President Search 2023-24

In May 2023, Brebeuf Jesuit's Board of Trustees announced the launch of its national search for the school's next President, to be led by a President Search Committee representing trustees, alumni, parents, faculty, and staff.

The search process, undertaken in partnership with Educational Directions, is mission-driven and includes extensive constituent engagement, community survey, and thoughtful discussions with key stakeholders. All members of the Brebeuf Jesuit community have been invited to share their thoughts regarding the qualities, skills, and experiences they would most want to see in Brebeuf Jesuit's next President.

Questions/Comments

Should you have any questions or comments to share, please contact Mathew Heersche at mathew.heersche@edudx.com. Your comments will remain confidential.

President Search Committee

Vince Caponi, Search Committee Chair

Kelly Altman
Fr. Terry Baum, S.J.
Matt Couture
Sumi Maun
Matt Mayer
Jen McGowan
Jim Sweeney `79

Position Description

The Board of Trustees of Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School in Indianapolis has enlisted the expertise of Educational Directions, a national consulting firm, as it embarks on the search for its next president. The president will be hired by the Board of Trustees and missioned by the Provincial as the Director of Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School as an apostolic work of the Society of Jesus.

Click here for the position description.

August 31, 2023 Update

President Search Committee MessageThe content below was sent to the Brebeuf Jesuit community on August 31, 2023.

Dear members of the Brebeuf Jesuit community:

Our BJPS Presidential Search Committee is underway and making progress toward the identification of select, highly qualified candidates. We have formally engaged with Educational Directions, a professional search firm, which specializes in the placement of leadership in private academic institutions.

We recently invited Educational Directions (Risa Oganesoff Heersche and Mathew Heersche) on campus to learn about the Brebeuf Jesuit community and our thriving school culture. This multi-day visit afforded Educational Directions the opportunity to meet with many constituents and gain insights into the desired qualities and “fit” we are seeking in our next school President.

If you would like to share your thoughts, there is an opportunity to provide your feedback through our online survey. The survey can be accessed via the following link: Brebeuf Jesuit President Search Survey. The survey will remain open until Friday, September 8. Based on the information gathered, Educational Directions, along with the Search Committee, will finalize the position profile which will be used as a marketing tool for this exciting opportunity.

Our search professionals have already started to reach out both nationally and locally to individual Catholic educational leaders, executive directors of educational organizations as well as other organizations, a variety of Catholic educational leadership programs and regional school associations to notify them of our opening. Over the next months, they will identify and evaluate the top prospects and select those whom the search committee will interview. From that group will come the finalists, who will directly meet with our school community members to further engage during this final phase of the search process. After the search committee has completed their evaluation of all the data gathered (including deep reference checking), it will present its recommendation to the Board of Trustees for review and approval. Since Brebeuf is a Jesuit institution within the Midwest Province, the Provincial must also approve the selection of the president. Once this is complete, the Board will make an announcement regarding the new president as soon as possible.

Our calendar calls for identification and engagement with the next Brebeuf Jesuit President to be completed by February 2024. There will be an organized transition process culminating with the new president commencing work July 2024.

All information pertaining to the search will be posted on our website in the “president search” section within the upcoming weeks. Thank you for your continued support of Brebeuf Jesuit.

Sincerely,

Jennfer McGowan
Chair, Board of Trustees

Vince Caponi
Chair, Search Committee

May 30, 2023 Update

Community Announcement from Board of Trustees Chair, Jen McGowan

The content below was sent to the Brebeuf Jesuit community on May 30, 2023.

Dear Brebeuf Jesuit Community,

On behalf of the Brebeuf Jesuit Board of Trustees and the USA Midwest Province of the Society of Jesus, I share with you the news that Father Bill Verbryke, S.J. will complete his final year as President at Brebeuf Jesuit at the conclusion of the 2023-24 academic year. Fr. Karl Kiser, S.J., Provincial of the Midwest Province of the Society of Jesus, has informed the school that Fr. Bill will be missioned to a new assignment with the Jesuits; an announcement is expected in the coming months. This change is in keeping with normal practice, as Jesuits are typically missioned to an assignment for a limited period.

Fr. Bill has served Brebeuf Jesuit since 2016, where he joined the school leadership as Vice President for Mission and Identity and was then named President in July 2018. Since 2018, Brebeuf has maintained strong student recruitment and retention and we now enjoy the largest enrollment numbers in the school’s history, along with unprecedented waiting lists for incoming and transfer students. Fr. Bill’s leadership provided steadfast support of the exceptional academics offered at Brebeuf Jesuit resulting in prominent college placement and top-tier SAT scores among our students, earning Brebeuf a distinguished award from the Department of Education. Fr. Bill has created a welcoming and dynamic learning environment during a pandemic, all while executing on a record setting $15 million capital campaign. This summer, construction will begin on the new Student Center scheduled to open in the Fall of 2024.

During this year of transition, the Board of Trustees will work closely with Fr. Bill and the Leadership Team to continue our focused efforts, guided by our mission, to ensure our academic strength and financial well-being. Together we are all dedicated to forming individuals as men and women for others.

The Board of Trustees will immediately commence a national search process of recruiting and appointing a new president. The search committee will be comprised of trustees and other school community members. In performing the search, The Board will coordinate with the Provincial of the Midwest Jesuit Province, Fr. Karl Kiser, S.J. and will carefully consider the qualified candidates for this critical leadership position. I will share updates with the community as the process advances.

Warm regards,

Jennifer McGowan
Chair, Board of Trustees

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