Episode #585 - Conversations from the Chaminade Leadership Summit

In this special episode of The Soul of Enterprise, Ron and Ed welcome a panel of speakers from the Chaminade Leadership Summit (CLS), an event focused on developing principled leadership and purposeful organizations.

Joined by Bro. Thomas J. Cleary and fellow summit speakers, the conversation explores the intersection of leadership, values, and organizational culture. Drawing from their diverse experiences, the panel discusses how leaders can foster trust, inspire accountability, and navigate complexity in today’s rapidly changing environment.

From practical leadership frameworks to personal reflections on mission-driven work, this episode offers insights for anyone looking to lead with clarity and purpose—whether inside a firm, a team, or a broader community.

SHOW NOTES

Segment one

  • One of the best-known Marianist schools in the United States is Chaminade High School on Long Island. The school was founded in 1930 in Mineola, New York, at a time when the surrounding area was still largely farmland and undeveloped suburban land. The Marianist brothers opened it as an all-boys Catholic college preparatory school focused on academics, faith formation, discipline, and community.

  • The original Chaminade High School class was 130 students. Today, there are 62 classrooms and 1,700 students. 

  • Louis V. Gerstner Jr. is one of Chaminade High School’s most notable alumni, graduating with the Class of 1959. Gerstner is best known for becoming the CEO of IBM in 1993 during one of the company’s most difficult periods. At the time, many analysts believed IBM would need to be broken apart, but Gerstner led a major turnaround that is often considered one of the most successful corporate recoveries in business history. He shifted IBM toward integrated services and enterprise computing rather than just hardware manufacturing.

  • “What drives any institution is the culture within that institution.” —Brother Thomas Cleary, S.M. ’81

Segment two

  • The Chaminade Leadership Summit (CLS) is a relatively new leadership and professional development conference created by Chaminade High School on Long Island. The inaugural summit launched in 2025 as part of the school’s broader vision leading up to its 100th anniversary. https://cls.chaminade-hs.org/ 

  • The 2026 Chaminade Leadership Summit (CLS) theme is “Connected Leadership,” emphasizing authentic relationships, collaboration, and values-driven leadership in an increasingly interconnected world.

  • It’s hard to overstate the impact of the Chaminade Leadership Summit. CLS in the future MIGHT include small regional events and virtual options. You heard it here first :) 

Segment three

  • We are joined by the Chief Academic Officer of Chaminade High School. A Chief Academic Officer (CAO) is the senior leader responsible for the overall academic vision, quality, and performance of a school, college, university, or education organization.

  • If you have a kid or know anything about high school AP classes, this stat is amazing. At Chaminade High School last year 27 kids took AP Advanced Calculus. 26 out of 27 received a 5 on their AP test!

  • School AI is an example of an AI tool in use at Chaminade High School. And it really gets to how they are integrating AI where appropriate and using it to help guide the overall education of students. https://schoolai.com/ 

Segment four

  • Mr. Robert Paul '92 is the current principal of Chaminade High School in Mineola, New York, named as the 12th principal in the school's history. He took over the role after Bro. Joseph Bellizzi, S.M. stepped down in June 2024 following 25 years of service.

  • HSD = High Satisfaction Day. Ron and Ed touched on this during episode 173 https://www.thesoulofenterprise.com/173 

  • The motto at Chaminade High School is “Fortes in Unitate” (Strength in Unity) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaminade_High_School 

  • A big THANK YOU to Chaminade High School and the Chaminade Leadership Summit for hosting Ed Kless and Ron Baker today. The podcast will be available in just a few hours, the show notes will be at TheSoulOfEnterprise.com on Monday, and a series of short videos will go out on YouTube next week.

Bonus Content is Available As Well

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