September 24, 2025
Ventre ’79 receives national award for admissions leadership
The Gourley award is presented annually to an educator who serves as an inspiration to students and colleaguesJim Ventre ’79, assistant head of school for admission and financial aid, received The Everett E. Gourley Award at the 2025 Embracing Change Annual Conference for enrollment leaders, held September 16–20 in Austin, TX. Presented annually, the award recognizes an admissions professional whose work with students and colleagues inspires and advances the industry.
In Yield magazine, Ventre shared that he is inspired by students whose resilience and courage help them rise up, and by colleagues who support one another with humility and care. “If I can help others feel valued,” he said, “then I know I have done the work that matters most.”
Ventre describes enrollment as “people work,” and encourages those new to the field to “stay relentlessly curious, fiercely kind, and unapologetically human” and to “celebrate others even when no one is watching.” For Ventre, admissions is about far more than process or numbers. “When we focus on understanding and connection, we don’t just enroll students, we welcome them into a story that honors who they are and who they will become.”
In his Yield interview, Ventre called the award humbling and emphasized that it belongs to his peers as well. “It belongs to …colleagues like Jill B. Thompson [associate dean and director of admissions] who brings strength and unwavering compassion to work each day. The recognition reminds me to keep asking whose story hasn’t been heard and to keep building spaces where every voice matters.”
Categories: Admission, Leadership
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