Beth and Larry Gies along with The Gies Foundation have played instrumental roles in the founding and growth of Chicago Jesuit Academy.
Since 2005, Beth and Larry have provided essential scholarship support and direct service to CJA students, strategic guidance as CJA has grown, and emergency assistance to the CJA community during times of crisis – especially during the pandemic.
In 2015, CJA sought to recognize the critical role that Beth and Larry Gies and The Gies Foundation have played at CJA by renaming the campus at 5058 West Jackson Boulevard “The Gies Campus of Chicago Jesuit Academy”.
Beth, Larry and The Gies Foundation are deeply committed to creating life changing educational opportunities for young men and women who are growing up on the West Side of Chicago. CJA is grateful to partner with them in our shared mission in the service of CJA’s students, alumni and families.
About Beth and Larry Gies
Beth Gies is the President of The Gies Foundation, which focuses on youth, education and health, and is a director on The Gies Foundation’s board. Beth also serves on the Board of Directors for the University of Illinois Foundation and Chicago Jesuit Academy, where she volunteers as a tutor in CJA’s classrooms. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Illinois and a Master of Arts in Teaching degree from National Louis University. Beth, who began tutoring youth while in college, served as an elementary school teacher in Ohio and Illinois. Beth is a tireless advocate for all students and the teachers who work so hard to create the learning environments to help them grow.
Larry Gies is the founder and CEO of Madison Industries, one of the largest and most successful privately held companies in the world. Madison builds entrepreneurially driven, branded market leaders that are dedicated to making the world safer, healthier and more productive by creating innovative solutions that deliver outstanding customer value. The team at Madison is committed to building something truly remarkable that long outlasts them while coaching others to reach their highest potential. Larry serves as a director of The Gies Foundation and is a featured speaker at several universities. He has also coached numerous youth sports and serves on the boards of Northwestern University and the Accelerate Institute (which is solving for the ‘achievement gap’ in United States education). He holds degrees from the University of Illinois and Northwestern University.
The campus shared by Chicago Jesuit Academy and Christ the King Jesuit College Prep has a rich history that began when Resurrection Parish created an elementary school in 1911.
Chicago Jesuit Academy began serving students on the West Side of Chicago in 2005 from two rented classrooms at Marillac House, thanks to the generosity of the Daughters of Charity. The inaugural class included nineteen 5th-grade students. The school was based on Nativity-model schools throughout the country, many of which were all boys or all girls schools. Upon discussing this model with families in our community, there was unanimous agreement that the school should begin by serving young men.
In the years that followed, we expanded our building footprint, grew “down” to serve 3rd and 4th grade students and recently completed a 50,000-sq.-ft. expansion to enable us to serve young women in grades 3-8 in addition to young men.