The Rev. William J. Byron, S.J.
The Rev. William J. Byron, S.J., is a native of Pittsburgh and grew up in Philadelphia, where he attended St. Joseph’s Preparatory School. After service in the army’s 508 th Parachute Infantry Regiment in 1945 – 46, he attended Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia for three years before entering the Jesuit order in 1950. He was ordained a priest in 1961.
From 1982 – 1992, Byron served as president of The Catholic University of America. Byron is research professor at the Sellinger School of Business, Loyola College in Maryland. Other recent experience includes acting as pastor of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Washington, D.C., from August 2000 until June 2003. From 1992 to 2000 he taught in the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University. He also served as dean of arts and sciences at Loyola University New Orleans from 1973 – 1975, and as interim president from October 2003 until June 2004.
Byron holds a doctorate in economics from the University of Maryland, two theology degrees from Woodstock College and a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and master’s degree in economics from Saint Louis University. A 1999 recipient of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities’ Theodore M. Hesburgh Award for his contributions over the years to the advancement of Catholic higher education, he also received the Council of Independent Colleges’ Academic Leadership Award that year.
Byron writes a syndicated bi-weekly column, “Looking Around,” for the Catholic News Service and has written seven books and edited two. He has served as trustee of Georgetown University and the University of San Francisco. He was a founding director and past chair of Bread for the World and a public member of the Board of Commissioners of the Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.
