Chaminade is more than a four-year high school  experience; it spans generations and legacies tethered to the foundational values and mission of Blessed William Joseph Chaminade. With the evolution of educational praxis within the classrooms and school structure, Chaminade’s professional network has grown exponentially, imbued with a promise to carry out the mission of Marianist connectivity and intentionality. Chaminade will expand  on its mission with the development of the Chaminade  Leadership Summit (CLS). More than a conference, the CLS will gather thinkers and leaders from around the Chaminade Family on an entirely new level, addressing what it means to lead in a complex world. 

The summit will be the first of its kind for the Chaminade Family, bringing together leaders and educators from within the extensive Chaminade alumni network to nurture the legacy of leadership set in the foundations of a shared Marianist education. It is more than merely a networking event; it is a celebration of lifelong learning, leadership, and service to the Chaminade community. It is a manifestation of the hope and goals of Chaminade’s wide-reaching strategic vision for the school as we approach the centennial celebration of the school.

“One of the first considerations for this kind of event was to foster a sense of mutuality and collaboration,” states the conference’s administrator Deborah Kendric. “The name Chaminade Leadership Summit was developed to illustrate the peak of a mountaintop, the gathering of invested parties from across all academic, social, and professional corners of experience.”

Brian Crimmins ’95, Chaminade’s chief operating officer, sees Chaminade as wielding unique strengths for pioneering an event of this degree. “Chaminade has remained an educational epicenter for generations,” states Brian. “It is in both its history and sight towards the future that Chaminade has the capability to pioneer innovation in the landscape of educational development, for students and alumni alike.”

The summit will run from Friday, May 16, to Saturday, May 17, 2025, and feature guest speakers and workshops designed to foster moments of encounter within the larger Chaminade professional network. Such speakers will include Gen. Peter Pace, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, entrepreneur Ken Langone, and Kevin Conway ’76, vice chairman at Clayton Dubilier & Rice, Bob McKillop’67 former head men’s Basketball coach at Davidson College, along with a call-out for other interested speakers and leaders. 

“It is more than an event or a conference,” reflects Deborah. “The summit is an encounter across life experience and career paths. Chaminade is not for four years; it is for life. This summit will serve as a conduit and nucleus for a wider breadth of engagement among the larger Chaminade Family.” The summit will offer a schedule of keynote presentations followed by numerous breakout sessions with a variety of business and academic topics offered, all of which will be interwoven with breathing time for networking and connection.

Gregory Kay ’98, chief academic officer and member of the implementation team for the summit, reflects on the importance of carrying Chaminade formation beyond the high school experience. “The Chaminade experience has always been one sensitive to the lifelong learning experience of all students, parents, alumni, and the larger community. We want to embed our teaching styles and ethos into the very fabric of how the summit is structured and brought outward to our collaborators. There are ongoing academic layers to engagement, and we have something to offer the broader community in our teaching styles, connecting the classroom with our alumni, and vice versa.”

“We are always looking at how we can foster a continual connection with our alumni,” states Brian. “Our hope is to provide all Marianist-educated professionals, no matter what stage they are in their careers, an opportunity to network, foster relationships, and simply learn from one another. The summit can and will meet everyone exactly where they are in their personal and professional moment.”

The summit will provide space for corporate sponsorship and community engagement that directly benefit and support current and future Chaminade students, moving from a symbol of community to practical empowerment and affirmation of the continued mission for Marianist education. The goal of this summit is connection. 

The Chaminade Leadership Summit will blend the best of traditional conference-style networking with the unique aesthetics of the Chaminade experience, fostering a new kind of connection for future professional growth in the Chaminade Family. For more information visit cls.chaminade-hs.org.