come alive now that I’m older and I get to enjoy it with my kids.”
Even as a new member of the community, Friend is already involved in student life.
“I sat in on a M.E.C.O. team meeting, and I’m actually going to be part of the retreat team for M.E.C.O.. I’m excited to be a part of it.”
In addition to his new job at Malvern, Friend is looking to serve the Church in a new and different way.
“I applied for the Diaconate. I am interested in being a Deacon in the Church. If I get accepted, that’s something I will start sometime in 2019.”
Friend is excited about his future at Malvern Prep.
“I’m looking forward to getting to know the community, I’m looking forward to my first M.E.C.O. retreat. I’m looking forward to helping to make a difference. I only take a job if I feel I can make an impact on the school in a positive way.”
