The 2025–26 academic year marks Mike’s 13th year as President of St. Mary’s and his 3rd year leading the “new” St. Mary’s South Side Catholic High School.
On September 26, 2022, the Archdiocese announced their intent to close St. Mary’s at the end of that school year. Mike’s immediate response was that this could not be allowed to happen. He recognized how vital the school is to the young men it serves and to the Dutchtown neighborhood, which would have been devastated to lose its anchor institution. Under Mike’s leadership, the Board of Directors mobilized quickly, negotiating both a new lease agreement with the Archdiocese and a sponsorship agreement with the Marianists (Society of Mary). Out of that effort came the launch of a five-year capital campaign, The Work Is Ours, with a goal of raising $12 million. In its first five months alone, $5.3 million was secured.
That momentum reached a historic milestone in July 2025, when St. Mary’s officially purchased its property from the Archdiocese — securing a permanent home for the school and ensuring its presence in Dutchtown for generations to come.
Mike has also guided the school in groundbreaking new programming. Through partnerships with local trade unions and the Missouri Works Initiative, St. Mary’s South Side Catholic became the first and only high school in Missouri to offer a pre-apprenticeship program in the trades as part of its curriculum. In the program’s inaugural year, 13 students completed the course and earned their OSHA 10 certification, giving them the opportunity to step directly into one of 15 trade pathways as paid apprentices after graduation.
Beyond campus, Mike was instrumental in founding the St. Joseph Housing Initiative (SJHI) seven years ago, a nonprofit dedicated to revitalizing the neighborhood by purchasing and renovating vacant homes, then selling them to low- and moderate-income families. This initiative helps families build long-term stability and wealth through homeownership. To date, 13 families have become first-time homeowners through SJHI, with an additional five properties currently under renovation. The SJHI offices remain located on the St. Mary’s South Side Catholic campus.
Mike’s leadership has also been recognized across the region. In 2023 he was honored on St. Louis Magazine’s “A-List” of community leaders Shaping the Region, and in January 2024, he was named to the St. Louis Titan 100, which celebrates the area’s top 100 CEOs and C-level executives.
