Today, Chaminade Julienne enjoys strong community support, a vibrant student body, an expanding campus footprint and an increasingly vital role in the Downtown Dayton community. At this time of success and progress and after more than 20 years at the helm of the Catholic high school located in the center city, Dan Meixner ‘84, president, announced that he will step down after the 2025-2026 academic year.
“Over the past year, my wife, Laura, and I reflected on the privilege it has been for me to serve as one of the stewards of the mission of this special community that is Chaminade Julienne.” Meixner said. “As the proud son and grandson of CJ alumni, father of two graduates, and uncle to four more, I feel blessed to have been part of this community for so many years of my personal and professional life. After a lot of prayer, we made this decision last fall to leave a role I have loved. We both believed that I am being called toward some new, and as yet unknown, way to serve in the Dayton region.”
Community support for the school has been evident during his time as president. During Meixner’s tenure, philanthropic support exceeded $75 million and the school’s endowment more than quadrupled. This support helped enable Chaminade Julienne’s campus footprint to double to more than 20 acres with new facilities that include the CJ STEMM Center, Roger Glass Stadium, Skelton Family Community Center, Eagle Tennis Center, Founders Center, and renovated learning spaces.
Additionally, over the years, community support funded innovative student academic, faith, performing arts, and athletic programming; improved access through tuition assistance and scholarships; expanded opportunities for teacher professional development, and other operational needs that result in the outstanding Catholic educational experience at CJ. Nearly 4,000 students graduated during his time as president, moving forward in their lives as lifelong learners and people of compassion, integrity and service.
“As an alumnus, principal, parent and, for the last six years, director of development, I have seen Dan keep the mission of CJ at the forefront of our planning and programs,” John Marshall ‘86 said. “We focused our curriculum and formation on preparing our graduates to succeed in college and post-secondary paths, to be life-long learners, and to carry their faith with them as a moral compass.”
The CJ Board of Trustees has formed a president search committee led by current board vice chair Jennifer Theibert ‘92. This committee, which will include representatives of the school’s owners—the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur and the Marianists—Trustees, and representatives of the school community, have already begun planning an extensive search process.
“We will identify a dynamic and inspirational leader who shares our mission and passion for making the highest quality Catholic education accessible to all young people across the Dayton region,” said Kevin Weckesser ‘93, CJ Board of Trustees chair. “Someone who will think forward with the same ‘what’s next’ approach as Dan, while honoring our history and celebrating our Catholic identity and the special charisms and hallmarks of our founders which have made CJ such a special and unique place for nearly two centuries.”
During this time of transition, Meixner will continue in the work of successfully concluding Ascend, the largest campaign in school history at $25 million; supporting the evolution of the school’s new programming, CJ United, in its second year; and extending relationships that foster a vibrant future for the school.
“Our next leader will inherit a very strong foundation and the exciting opportunity to build upon our 175-year history as a leader in Catholic education for our region,” Weckesser said. “We have a bright future thanks to our outstanding teachers and staff members, a broad community of supporters, families from all parts of the Dayton region who choose CJ, and volunteer leaders who collaborate to make our mission possible. We are grateful for Dan’s leadership and welcome the opportunities that times of transition can bring.”
Search Committee
- Jennifer Theibert ’92, committee chair; Trustee; parent; parent of alumna
- Joe Geraghty ‘83; former chair, Board of Trustees; parent of alumni
- Pete Haley; former chair, Board of Trustees; parent of alumni
- Mike Mathile ’87; former Trustee; parent of alumni
- Greg Mueller, principal
- Ellen Quinttus, former chair, Board of Trustees; parent of alumni
- Sarah Stone, teacher
- Julie Sullivan, vice chair of the Board of Trustees; parent
- Kevin Weckesser ’93, chair of the Board of Trustees; parent; parent of alumni
- Sr. Donna Jurick, SNDdeN ‘57; representative of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, Ohio Province
- Fr. Bob Jones, SM, representative of the Marianists, United States Province; former CJ chaplain, teacher, and member of the leadership team.
FAQs
What is the role of the Board in the search?
As succession planning is one of the most important responsibilities of the CJ Board of Trustees, the Trustees have engaged a professional national search consulting firm (Educational Directions) and formed a search committee to identify our next president. They are committed to a process that follows the principles of best practices for conducting school leadership searches. The CJ community will be kept informed throughout the search process in a variety of ways. Information regarding the search can be found in the President Search section of the school website.
What is the role of the search committee?
Appointed by the CJ Board of Trustees, the search committee oversees all aspects of the search process. They work closely with our search professionals, gather data and feedback, interview candidates and offer recommendations to the Trustees and the Members of the sponsoring orders (Marianists and Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur). The Trustees and the Members of the sponsoring orders ultimately make the final decision for the appointment of the next president.
What is the role of the Marianists and the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur?
Chaminade Julienne Catholic High School is sponsored by the Marianists and the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. Representatives of the Marianists and Sisters have been appointed to the search committee and the Members must provide their approvals of the next president.
What is the role of Educational Directions?
Educational Directions will guide, advise and support the search committee during the entire process. Our search professionals, Mathew Heersche and Risa Oganesoff Heersche, will visit Chaminade Julienne to learn more about our community and meet with various stakeholders. Mathew and Risa will reach out to and speak with candidates from their extensive network of highly qualified Catholic administrators from around the country. Candidates whom they believe meet the desired qualifications will be submitted to the search committee for their review and consideration. The search committee, in collaboration with Educational Directions, will determine which candidates they want to invite to interview in person.
Why conduct a search at all?
The CJ Board of Trustees believes that it is essential for the integrity of the search process and their decision regarding the hiring of the next president that they engage in a national search process that follows the principles of best practice. It is the Trustees fiduciary responsibility to select a new president to further long-term strategic objectives.
Timeline
Chaminade Julienne will engage in a thoughtful search and well-planned transition over the coming year. The following timeline is anticipated:
- Position posted summer 2025
- Semifinalist interviews December 2025
- Finalist visits January/February 2026
- Appointment February 2026
- Start date July 2026
What if I know someone who may be interested?
Interested candidates should contact Risa Oganesoff Heersche or Mathew Heersche at Educational Directions:
Risa and Mathew will maintain confidentiality throughout the process. Members of the community are invited to make referrals of appropriate candidates. Please contact Risa and Mathew to share names and contact information of potential candidates, and they will reach out directly to them.
What if I have additional questions?
Feel free to contact the search committee chair with questions at the following email address: presidentsearch@cjeagles.org