Professional Achievement, School of Education

In his work as associate dean of health and public safety at Western Technical College and in his life in general, Juan Jiménez always keeps in mind a lesson in hospitality that he learned at Viterbo University before he was even a student.

Jiménez grew up in the Chicago area, the second of five children born to Mexican immigrants who put a high value on education. He knew he wanted to be a teacher, and Viterbo’s reputation as a great school for educators drew his attention. What sealed the deal was the reception he got when he came for a campus visit.

“Everywhere we went, somebody would come up to us and say, ‘Hey, what’s your name? Nice to meet you.’ Every single student we passed would say, ‘hello.’ It was the only school we visited where that happened. After that, I said, ‘This is the place I’m going to go,’” he said. “That welcome has not left my mind, and I strive to have people feel the same way when they walk through my door.”

He also carries with him the strong influence and example of the late Earl Madary ’88, who taught religious studies and directed the St. Francis Choir, in which Jiménez sang. “He was like a second father to me,” Jiménez said. “He showed the way to speak truth to power in a way that was kind but stern, with the iron of your convictions.”

Jiménez keeps a copy of Madary’s Viterbo Teacher of the Year acceptance speech handy in a file drawer in his office, going back to it often to refresh core lessons he—and many others—learned from his mentor.

Madary concludes the words he shared on that occasion in 2006 with his Viterbo family as follows: “We demand that you be extraordinary. We insist that you use the privilege of education to build the common good. Please don’t fear failure. Learn, learn, learn, and then learn again. Find a worthy purpose and cause and crash yourself against it. Don’t be afraid to be broken. Be brave. For in the end, we know that you are the green left in this world. May your life be a garden.”

“Paying it forward” also is something Jiménez considers “a Viterbo thing,” and it’s a thing that burns in his core. He’s also an elected member of the La Crosse Board of Education, now in his second term, serving as board president during his first term. He also serves on the boards of directors for Leader Ethics, Marine Credit Union Foundation, and National College Learning Center Association.

Jiménez also has been an active volunteer at the La Crosse Warming Center and previously served on the boards of La Crosse Promise and the Wisconsin Humanities Council.

It means a lot to him, also, to give back to Viterbo. He has volunteered at numerous campus events and served more than 12 years on Viterbo’s Board of Advisors as well as six years on the alumni board, including two years as president, which afforded him a chance to attend Board of Trustees meetings.

Even with his work at Western, all the boards he serves on, and his family life with wife Kristine (a 2013 Viterbo nursing graduate he met on a pilgrimage to Assisi, Italy) and their children, Hannah and Jacob, Jiménez found time to complete a Doctor of Education in Developmental Education Administration degree from Sam Houston State University in 2021.

When he came to Viterbo, Jiménez pictured himself spending his life as a math teacher. After earning his bachelor’s degree in mathematics education in 2001, he did indeed begin working as a math teacher. He returned to Viterbo for a master’s degree in educational leadership, graduating in 2006, but he only taught full time for one more year.

Jiménez has, however, stayed firmly planted in the education realm.

“From representing teachers, educational assistants, substitute teachers, hearing interpreters, carpenters, and painters as a union representative and now, serving as an administrator in higher education and on the local school board, my passion for education and supporting people’s journey to their academic and career goals has not diminished,” he said.

Between his work in education and his community service, Jiménez has won some well-deserved recognition, in 2018 being named a Seven Rivers Region Rising Star Under 40, and in 2022 being named by Madison 365 to the Wisconsin’s Most Influential Latino Leaders list.

The Viterbo Distinguished Alumni Award honor, though, will be hard to top.

“This is one award that means the world to me,” he said. “I have tried, throughout my life, to live by Viterbo’s core values—contemplation, hospitality, integrity, service, and stewardship—and be a representative of the Franciscan values instilled in my Viterbo experience. This award is the one that will always stand out above all others I have earned.”

2023 Viterbo University Distinguished Alumni Award Recipients main page