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They have been hosting ALA kids from John Carroll University and Hiram College in their home since 2010. “These kids aren’t likely to return to Africa during breaks in their college year, but they need the support of a local family structure. It’s been a great experience for us, connecting with these young people,” Schaefer said.
They even traveled to Tanzania to visit with the family of one of their sponsored students a few years ago. “ALA is developing leaders who will transform Africa in the next century. It’s incredible to be a part of that. We’ve loved the experience,” he said.
Ultimately, Schaefer’s story represents the best of what the Order of Friars Minor had in mind when they came to Parma in the
early 1960’s to form young men in the Franciscan charism.
As a student, he excelled at academics, both at Padua where
he was a National Merit Scholar and at the Catholic University of America in Washington,D.C., where he majored in chemical engi- neering on a full scholarship.
As an executive, he brought simplicity and humility to the task of bridging the often inexorable gap between management and labor, by reaching down the organizational chart to empower the best ideas no matter where or from whom they originated.
Jim has dedicated his life to quietly, but relentlessly, being an instrument of peace – between labor and management, commu- nities and corporations, cultures and continents.
“Most people aren’t encouraged to come up with ideas...and if they are, often they’re not given the resources to implement them.Butwhentheyare,theresultscanbedramatic,”Schaefer said. “That encourages more ideas. If we can just remember that none of us is as smart as all of us.”
“The Franciscan values we were taught, by men like Fr. Lou, Fr. Mario and Fr. Wayne... they were more than just words. They provided a road map for how to treat people, professionally and personally, throughout my life.”
– Jim Schaefer ’68
Alumna Honored by ‘Crain’s Chicago Business’ as Top Woman in Tech
“I’m grateful to have Padua and the values instilled as part of my foundation for growth” - Kelly (Papson) Manthey ’94
Kelly (Papson) Manthey ’94 was recognized by Crain’s Chicago Business as one of the top 50 women in the tech world.
Kelly is the CEO of Solstice, one of Chicago’s largest and fastest- growing software services companies. She has spent a decade at the software development firm, now a unit of London-based
St. Ives Group, most recently as head of strategy, leading Solstice’s move into the internet of things, voice and robotics.
Why she got into tech: “When I was in college, internet technolo- gies and the dot-com boom were just taking off. It was the path less taken.”
After she graduated from Padua, Kelly received a degree from Kent State University and attended Harvard Business School.
“I’m grateful to have Padua and the values instilled as part of my foundation for growth,” said Manthey.
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